New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Tracy Morgan brings comedy tour to Ridgefield Playhouse
Tracy Morgan is making his way back to Connecticut. The Emmynominated actor and comedian brings his national stand-up tour to the Ridgefield Playhouse on April 26.
He spoke about his life and colorful career in a phone interview from his New Jersey home. Turns out, Morgan wasn’t always set on being an entertainer.
“You don’t know what you want to be when you’re 5 or 10 years old. How could you know that?!” he said, his tone incredulous. “At one point I wanted to drive the trains in New York City. I wanted to be a conductor.”
Morgan declined to reveal what he’ll riff on when he hits the stage in Ridgefield, but promises it will be a good time.
“I’m not telling you what I want to talk about. I’m just saying
I’m going to be funny — what I’ve been for the last 30 years!”
The star’s early career included a seven-season stint on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” So, it’s no surprise he’s among the “SNL” fans who are looking forward to the upcoming origin movie, “SNL 1975.”
“It’s going to be great,” said the former cast member, who appeared on the sketch comedy series from 1996 to 2003.
The highly anticipated film is expected next year, which is also when the iconic television show marks its 50th anniversary. According to IMDb, the movie will share the behind-thescenes story leading to the first broadcast on Oct. 11, 1975.
Morgan was just a child when “SNL” debuted. He remembers watching it as a kid with his father. But he doesn’t recall specifics about the material he performed during his audition for the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels.
“I just thought I needed to be funny. My inspiration was my family and I guess that’s what did it,” the Brooklynborn entertainer said. “He gave me a shot. I’m very glad Lorne Michaels chose me to be on the show.”
Aside from “SNL” and TV series such as “30 Rock” and “The Last O.G.,” Morgan is known for his work in movies such as 2022’s “Spirited,” with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. The film is a musical version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas story.
“My daughter was in that movie with me,” he said of Maven, age 10.
“That’s what sticks with me most. When I’m dead and gone, my daughter can look back and say ‘I did this movie with my father!’”
As for his comedy stylings, Morgan said he feels free onstage because he can do and say what he wants.
It’s a freedom he doesn’t take for granted, especially when thinking about his 2014 accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. (A truck hit his limousine and the crash left him with a traumatic brain injury).
That was 10 years ago and there’s nothing funny about it, so how is it he’s still able to turn aspects of that tragedy and its aftermath into comedy?
“My sense of humor is something that’s a gift God gave me,” said Morgan, whose latest comedy special dropped last summer. In HBO Max’s “Takin’ It Too Far,” the father of four jokes about everything from his accident to what it’s like to be dating in his 50s.
“I’m on Tinder! My Tinder profile is a Walmart truck dumping off a bag of money on my front lawn.”
Morgan said if you’re a woman who wants to hit him up for money, you at least need a good story about why. Later, he said, “If y’all see me dancing in my draws in my kitchen on TikTok, all that Walmart money is gone!”
The entertainer has always mined his own life for inspiration on the stage. But don’t confuse his act for his real life.
“Those are just jokes; it’s not literally who I am,” he said. “I’ve been married twice and divorced twice. I’m just about my kids now.
“I’m not a young person, I’m 55. What’s important to me now is not dating, it’s making sure (my kids) have a chance in life, and giving them all the knowledge and wisdom and understanding that I can share.”
Morgan’s daughter Maven recently joined him at the Love Rocks NYC benefit concert, which he cohosted with Conan O’Brien and Jim Gaffigan. The Beacon Theater event raised $3.8 million to deliver meals to people who are too sick to cook or shop for themselves.
“The most important thing I want her to know is ‘Keep yourself in service to others.’ That’s what’s important,” he said. “I was there to be there for the people and to give back. I’m glad I was there.”
As for that near-fatal crash, he said accidents occur and nobody’s perfect, so you just have to get out and live your life.