“Joe Gatto's Night of Comedy" at the Adler Theatre -- March 10.
Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
With its headliner a gifted comedian acclaimed for his tenure with the Tenderloins and starring in the hit game show The Misery Index, the nationally touring Joe Gatto's Night of Comedy lands as Davenport's Adler Theatre on March 10, the noted funnyman adored by millions for being part of the hilarious quartet of Impractical Jokers.
Born on New York City's Staten Island in 1976, Gatto attended Monsignor Farrell High School, and along with his future Tenderloins and Impractical Jokers co-stars James "Murr" Murray, Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano, and Brian "Q" Quinn, he was a member of the school's Improvisation Club. He studied at LIU Post in Brookville, New York, where he received a degree in accounting, and after being apart for years, Gatto and his three improv buddies reunited after graduating from college and began practicing improvisation at Gatto's house, eventually going on to tour as the improv and sketch-comedy troupe the Tenderloins. The quartet first posted their vignettes on YouTube, Myspace, and Metacafe, accumulating millions of online views online, and in 2007, the Tenderloins won the $100,000 grand prize in NBC's It's Your Show competition for their sketch "Time Thugs." Frequent touring artists who played Moline's TaxSlayer Center (now the Vibrant Arena at the MARK) in 2008, the Tenderloins' highly-successful “Where’s Larry?” and “Santiago Sent Us” tours playing to hundreds of thousands of fans in North America and abroad, among their most successful performances to date were three sold-out nights at Radio City Music Hall, a sold-out evening at Madison Square Garden, and five sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena.
The troupe's success led to Gatto and his colleagues becoming the creators, executive producers, and stars of Impractical Jokers, a hidden-camera reality series that premiered on TruTV on December 15, 2011. Recently renewed for a 26-episode tenth season (though Gatto, citing family reasons, recently announced he wouldn't be able to participate), Impractical Jokers follows the comedians of The Tenderloins as they coerce one another into doing public pranks in the style of Candid Camera. With each new season, the show continues to take dares to outrageous levels with new over-the-top high jinks, and according to the New York Times, the series' comic conceit “pays off twice: once in the reaction of the unsuspecting passer-by, once in the discomfort of the fellow doing the asking."
Also a co-host of the Two Cool Moms podcast who has appeared on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, What a Joke with Papa & Fortune, and Life is Short with Justin Long, Gatto is passionate about supporting anti-bullying organizations and animal-rescue initiatives, and is a vocal supporter of the "Adopt, Don't Shop" movement. In 2020, Gatto published his comic memoir The Dogfather: My Love of Dogs, Desserts, & Growing Up Italian, and as a proud family man, the comedian says that he loves spending time with his wife, two children, and pack of 15 dogs affectionately known as the "Gatto Pups."
The Joe Gatto's Night of Comedy tour stops in Davenport on March 10, admission to the 7 p.m. show is $39.75-59.75, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
