The ‘Impractical Jokers’ star looks to strut his one-man stand-up stuff in front of a Boston crowd for the first time
It won’t be Sal Vulcano’s first time being greeted by a “wall of sound” while taking the stage at The Wilbur this week, but he’s looking forward to feeling that kind of love on the solo tip.
That’s not to say he doesn’t love it all the same when he’s joined by his compadres in The Tenderloins, but as he makes his way to The Wilbur for his very first trio of solo stand-up gigs in Boston starting on Thursday (December 12), Vulcano is looking forward to giving the fans something that is both much more personal and straight from the source.
“It’s refreshing to come back to the city, and have complete creative control over something,” Vulcano tells Vanyaland. “With the guys, the show is written out, and we do rehearsals almost like a play or production, but with stand-up, the process is completely different. It’s just me grinding out three, four, or sometimes five times a night in New York, just trying to refine and rewrite jokes on my own, and that’s a lot of fun. It’s almost like a creative outlet that I absolutely need in order to get my stuff out of my head, and onto the page and ultimately to an audience.”
While he is putting a significant focus on stand-up right now, Vulcano’s work with the Tenderloins remains consistent as ever, as he and the guys prep for a New Year’s Eve bash at Mohegan Sun as part of the comedy troupe’s Cranjis McBasketball World Comedy Tour to close out 2019, before 2020 brings on more tour dates, as well as the fourth installment of the Impractical Jokers cruise, and the second season of the group’s TV game show, The Misery Index on TBS.
There’s no question that the work is plentiful, and Vulcano is beyond grateful for a full plate. But, as he works toward what he hopes will result in his own stand-up special down the road, he admits that the work he’s taken on outside of stand-up doesn’t necessarily allow for as much fine-tuning of his stage game as he would like, as he uses what he has for precious free time to keep up with his contemporaries – but he’s not complaining. He just wants to give you nothing but the best show possible.
“We’re so fortunate to have all the work we have to do right now, but the tricky thing is fine-tuning the stand-up every free moment I have,” says Vulcano. “It’s kind of tough, because you’re not getting anywhere in stand-up unless you’re putting in the hustle, and all of my peers in stand-up get to focus on that twenty-four seven, and I’m just trying to keep up with them. The goal is definitely to do a special, but I don’t want to do a special just for the sake of doing a special. I want the story to really be there, and for it to make an impact, if possible.”
***
Making his Boston debut is, of course, the shining highlight of Vulcano’s trip, but the fact that he’s bringing his family along for the experience shows just how important these shows are to him and his stand-up journey, and makes the trip all that more exciting for him. Not to mention, as a self-proclaimed “Christmas maniac,” Vulcano is happy to be making the trip around the holidays — so be sure to lay down those recs for any holiday festivities the Staten Island native should check out while he’s here!
The significance of playing a place like The Wilbur, both in terms of it being a personal milestone as well as getting the chance to perform in what he considers to be a “comedy institution,” isn’t lost on Vulcano in the slightest, but even with everything he’s looking forward to, he’s most excited for finally having the chance to connect with his fans in this fashion.
“All of that [outside of stand-up] is all fun and good, but just like every other comedian, this is something I’m going to be doing until the day I die,” says Vulcano. “For all the fans that have followed [the Tenderloins] for all these years, I’m just so excited to get out there and get to know them in a one-on-one capacity, because it’s just such a cool avenue for us to connect.”
SAL VULCANO :: Thursday, December 12 and Friday, December 13 at The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St. in Boston, MA :: Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $45 :: Wilbur Event page