Toy store tantrums, masquerading as dentists and terrorizing Costco customers have led up to the Impractical Jokers’ first live-performance tour since the beginning of their reality improv TV show, where the aim is pushing the limits as far as possible. Brian “Q” Quinn, Joe Gatto, Sal Vulcano and James “Murr” Murray have had their share of adventures since the tour throughout the nation began, in which Ball State will be their first college stop.
“Now that the TV show is on air, we thought it’d be cool to see how many people actually watch it,” Murray said. “We can’t believe how many people watch ‘Impractical Jokers.’”
While the Impractical Jokers are relatively new on the television scene since their premiere in December 2011, the four are no strangers to the nuances of touring. Before the show, they were The Tenderloins Comedy Troupe that zig-zagged across the nation to perform improv comedy.
The men, who became inseparable in high school, grew up together in Staten Island, N.Y., where the pranking began. The four have known each other for 22 years, which Murray said means, “We really know how to embarrass each other.”
The Impractical Jokers have been touring two weekends every month. This weekend they will be racking up the mileage by driving from New York City to Iowa to Muncie to Fort Wayne, and then back to the city. This is the first time the four men have stepped into Muncie. However, they have a Ball State alumna to guide their way.
Theatre design and technology graduate Emily Amick has been working with the Jokers since June 2012 as a make-up artist. Since then, she said the guys as well as the crew have become some of her closest friends. The past Thanksgiving, Amick couldn’t visit her family back in Cambridge City, Ind., so Murray invited her to spend the holiday with his family.
“I’ll never forget that. There are a ton of great stories I never thought I would be able to tell as a result of working with these guys,” Amick said. “But the most important thing is I have a little family here in New York.”
When Amick heard that Ball State was going to be the Impractical Joker’s first college stop, she looked forward to showing the guys where she comes from.
“It’s such a cool coincidence,” Amick said. “I will feel like a proud parent watching them up on that stage.”
The men will be spending a night in Muncie before leaving for Fort Wayne Sunday morning, and they aren’t planning to do so quietly. Murray said they look forward to checking out the area and will visit Cleo’s Bourbon Bar, where Amick used to work.
This Saturday, the Impractical Jokers will show exclusive footage shot for the live performance. They will also reveal the type of pranks and comedy they used when they were trying to get their show on air, and the audience will get to have a Q & A with the cast.
“It’s going to be a huge crowd,” Murray said. “I’m excited to get in front of that many college students. It’ll be a night of fun and drinking.”
The Impractical Jokers are aiming at more college campuses and large theaters as the small comedy clubs they were used to touring can’t accommodate the audience turn-out.
Murray said that his most embarrassing yet memorable moments include a punishment where he stood in a crowded New York park and for every denied high-five from a stranger he had to remove an article of clothing.
“My bare ass was out there to see in front of 300 million American viewers,” Murray said.
Their second season was renewed thanks to a booming fan following, and they will soon begin to film season three. The show acts as a competition of sorts. Each man gets a dare, such as getting a stranger to buy them something at a toy store via tantrum throwing. Almost always the one doing the dare has a hearing device where the others dictate what they want him to say and do. It’s up to him to decide how far he will go.
Murray said that their show has a large college-age following.
“I think it’s because we learned how to do this in high school and college and we haven’t matured since then,” Murray said. “We will do anything. We will deliver a baby on stage if we have to. You never know what will happen.”
