Here at Fuzzable, we love to read, binge-watch movies, and listen to music, squeezing the most out of me-time in our busy lives. However, we’re also big fans of podcasts and after listening to some of the most fun, entertaining and informative podcasts in existence, we’ve decided to share reviews of some of our faves.
This month’s podcast review is all about Mischief Makers!
What is Mischief Makers?
Launched in April, Mischief Makers is a podcast dedicated to the renowned Mischief Theatre group. Hosted by member Dave Hearn, each week the podcast sees him interviewing members of the critically acclaimed theatre company. From talking about the productions they’ve starred in to discussing the things which make them the mischievous bunch that they are, the Mischief Makers podcast is a fun and informative listen which delves deep into the world of improvised comedy.
The podcast is generally split into a few different sections, including ‘getting to know you’, ‘questions from the web’, and ‘quick-fire’, with each guest encouraged to make their own jingle for each section. Better still – each episode is recorded in a single take with no edits, meaning that anything can (and often does) happen!
Why do we love it?
As big fans of the Mischief Theatre company, why wouldn’t we want to get to know more about the people behind the comedy? Known for world class shows including The Play That Goes Wrong, Magic Goes Wrong, and The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, the podcast delves into the lives of those who make the company so unique and it’s really great to get to know more about the members individually.
We love the camaraderie between Dave and each guest, plus there are even a few episodes where fellow Mischief Makers Bryony Corrigan, Jonathan Sayer and Charlie Russell step in to host! Each episode unravels something different about the company members, and we love hearing insider tidbits of how they joined the company and of things which have happened to them during their Mischief career.
It’s also great to hear the members of the company talk about other topics which are a huge part of their lives. For example, in episode four we hear Nancy Zamit discussing juggling motherhood with acting, whilst episode 11 sees Paul Brown discussing the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Not only do we get to know more about the Mischief Makers we see on the stage, but the podcast also introduces us to some of the behind the scenes heroes of the company. Episode eight focuses on resident costume designer Roberto Surace, whilst episode 17 is all about composer Richard Baker.
What is our favourite episode?
To date, there are 22 episodes of Mischief Makers and it’s SO difficult to pick just one as our favourite. One which definitely stands out to us is episode three featuring company director, writer and actor Jonathan Sayer. Not only is he naturally funny, but it was also really interesting to hear about his child actor background as well as his passion for football (we had no idea that he’s one of the directors of Ashton United FC alongside his dad!).
We also really love episode 13 with Chris Leask who has played a number of different characters (including Trevor) across various shows during his time with Mischief so far. During the podcast, he speaks about growing up in Amersham, training at LAMDA where a lot of the Mischief lot met, and the time when he had to perform as an emergency cover for Bank Robbery and Peter Pan Goes Wrong in the space of 24/48 hours.
How can I listen to Mischief Makers?
Mischief Makers is available to listen to on Spotify.
You can check out our previous podcast reviews here.