‘Impractical Jokers’ stars to bring pranks to Columbus

Amy Macynski
Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:25:27 +0000
Campus, impractical jokers, palace theatre, tour, truTV, tv show

Credit: Courtesy of Maggie Day / TRUE Public Relations

Friendship may be sweet and tender, but for four friends, it’s more about making fun of one another and laughter.

The comedy troupe, The Tenderloins, is slated to visit Columbus Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Palace Theatre to show off some of its pranks.

The group, formed by four friends from an all-boys high school after college, according to the group’s website, is touring to promote its newest truTV show, “Impractical Jokers.”

The truTV Impractical Jokers Tour featuring The Tenderloins is based off of The Tenderloins’ hidden camera prank show, and it began in September and will have visited eight cities before coming to Columbus.

Unlike some other, more traditional prank shows, the men, Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray, Joe Gatto and Sal Vulcano, compete against each other in different sketches and skits in public places. At the end of each episode, instead of naming a winner, the group names a loser who must perform a skit chosen by the rest of the group.

“We had the idea for an upside down prank show, where the joke was on us instead on the public,” Murray said.
The live show allows fans to see how the show is made and the stories of the stars’ experiences while filming.

“We show a little bit of behind-the-scenes of the show, we share some stories, we show some videos that were too hot for TV and some hidden camera challenges done specifically for the show and you know, it’s a bit of stand-up and storytelling,” Murray said.

At the live performance, the audience will not only get to see behind-the-scenes and unseen footage, but also a view of the very first video taken by The Tenderloins to pitch the show.

“In our live show, you will actually get to see that original film take that we filmed on our own, without any permission, without any crew, on our cell phones,” Murray said.

The comedy troupe’s beginnings in improvisation help them interact with the audience at their shows, and each performance starts with a half hour of audience interaction and often ends with a Q-and-A session, Murray said.

The comedians often go out in the crowd and have also been known to bring audience members on stage for their bits.

The group’s history also includes pranks, and they admit to pranking each other often while in high school.

“You know when you go to an all-boys school, there’s really not much to do other (than) prank each other. There were no girls to distract us. We got started pretty young,” Gatto said.

Their history of friendship adds to the show and their comedy, said Sam O’Brien, a third-year in business and fan of “Impractical Jokers.”

“I think they have this pretty good chemistry because they grew up together. They’ve been friends since high school … so they know how to play off of each other and they know what gets to each other,” O’Brien said.

The live show will be entertaining even for audience members who are not already fans of The Tenderloins, Murray said.

“It’s very relatable to everybody because everybody loves messing with their friends,” Murray said.

O’Brien said the group’s quick-wittedness will keep the audience entertained when the troupe visits Columbus.

“Most of their stuff from the show is impromptu anyway, so they will be able to come up with stuff that is pretty comedic on the fly pretty well, so I bet their live show will be pretty awesome, too,” O’Brien said.

Tickets are $41.40 after fees and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. The Palace Theatre is located at 34 W. Broad St.

“Impractical Jokers” airs on truTV Thursdays at 10 p.m.