Review: Comic Morgan wows sold-out crowd
8/13/2010How many ways can you say an unmentionable word for sex? You know the word, trust me.
Stand-up comic and actor Tracy Morgan knows them all. His hourlong routine is littered with that word and its various synonyms, as well as almost any vulgarity and profanity you can think of. Suffice to say, most of his jokes can't be printed in a family newspaper.
Morgan is in town through Saturday, performing at the Funny Bone in Levis Commons. He's got two shows Friday and two shows on Saturday, and all are sold out. The demand to see the 30 Rock actor and standup comedian is enough that a midnight show Saturday may be added. Those who see him, like last night's sold-out audience of nearly 300, won't leave disappointed.
It was a mostly white audience, as Morgan noted from the beginning.
“All you white people make me nervous,” he joked. “Now I know how you feel when you get on an elevator with black people.”
Morgan, like most good and relevant comics, doesn't shy away from such hot topics.
And he isn't always the voice of reason, either.
He rebuked gays for comparing their sexuality to being black: “This isn't no choice — that's just the way it is,” Mor gan said holding up his arm.
He talked about “white rage” and compared it to the In credible Hulk:
“The Incredible Hulk was no superhero, he's just a drunk white guy in a bar” who explodes into anger whenever something goes wrong.
He defended Mel Gibson's profane rant against his girl friend and use of a black racial slur. “That's hip-hop. Only white Americans got up in arms.”
He talked about his sexual attraction to First Lady Michelle Obama. He talked about getting turned on while watching women shop at the grocery store for vegetables.
And after watching his performance, you'll probably nev er think of “surf and turf” the same way again.
And heaven help you if you're sitting near the stage and you catch his eye, as one unlucky woman discovered. At least she and the audience had a sense of humor about it all.
To really appreciate Morgan, a liberal sense of humor is a necessity. He's not for the easily offended.
Many Morgan fans know the actor through his days on Saturday Night Live and now 30 Rock, where he's PG-13 at best.
But Morgan earned his career as an R-rated comic and he's not about to stray from that familiarity, especially when discussing women.
He suggested there's a “war going on between women and hos” and noted the power of female sexuality.
Morgan could make a porn star blush, and those who are not in the adult entertainment industry are sure to feel dirty laughing at his jokes.
But you will laugh. Funny is funny, no matter how many words beginning with the letter F it takes to get to the punch line.
Contact Kirk Baird at:
kbaird@theblade.com
or 419-724-6734