By curating an atmosphere of humor and easy enjoyment, the Impractical Jokers successfully performed live on February 3 at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, N.J. at 8 p.m.
As someone who has a stern dislike for stand-up comedy, I was skeptical going into the show and worried it would taint my view of the Jokers as funny guys.
Being spontaneously dropped off in traffic and having to run a quarter mile to the theater in extreme windchill to make it on time made me hope even more that all this effort would be worth it.
Once we got inside the theater and got through the awkwardly unfunny opening act, our spirits immediately warmed with excitement and laughs.
Right off the bat, Murr entered on stage wearing a wig made of Q’s luscious locks, paying homage to the season-long punishment from 2017.
Moments like these where the Jokers referenced or went more in depth in moments of past seasons made the whole theater bond as I heard people around me saying “I loved that episode!” or laugh with each other as if an inside joke was just unknowingly said.
More moments like these were when Sal told of an awkward encounter he had with his doctor after he saw Sal’s multiple Jaden Smith tattoos, the Jokers bringing out the actual singing puppets from Q’s legitimately torturous punishment to make the audience listen to the earworm tune and Murr going more in depth on his strangely close relationship with Dr. Frank, accompanied by a slideshow and Ed Sheeran music.
The show flowed very well and curated the same vibe as if I were just at a sleepover talking and laughing with friends.
The dynamic between the Jokers surprisingly did not feel forced or awkward even though they performed live and couldn’t cut out the “bad” parts like they can while filming.
This ultimately reinforced that unique genuinity of their friendship that isn’t often found among groups of reality TV stars, creating a refreshing platonic chemistry between the Jokers.
For example, the Jokers recounted the unanticipated series of events that characterized Murr’s wedding in the fall of 2020– including Sal beautifully reenacting when he had to tell Smash Mouth to stop performing after the lead singer made a failed attempt to sing his own songs.
The stories were brought to life as screenshots of Sal’s texts to Q, who couldn’t make it because he supposedly “had COVID,” were projected to the audience.
At the end of the show when the audience almost entirely cleared out the theater, we navigated the maze of seats to meet Murr and his wife, but weren’t fast enough. Until next time, then!