With hopes of Netflix, Wilmington comic to tape special performance at Thalian Hall

For years now, Wilmington comedian Cliff Cash has wanted to film a stand-up special at a packed-out Thalian Hall downtown.

In just a few days, that dream will finally become a reality when Cash takes the Thalian Hall stage Nov. 9 to film a special he's calling "The Long Road." Opening acts will be Wilmington comics Wills Maxwell and Drew Harrison, and the show will be hosted by Wilmington-based novelist Wiley Cash, who is Cliff's older brother.

One of Wilmington's best-known, longest-serving and just plain funniest comedians, Cash has toured for years, had a No. 1 comedy album on iTunes (2021's "Half Way There") and hit with some viral videos. But he's not yet released a true comedy special like the career-making ones that have become wildly popular on Netflix and other streaming services.

"I feel like I'm years past ready," Cash said. "I kind of took this approach of, the longer it takes, the more ready I'll be. So it's taken a long time. That's why I'm calling the special 'The Long Road.'"

In 2017, Cash said, he filmed a special at Wilmington's Dead Crow Comedy Room, back when it was on Front Street. The thought then was similar to now: make a special and get it on Netflix or another streaming service. Unfortunately, while he was happy with his material, the production values weren't quite what he'd hoped for.

"When I finally got it in front of an editor," Cash said, "I said, 'Please tell me this is good enough for an entry-level Netflix special.' And he said, 'This isn't good enough for an entry-level YouTube special.'

"After that kind of swing and a miss, I regrouped and just said to myself, 'You know what? I'm gonna take the pressure off myself. I'm just gonna go back to enjoying the process.'"

He toured relentlessly for two years, and "2019 was the best year I'd ever had," Cash said.

Then, the pandemic hit, shutting down venues nationwide, and it was back to square one in some ways. Still, Cash never gave up, retooling his act to include cruise ships and private house shows, of which he's done nearly 100 this year. Now he's just a handful of tickets away to selling out Thalian Hall.

"I know I can sell out the theater. I know I can deliver a great hour of stand up," Cash said. "And so, the big variable was I gotta have a film company that can get this there. And I couldn't feel better about Lighthouse."

Lighthouse Films, that is, the esteemed Wilmington production company that has done everything from commercials and documentaries to award-winning narrative films.

"They're taking a risk on me. I don't have the money to write these guys a check for the kind of work they do," Cash said. "So they're really betting on what's gonna happen from it."

Whether the special, when complete, winds up on Netflix or somewhere else he doesn't know, Cash said, but "I feel 100% confident that it will land somewhere."

He's still deciding which jokes he wants to include. But since it will be his first real special all of his material is on the table, from his silliest jokes to the political humor he's often known for, poking fun at the South and its prejudices while also being a proud, lifelong Southener.

"I think the theme throughout is going to be sort of my path to get to this point," Cash said. "The stuff I've gone through in my personal life up to this point, a lot of life experiences in terms of divorce and financial hardship. And just, you know, the state of the nation and some human issues."

Many of today's best-known comics, like Jim Gaffigan or Nate Bargatze, tend to steer clear of politics.

"That's part of the reason they're able to get so big," Cash said, "They're not turning off half of the base. I'm fully aware that my comedy does that, but I just I can't not be that.

"People always go, 'Man, I wish you wouldn't be political.' And it's like, if I'm losing people who think white supremacy and homophobia and transphobia are OK, I'm OK with losing them."

Besides, he said, plenty of popular comics, including Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah and Michelle Wolf, make politics a centerpiece of their acts.

"If I was just silly jokes without saying anything meaningful, I think I probably would have given up after the first three years," Cash said. "I'll have people come up to me up on a really regular basis after shows, or they'll send me an email or a direct message through social media, and they'll say, 'Hey, I really appreciate you talking about racism in a crowd of white people who are conservative. Probably didn't love hearing what you had to say, but needed to hear what you have to say.'"

Cash said he also wants to make the show on Nov. 9 a celebration of Wilmington, the town that produced him and supported him. That's why he's getting Port City comics Maxwell and Harrison to open for him, and why he asked his brother to host.

In addition, the special's music will be provided by Wilmington songwriter Sean Thomas Gerard, whose poppy folk-rock tunes Cash has a special affinity for.

"I don't feel all that confident about anything else in my life. But I feel really confident about my stand up. I think I'm as funny as the people who have already made it. And I feel that way about Sean's music," Cash said. "I'm really hoping that if this special succeeds in the way that I hope it will, that it will also shine some light on him."

Want to go?

What: Cliff Cash, with Willis Maxwell and Travis Harrison

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9

Where: Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington

Info: Tickets at 910-632-2285 or ThalianHall.org. VIP tickets available, which includes pre-show meet-and-greet and after-party at Bourgie Nights on Princess Street.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington comedian Cliff Cash to tape comedy special at Thalian Hall