The television show that revels in hidden-camera pranks also happens to have a theatrical incarnation.
“Impractical Jokers” has spawned a touring spinoff that dispenses onstage laughs, courtesy of the Tenderloins, a New York City-based comedy troupe.
Brian Quinn, Joe Gatto, James Murray and Sal Vulcano are the stars, creators and executive producers of truTV’s “Impractical Jokers,” now in its fifth season.
The Tenderloins are bringing their “Santiago Sent Us” tour to Merrillville’s Star Plaza Theatre for a 7 p.m. Oct. 10 show.
“We try and bring the spirit of the television show to the stage, which is, like, just us hanging out, bustin’ each other’s chops and having fun,” Quinn said in recent phone interview. “A lot of it is just us telling stories about each other, making fun of each other on stage. We shot some videos that we show just for the live show.”
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The tour’s name — “Santiago Sent Us” — stems from a line that has wafted from TV into living rooms across America.
“It’s a bit on the show,” Quinn, 40, said. “It’s kind of taken on a life of its own outside the show, so we just went with it for the title (of the tour).”
The program, itself follows longtime friends Q, Joe, Murr and Sal as they “compete to embarrass each other with a serious of hilarious dares,” according to truTV’s website. Skydiving, rodeo roping and body piercing have all been a part of the televised high jinks.
Quinn said he and his comrades did not initially approach the show with a “five-year plan or anything like that,” but now feel it is something with a bright future.
“We always used to say we’re gonna do it until it’s not fun anymore,” Quinn said. “But right now we’re having actually the most fun since we started the show, so I don’t see that goin’ away anytime soon. So as long as people want to see it, and as long as we’re having a good time, I could see it going on for quite a while; I hope it does.”
Quinn and his partners have a bond that goes back quite a few years.
“We all grew up on Staten Island in New York City,” said Quinn, who still lives there. “We met in high school.”
They’ve gone on to put a grittier twist on the classic “Candid Camera” series, which was a prime-time staple in the 1960s.
Just as with “Candid Camera,” people are caught off-guard on “Impractical Jokers,” but Quinn said his program is not mean toward members of the public who are surprised on camera.
“We keep the joke on us, not on the people who are kind of our victims,” he said.
Going for laughs is the mission of all comics, and Quinn contends the type of payoff his show elicits is unique.
“You can’t get the reaction that any hidden-camera show gets from people in any other way besides a hidden-camera show — and I love that reaction,” he said.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance writer.
“Impractical Jokers,” featuring the Tenderloins
Where: Star Plaza Theatre, 8001 Delaware Place, Merrillville
When: 7 p.m. Oct. 10
Tickets: $50.50
Information: 219-769-6311, www.starplazatheatre.com