A few months ago, my roommate decided to introduce me to Impractical Jokers after practically nagging me nonstop. Politely and thoughtfully, of course, as she loves to show me new things all the time. When she actually got me to sit down and watch an episode for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved it.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Impractical Jokers is a show in which four guys who have been best friends since high school (Joe Gatto, Sal Vulcano, Brian “Q” Quinn and James “Murr” Murray) compete in hidden camera challenges, in which they take turns going into public spaces, as the other guys tell them what they have to say and do through an earpiece. If one of them refuses to do anything they’re told, they lose the challenge and whoever racks up the most losses throughout the episode receives a punishment at the end. All in all, it’s a very fun, light-hearted show and since my roommate first showed it to me, I’ve watched so many episodes and laughed my ass off countless times. So naturally, when I found out they were coming to Foxwoods on April 27, 2024, I rushed to buy the tickets for the two of us.
Unfortunately for us, about three years ago, Joe Gatto left the show due to family reasons, so it would just be three of the guys that we were seeing instead of four. And we did wonder how the show would work without Joe. I also remember telling my dad about the show, and he told me “I can see why people find them funny, but I’m unsure as to how that translates into a live show,” which I had to acknowledge as a valid point. I was scared of going into it with very high expectations and then leaving feeling disappointed. But when I expressed this to my roommate (who is also pretty much my best friend), she reminded me that no matter what, we would have a good time. We’ve watched videos of the guys in interviews, podcast clips, and other things in which they’re just being themselves and having fun, and I figured even if the show was just that, I would still have a great time.
drive, drive, drive!
When I tell you I was PUMPED for this show, I’m not joking. From the moment I woke up that morning to the moment we sat down in our seats in the theater, I couldn’t be more than happy. Now mind you, my morale was less than high because I had been getting over a cold and I didn’t feel the greatest, but I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying the show. Once the guys came on stage, I could immediately feel the positive and light-hearted energy that I got from them, just from watching the show. Overall, it was incredibly fun. The guys told funny stories, and to most people, that would sound like a drag. But their vibe made it just that much more enjoyable. You could clearly tell that Murr, Sal, and Q have been the best of friends since high school. Their interactions felt very natural, and it really felt like you were just having a conversation with your friends. And many of the things they told stories about brought up moments from the show that a lot of fans (including myself) were familiar with, so that made it just that much better.
One of my favorite examples of this was in the beginning of the show, Murr came out on stage with a wig on. For context, on season six of Impractical Jokers, he was given a punishment where he had to wear a wig for the remainder of the season. The catch was, that wig was made of Q’s hair that he had been growing out for two years to prepare for that very punishment (the dedication of this man is unmatched). And during the show, Murr was supposed to come out with that wig on, but he told the audience he accidentally left the wig in New Jersey, and the wig he was wearing was one they had to go buy at Party City last minute. He then proceeded to tell the story of how the guys made him wear the wig in his passport photo, which just goes to show how amazingly ridiculous and dedicated a lot of these punishments can get. Not only did this story evoke memories of the episode, but it had everyone pretty much on the floor with laughter.
Overall, I absolutely loved this show. The guys were incredibly funny, and their positive energy throughout the entire show was absolutely contagious. Once again, you can really tell that Sal, Q, and Murr have been friends since childhood when you watch them get on stage, bounce off of each other, and produce a simply amazing show. The Impractical Jokers are going to be on tour for the entire summer, their next and most anticipated show being on May 5, 2024 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. If you’re thinking about getting tickets to see the Jokers, I absolutely recommend it. It’s guaranteed to be a night of hilarious stories, hard-to-contain laughter, and just good old-fashioned fun.