Standup comedy is returning to the Side Door this Friday night with another edition of Ward Smith and Friends. In case you’ve not seen Ward’s shows, he’s got a ton of national TV credits as a comic and actor and Palladium fans saw him recently as the blowhard Navy Commander in the St. Petersburg Opera production of South Pacific.
For this edition of the show, Ward has added some music to the stand-up lineup. So you’ll get some laughs from Ward, Amanda Jordon and Lou Angelwolf, and some great classic rock tunes from Jerry Outlaw and the HubbTones.
I made the mistake of asking Ward Smith a few serious questions about the show. Here’s what I got back:
Jerry Outlaw
Palladium Paul: At the Palladium we do comedy. We do music. You are mashing them up for this week’s show. How come?
Ward Smith: Well, I was talking to Jerry about doing a show somewhere with a house band rather than canned music and shortly after, you told me about some dates in July- So, Why the heck not?
Kinda harkens back to the old variety show days where there was a live band- wish we had room for a magician and some show girls.
Paul: Who has a name like Jerry Outlaw? What’s up with that? Who is this guy?
Ward: Well, according to legend, it’s a very old North Carolina name – you had the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s and then you had the Outlaws which neither the Hatfields or McCoys could tolerate.
Actually Jerry is an incredible guitarist, leader of the Zappa supergroup Bogus Pomp, and the HubbTones is his classic rock project.
Paul: I think Lou Angelwolf is the funniest man in Florida. How is it that you’re the host and he’s just a supporting player?
Ward: Indeed he is very funny and one of my favorites. Given the format of the show (and in the comedy world) the last act up is the closer. And Lou will come up last!
Paul: Finally, it appears that the most “adult” of the comics on Friday is Amanda Jordan. So the guys are clean and the gal is blue? What’s up with that?
Ward: I always toss in a few extra when I’m around her. It ups my cred and she thinks I’m less of a douche
Paul: Do the performers know they are playing in an old church basement? What does that say about their careers?
Ward: Just as long as it wasn’t an old Church of Satan, I think we’re okay.
To get your tickets in advance call our box office at 727 822-3590 or click this link.
Leave a Reply