(View it larger on YouTube)
Song by Anthony King and Scott Brown (Gutenberg! The Musical!)
For our latest mission, seven undercover agents staged a spontaneous musical during lunch at the Trump Tower atrium. The mission was filmed for a segment on The Today Show and includes a cameo from Ann Curry. Enjoy the video first and then go behind the scenes with our report below.
Still Photos: Katie Sokoler and Chad Nicholson.
Additional video work by: Matt Adams
The Today Show has featured Improv Everywhere a few times in the past, and this fall they asked if we could create a mission for them that Ann Curry could have a part in. Specifically, they were big fans of Food Court Musical and wanted to work with us to stage something similar. (In the time between the show approaching us and the segment airing, we had the opportunity to produce Grocery Store Musical as well.) The Today Show crew would produce the mission (providing hidden cameras, microphones, and a PA system), and we would be in charge of the creative side.
Agent Brown rehearses with the cast
Once again longtime agents and Gutenberg! The Musical! authors Scott Brown & Anthony King served as our songwriting team. They also both appeared as actors in the musical, along with some senior IE Agents and comedians from The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. We had a rehearsal at a Manhattan studio where Agent Brown taught the song, and Agent King worked on the choreography.
Rehearsing in the space
The night before the mission, we were able to rehearse in our location. The Today Show was able to get permission from Trump Tower to stage the musical in the seating area of their atrium, a popular lunch spot for tourists and people who work in the building.
The incredible tech set up
The Today Show pulled out all the stops, tech wise. The crew set up in a huge storage room just off the atrium. There were seven robotic HD cameras set up in the space, each controlled by a dedicated operator via joystick. An eighth camera filmed the control room for behind-the-scenes shots.
Our camera angles
Zooming in on Agent King
The cameras were extremely well hidden in the space either behind tinted glass or hidden among plants on the balcony above.
We also hid speakers in the plants all around the seating area, so that the song could be amplified live during the mission.
Ann Curry wasn’t able to make it to the rehearsals, so we met her for the first time the morning of the mission. We worked in the back room and taught her the choreography, and Agent Brown helped her learn her part. Ann is not a singer, so she was nervous about getting her line just right. She was super easy to work with and very quickly became one of the team.
Agents in place at the start of the mission
We staged the mission a few times throughout the day to make sure we got the best possible take and camera coverage. The first take started around 12 Noon. We had to wait about a half hour between each take to make sure we had a new group of people dining around us.
Agent Hiller starts the song, “I love lunch / It’s half the way to dinner”
Heads started to turn
Agent Lindquist stands up and declares, “I love lunch!”
A man laughs at Agent Lindquist joining in
Agents Brown and Thomas stand up and join the song
“I like my chili with corn / I like my sandwich served warm”
Agent Hiller runs downstairs in time for his next line
Large crowds of tourists started watching from the balcony
“We’re gonna use our sporks now!”
Sporks (that I “borrowed” from a Taco Bell) held high in the air
“We’re major lunch dorks now!”
Laughing at our choreography
“There ain’t no shame in loving lunch!”
A member of the NYPD interrupts the singers
“You’re singing a song about lunch?”
“I love lunch toooooo!”
I think Agent Santangeli’s performance as the cop fooled the guy above, because he was laughing pretty hard when he figured out he was in on it.
“We all love lunch / We’re gonna sing it louder!”
“I’m eating clam chowder!”
Agent Curry was awesome. She nailed her line and then removed her hat to join the finale (she wore a hat to try to stay incognito lest she be spotted by fans before her part.)
With so many tourists there, it seemed like everyone had a camera
Applauding the finale
After the song ended our agents, including Agent Curry, sat back at their respective tables and continued eating lunch as if nothing had happened.
Telling stories afterwards in the back
We had a blast working on this mission. It was an excellent opportunity to get to work with The Today Show and their fancy equipment, and it was nice to have our work reach their massive television audience. Hopefully along the way we were able to deliver a very important message: There ain’t no shame in loving lunch.
Mission Accomplished
OTHER RESOURCES:
- The Today Show’s segment on this mission:
- Many more photos in higher resolution:
- Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
- Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set
- Our other musicals: Food Court Musical & Grocery Store Musical
- Buy the cast recording of Gutenberg! The Musical, also by Brown & King.
If this is your first time here:
-our nearly 100 other missions can be seen here: Missions
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I felt a little disappointed when I saw you had performed another musical, so close to Grocery Store Musical (which actually happened after this one, even so). Sounded like creativity was running low. And that feeling increased a little as I saw the participation of the policeman, so similar to Food Court Musical’s security guard.
Nevertheless, this prank had a lot of quality, forcing me to include it among the best spontaneous musicals I’ve seen so far. It’s a retarded (in a funny way) and funny (in a retarded way) song, I liked it. ^^
And, of course, even though the creative side may not have been as creative as possible (in my opinion), the most important objective is always to cause a scene to the public there. Thus, I’d also say the mission was quite successful.
But you should make the lyrics for this one and Grocery Store Musical available in an easier way, seriously.
Finally, I’d like to raise one mostly important question:
FOOD Court Musical
GROCERY Store Musical
I love LUNCH! The Musical
Why all IE musicals have deal with food???
“He does this every day…” Love it!
I just hope IE doesn’t become too repetitive with the musicals.
I spotted Agent Good in the background at 0:39, I kept expecting him to jump in on the act . . .
Another great mission accomplished!
I’ve never seen that many people in the Trump Building ever. That place is a ghosttown.
You must not visit during lunch. Tour buses stop there.
I loved eating lunch while watching this in Minnesota. It’s good to see you getting the attention and sponsorship you deserve. Bravo!!
Another winner! Love these big productions BUT don’t keep escalating to a point where you abandon the simple, small scale missions — like high-fiving Rob on the subway escalator. It’s the mix that makes your work so charming and wonderful.
ANNE CURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to be in an ImprovEverywhere musical!!!!
I’m even eating lunch right now I love it so much!
As always “what a great mission.”
wonderful
I for one love dinner more than lunch, but I LOVE your new food court musical! Great job :)
I loved this. I just can’t believe that another musical happened so soon. It’s great to see Improv getting publicity. It seems like the Today Show really loves you guys.
Keep up the good work.
The best of the three musicals to date. Congrats Agent Scott and King!
muy buo..
Yet another good show of the talent in your group! Loved this one and it was good to see Ann Curry participate and then show you in a good light! Congrats!
Great one! Was there when I was in New York, which is a rare event, so whenever you get something going here in the center of the country–DFW–let me know! Thanks again!
I wish that had happend when I had lunch there on my first trip too America
Should’ve hired some better singers…the stunt is not entertaining /loses its credibility if the actors can’t sing.
Man I love lunch too!!! jajaja these guys are fantastic!
Great stuff! Man, I wish you folks could get into Congress and sing some sense into them! Perhaps give them a Circle Line Tour of public opinion!