RED BANK: MORGAN PICKS UP THE PIECES

tracy-morgan-mag-1Tracy Morgan brings his standup act to the Count Basie stage for two shows Friday night.

“I’ve tapped into something, man, that nobody else can talk about,” Tracy Morgan said in an interview with a national wire service earlier this year. “I went to the other side and came back bearing gifts… and I’m gonna share all those gifts with my fans.”

In case you missed the headline-making news, the Emmy nominated cast member of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock was referencing his near-death experience in a June, 2014, limo crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, an accident that killed his friend James “Jimmy Mack” McNair, and left Morgan comatose with multiple injuries, necessitating a lengthy process of physical therapy and speech rehabilitation.

Undaunted, the Bronx-born “cringe comic” (and co-star of films like Cop Out and the forthcoming Fist Fight) has taken to the road once more on a route that leads to Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre Friday night.

Having made a triumphal return to public performance with an appearance on the 67th Primetime Emmys (and an October, 2015, guest-host stint on SNL), Morgan didn’t let a little accrued good will get in the way of what he does best: offend sensibilities, engender controversies, and just generally careen “a truckload of funny” down the HOV lanes of civilized discourse — as witness the officially branded “Picking Up the Pieces Tour.”

With two Basie shows scheduled (for 7 and 9:30 p.m.), and some reasonably priced seating available, reservations ($29 – $49) can be made right  here for either. And take it here for info on other upcoming comedy events at the Basie, including Robert Klein with Rita Rudner (November 4), and Brian Regan (November 5).