Allen Funt had in the 1960s. Years later, Ashton Kutcher continued the televised practical joke tradition 21st century style with , which launched in 2003. Now there’s truTV’s Impractical Jokers featuring antics by the Tenderloins. The target of this particular improv-cum-sketchcomedy show, which comes to Bayou Music Center for a one night stand, is not innocent bystanders but the cast members themselves.
“We describe the show as an upsidedown prank show,” troupe founder James “Murr” Murray says, sounding far
more like a contributor to the Oprah Winfrey Network than the YouTubey, reality based truTV. “The joke is on us, instead of on the public.”
Prior to their Houston show and performances in Dallas and Austin spotlighting The Tenderloins’ sketchcomedy strength, Murr et al. plan to film segments for at various HTown locations. “We’re going to be filming all around Texas for a full week,” he warns, scouting “classic Texas locations and Texas activities — things that, as New Yorkers, we know nothing about.” Where will you be shooting, we ask. “It’s a hidden camera show! We don’t want fans showing up!” Murr says.
8 p.m. Bayou Music Center, 520 Texas. For information, call 713-230-1600 or visit bayoumusiccenter.com. $35.
Fri., Jan. 17, 8 p.m., 2014
This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2014.