Mischief Makers Episode 19: Ellie Morris

[Upbeat music plays]Host: Welcome to Mischief Makers, your one stop shop for all things Mischief. Join your host Dave Hearn, as he finds out what makes Mischief... well, Mischief!Dave Hearn: Hello and welcome to another episode of Mischief Makers with me Dave Hearn. And with me today I have the wonderful Larry Pears!Larry Pears: Hello!DH: Hello! Now, is it Pears [Pronounced peers, as in looks] or Pears?* [Pronounced pears, as in the fruit]*LP: It's both and it changes depending where I am in the country.DH: Ok.LP: The further North I go people kind of go hello Pears. [Pronounced like the fruit in a South Western accent] He said in a Cornish accent.[Both laugh]LP: Yeah, it changes, and I'm really not fussed. I'll answer to it, because there's only one Laurence Peers or Pears usually wherever I am. So, it's me, so...DH: Oh, well that's good. And there is only one, I think, metaphorically speaking.LP: Oh, thank you.DH: Yeah. Now, you know a little bit about this podcast.LP: I do.DH: We are kind of interviewing people from Mischief so people can get to know...LP: I've had a listen.DH: Oh great, great! And you know then that obviously I don't have any technical ability and we're getting people to improvise jingles.[LP laughs]DH: But, actually, before we start, before we get into the jingles. We should just say: we are in different locations.LP: We are.DH: But, through us there is some kind of building work happeningLP: Yeah, I mean we are linked by builders who just love to use drills at, you know, 8.30 in the morning.DH: I actually looked it up this morning and builders can make noise from 8.00 till 6.00LP: Yeah, yeah.DH: Which is annoying for actors who don't get up really before 10.00LP: It is really, I mean... But also, I'll kind of also ping in and out of doing building work. So, it's kind of really annoying when I'm in actor mode. But when I'm in building mode I'll be like "I can keep going till 6.00!" And then I'll usually, because I'm in actor mode, will have gotten up late unlike all the other builders and will kind of push the six o'clock rule into seven o'clock and then yeah... And maybe eight o'clock as well. So, apologies to my neighbours as well, it's fair. It's fair, I deserve to be woken up.DH: I think, it's kind of ok to push past 6.00. I think, maybe that's just because we're actors.LP: I think it's getting more light! It's getting more light as well at the moment, so it doesn't feel like it's 6.00. Which is also, incidentally, similar to when we previously tried to record this. I didn't quite know what the time was. Because, I'd gone out surfing and I thought it was much earlier than it was. And then when I turned up, I'd missed our slot. Which I think I should take the opportunity to apologise for. I'm sorry.DH: Oh, it's alright. So, yeah this is our second attempt at this.LP: Yes.[Both laugh]DH: Well, this is our first attempt because the initial one just never happened.LP: I'm so sorry.DH: No, no, no that's alright I spent the day playing PlayStation.LP: I literally was... I jumped and went for a swim that turned into a surf and then I was like "oh I will be fine for time. I'll be good for time." And then I got out and I checked my phone and there was just this very polite message from you saying "Hey buddy! Here ready to go!" And I was like "Oh no! Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!" And then I thought "But wait! It's ok because of all the people who would appreciate that I was out surfing, Dave Hearn is the man! He'd be fine with that!" And so, I kind of left a tentative message trying to describe what a beautiful vista I was looking at and you were like "sounds sweet! Let’s do it later." Both laugh] And I was like "Phew! Thank god for that!" [LP emits a sigh of relief] Anyone else...[Both laugh]DH: No, it was fine! It was totally fine; I was just sort of sat eagerly at my laptop. Smiling in dark. Waiting.LP: Oh no![Both laugh]LP: Just going "don't worry! I'll be out in a minute! Laurence is coming! He'll be here shortly I'm sure! I'm sure"DH: "He promised. He promised me!"LP: [Laughs] "A true friend never lets a friend down!" Oh! Oh god![Both laugh]DH: Now, before we... So, we should finish this discussion about what never was.LP: Yes, we should.DH: And talk about what now is.LP: Oh! Well said!DH: And we are going to get to know you.LP: Oooh!DH: We are going to get to know Laurence Peers or Pears.[LP laughs]DH: Now, could you give me just a quick Getting to Know You jingle?LP: Ok. Erm... [Low pitch singing at a quick pace] Duh, duh duh. Deh duh deh duh duh. Deh duh deh duh duh. It's Larry Peers. Or Pears. Depending on where you're from.DH: Nice! Nice!LP: Yeah, do you want to know what the sad thing is? I listened to a previous podcast and I had to fight preparing something because I thought you could prepare something, and it would be really smart and then I was like "no! Don't do that because what if it's rubbish and then, comparatively to the people that have made it up, there's is better than yours." So, I thought, you know, "let it be man. Let it be."DH: I think that's good. I think that's smart.LP: Thank you man. Thank you.DH: I think a lot of people... It tends to be the most... Kind of bit, that people are most self-conscious about, I think. No-one ever kind of answers a question and goes "oh my god no! I shouldn't have said that." Everyone just kind of does a jingle and then sort of goes "oh! What! Was that good?"[LP laughs]LP: I think I might need to apologise to Pearl and Dean, because I think I nicked some of their music there. Or perhaps it was... mmm... It was something a little Rocky. [Repeats opening of jingle whilst thinking]DH: Did you knowingly do that?LP: Eh... Hmm... I thought it. You said, "Getting to Know You" and I... My head instantly went to "Getting to Know You" [Sung to the tune of Getting to Know You from the King and I] And I thought "no, don't do that! Because that's a very obvious theft." [DH agrees] Like, take your thefts. Dress them up differently and push them out on stage. That's what I... That's the Laurence Pears motto.[Both laugh]DH: That is now, sort of, embossed in history with how you approach theatre and performance.LP: He said "never come up with your own material! Steal someone else's, dress it up differently and push it out on stage."[Both laugh]LP: And people say "aahhh! That's familiar! [Laughing] But obviously original."DH: Very. Very original. Well you are a very original man.LP: Right back at you Dave.DH: And, tell us... Actually, tell us about how joined Mischief. How did you come to be a part of Mischief?LP: That was a curious one. I kept bumping into you guys on 'the rise of Mischief' as you were kind of going around the pub and Edinburgh circuit. And I think we were kind of trying to put on similar fringe stuff. And I... Do you remember? You were at a theatre and I think it was about maybe 11.00, or coming up to 12.00 at night, and you were painting a set? [DH agrees] And I thought this theatre was empty and I'd come in to lug a load of props out of it and costumes and stuff that were going to The Finborough for a show. And I was doing an all-night get in there and I could hear people in this like, backstage theatre space. And I was like "who is that?" And I shifted a prop and it was the whole Mischief team and you were like either rehearsing or painting and everyone was like "hey!" And I was like "hey guys!" Because we had connection from LAMDA, and I was about two years above you. I don't know "about two years." I was two years above you. And everyone was like "hey, how you doing?" And we just caught up and that was the first time I say you guys out on the road doing the fringe stuff.[DH agrees]LP: And then, I ended up... I was doing tours round and about and I was... I think I was doing an American tour of a Shakespeare and that was when Play That Goes Wrong kind of jumped up from the pub to The Trafalgar to The West End. And I was in The States going "oh wow that's really cool! I know those guys!" And then when I got back, I got a really lovely email from Adam Meggido. Actually, it was a Facebook message and he just said, "we're recasting for Peter Pan Goes Wrong." Because, obviously, you guys were doing great with Play and your tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong had been booked but couldn't happen because you now needed other actors to fill your spots.DH: That's right!LP: So, I was part of the first recasting of it which was lovely, because it was very much you guys looking around and going "oh who would kind of fit our show?" And Adam just left this really lovely message where he said, "the show's really funny and its real fun and I think you'd enjoy it." And I thought "oh that's a really... what a weird phrasing." Because that's not, like, "oh I think you'd be good for it, I think you'd enjoy it" And I thought, "hang about I think that's... Yeah, my chances of auditioning might be better." But for the life of me I couldn't get out... I was doing a Shakespeare up in Ipswich and I couldn't get out of rehearsals because I was doing repertory and I kept just politely asking the producer who was very kind. He said, "I'm just so sorry, I can't release you." And I said "that's a shame. I think I might get this audition if I went for it." And I shouldn't sound so surprised... [LP laughs and mimics surprise] I was like "I think I might actually... get the part!"[Both laugh]LP: And he said, "I'm really sorry mate, I really can't release you." And it was kind of getting to me because now and then I'd got back to Adam and I'd said, "I can't make it down." And he'd said well "we're doing a second round, so maybe if you can come up for that?" And then I couldn't go to that and he said "oh we're doing a third round. Maybe come along just to show your face. So that you're, you know, maybe in the mix for later on." And I thought "wow that's... No-one's actually ever actually been kind enough to try and get me along a few times in a row." So, in the middle of an interval of one of our shows when we were performing live, the director spotted me and said, "oh you seem a little, you know, down, a little off?" And I said "yeah it's just this audition for these guys. They do great work and, you know, they're a great comedy troupe and I'd love to do it." And she said "listen, I can give you the morning off from Ipswich." And I was like "oh my god! Thank you so much!" And I jumped in my like clapped up banger that I'd got from my Gram and I drove from Ipswich to Cornwall. I mean how the thing... Sorry, not to Cornwall. To London. And I think I passed on a double yellow line down in Oval and I ran in did the audition. Just read it and then ran out. And then, yeah, you guys were like "we're interested yeah. If you want to be in Peter Pan you can play Captain Hook and Chris Bean." So, it was really fortunate. Really fortunate and, you know, thank you for ever since really! It's just been like the steadfast company that I work with and always like familiar faces and everyone's always lovely so thanks.DH: Oh, well we're always very pleased to have you, no thanks needed! Thank you for, you know, thundering down from Ipswich for ten minutes.[LP laughs]LP: It was so like... The adrenaline was pumping the whole way. I was like "aaaahhhh." And then just parking up and going "oh god, there's no time to park! I'm gonna miss this audition! I'll just..." You know, right outside Oval...DH: Just do it!LP: Yeah exactly, but just went "ah it's a ticket but it's happening. It's happening".DH: So how did you find the Peter Pan tour?LP: I thought it was... It was brilliant. I mean it was the first time I'd done... Let me try and think. I'd done lots of... I'd done lots of big theatres in The States, I'd gone round and done like Stateside and they're always... I mean the American way is kind of bigger and better and the bigger and bolder their theatres are. But I'd never done a UK tour and I... It was... I mean, anyone who gets the opportunity to do a tour around the UK... It is just phenomenal! It is a wonderful experience. You know, it can be a slog at the same time but you get to go to every town that has a theatre, or every city that has a theatre and it's a wonderful way to see the UK because you get to integrate into the society of like the town or the village very quickly. Because, they want to get to know you, especially if it's a comedy piece. Because, you know, everybody... You turn up and you're like the class clown in a different... You know in Malvern, or up in Glasgow for the week. I think it's a really great way... It sounds ridiculous and I mean I haven't really talked about the show. But it's a really great way to kind of travel, because I think that's two things that I'm passionate about is going to place (travelling to places) but also having a connection, a reason to be there.DH: Yeah.LP: Yeah, because sometimes if you go... You can feel quite like a tourist. But to turn up and actually have a job in the town, a purpose. I think it changes the relationship with the place because you get to know the people quicker.DH: Yeah.LP: And that's lovely. And the actual show itself was... I mean it was a... Yeah, speaking to yourself, you know what it's like. It can be very physical.DH: Oh, it's a nightmare!LP: Yeah, oh it's crazy physically demanding!DH: It's an insanely difficult show, yeah! And so many injuries on that show as well!LP: Oh crazy! And then also... And then taking the revolve (there's a huge revolving stage for people who don't know about it) and then dumping it in a different space each week is a mammoth task for the stage crew. And like, each week you'd arrive, and they'd already been there for a day and they were looking knackered because they'd brought it in. And they'd try and tell you what they'd... They'd be like "so, the stage is there but now it's on a slight tilt. So, anything you put down on stage will roll. So, be careful. If anyone's got a prop that might roll, I'm talking balls, I'm talking bottles, if you put them down..." And then you'd listen and then as soon as the show started, you'd be like "oh! That's rolling away! Oh, it's because we're now on a slight angle." And yeah... We had it break down on us a few times where the revolve would stop. But to their credit the stage crew... They refused for it not to turn and you'd see just like just these muscled men and women run in, just grab hold of it and start pushing it around so that the show would continue. And it was art mirroring life, the Cornley Polytechnic trying to finish the show and us, equally, trying to finish the show.

DH: Trying to get to the end.LP: Trying to get to the end and all sorts happening. You know like at points where... I mean we weren't sure if... At points there was clearance at the back of the theatre where the brickwork of the theatre... Where the theatre ends and the revolve only just fitting in there and people saying "just make sure that you do not get caught between the clearance between the back of the theatre and the revolve because the revolve is going at such pace." And, you know the carefully phrased, "it may do you injury." And we were like "ah... it may do you injury." And then I think one day the revolve was going at full speed and we were all running around on it and the door, for some reason... Someone hadn't... There was a door stopper that had been removed for maintenance and the door just opened of its own accord and we all thought... I think I was round the back and I saw it happen and I thought "oh god, that's going to jam and it's going to stop the revolve!" [LP laughs] And the revolve didn't even feel it! The revolve just smashed the door straight off its hinges and it just went flying off its hinges! [Both laugh] Like a full pine door just smashing off its hinges and being torn off and the revolve just calmly sailed on and I went "oh well that'll be... Ok... That's..."DH: "I'll need to fix that in the morning."[LP laughs]LP: Fix that in the morning. And the audience just going "oh! That's hilarious!" Do you ever get it where in a show, a Mischief show, something you do that will... Equally, will have that element of completely off the cuff and the audience will love it even more and part of you goes "maybe we should keep that in!"[DH laughs]DH: We had...LP: You know and it's that... No, sorry, you go.DH: We had one in Play That Goes Wrong, I think. It was the bit where, during the Clock and Barometer Scene, where we're holding everything up with Max and Robert.LP: Yep.DH: And there's a bit where I used to, as Max used to, have to kind of reach to get the phone that was ringing. And I was always really, really specific about where the phone had to be.LP: Yeah.DH: Because, it needed to be just enough within reach that I could actually get it. But just enough out of reach that I wasn't... That it didn't look like I was not to get it to make it look more dramatic and so it was quite hard to get the balance right. And one day I went for it and I managed to... I used to do this thing where I would drag the table towards me with my foot, go to pick up the phone receiver and then accidentally knock it off. And what happened one day was that as I went to grab the table the phone fell off and then I like dragged it back towards myself, picked it up and the whole receiver just came off the wire and flew across the stage.[LP laughs]DH: But to a point where it was like, there's no physical way... It was like five or six meters away from me, there was no way I could get it or... There was no option!LP: [Laughing] Yeah!DH: And there was this huge ripple of laughter through the audience and then there was a silence. And then smatterings of laughter. And then just this really... I just started laughing and there was this sort of strange feeling in the room where everyone was like "oh shit! What did he do!"LP: It's real! It's really, REALLY gone wrong![Both laugh]DH: Yeah and it was such an odd thing!LP: What did you do?DH: I erm... I got a kid up from the stage and improvised a sequence with him where I got him to go and get the phone receiver and then hand me the receiver. And then just as he walked off, I called him back and put my hand out to... And handed him the receiver back and I put my hand out to shake his hand.LP: YeahDH: But he was perfect because rather than swap the receiver into the other hand, he just handed me back the receiver.[LP laughs]DH: Which in my head: handed him the receiver back, put my hand out to shake and we just did this for ages.[Both laugh]LP: Oh phenomenal! Oh phenomenal!DH: But the kid didn't really quite realise what was happening.LP: And the audience loved it? Because it's, yeah...DH: Yeah, and eventually I pointed to his other hand and then he tried to shake my right hand with his left hand.[Both laugh]LP: Ohh!DH: And then I just took it and sat him back down. It was very funny; it was a nice moment.LP: Oh brilliant! That's brilliant! Oh, I love that story!DH: But, yeah, those kinds of things happen. Like, I said "it would be great if we could keep that in." But there's just no way. I think we really weren't allowed to... I got told off quite a lot for that because you're not allowed... It's a point we're not insured for and also the kid was definitely under 18 so that's a bit of a nightmare.[LP laughs]DH: But I was told that you managed to survive that Pan tour by only... That you only had one day off and so you...LP: Yeah, I did!DH: And so, what was the day off for?LP: The day off... The throat... I had... I found out that I had... I mean I found out in like the last week of the tour that I had Throat Polyps.DH: Oh wow!LP: Yeah, so my voice just wasn't recovering and like an idiot I did those... The improv sections. In the centre of Peter Pan Goes Wrong is Hook, or rather Chris Bean as Hook, just berates the audience and tells them off for not enjoying it because this should be more highbrow. That it should be a higher-brow audience and that they should enjoy what they're seeing. And it's great because then the audience starts to shout back, and it becomes Chris Bean's worst nightmare which is a pantomimic response of people going "oh no it isn't!" And he was like [mimicking shouting] "No! It's not a pantomime! It's not! Stop it all of you! Stop it!" You find yourself shouting over the audience and I just kept doing it and I found that my voice was just like not recovering. Not bouncing back. I was doing everything. I was doing my warmup. I was doing my technique and it wasn't bouncing back. And it got to the point ridiculously where I would be on 'vocal rest' for the entirety of the day. From the moment I woke up to the moment I got to the theatre I wouldn't speak, and I got pretty good at it where I'd just be... I could go into a coffee shop and I would like signal that I couldn't speak and would just order a coffee. [Laughs] I mean, yeah, coffee that was my problem! I kept drinking too much coffee![Both laugh]LP: It's like "I'd go into a bar and order three neat whiskeys without speaking! And would you believe it!"DH: A pint of sand.LP: [Laughing] A pint of sand! I'd gargle for an hour! [Normally] And no, that was the only way I could get through it, I'd just keep doing that and wouldn't speak. And everyone on the cast was so supportive, they just, you know... Fred Gray, another Mischief guy, he said "it was great because you'd have a whole series of whistles that would have meaning. The problem was no one else in the cast had any idea what the whistles meant or had a key for them and so you'd just try and listen to see if they were positive to yes or no." But that... The day before we did a two show and my voice... I woke up at 8.00 in the morning and it just... I just... I was trying to make any kind of noise and there was no noise being made and I just had to make the call. So, I gave a text and said "look my voice has gone, I need to have the day." And then Harry Kershaw, who you've probably already had on haven't you?DH: Yeah, yeah.LP: And he, bless him...DH: [Laughing] Is this his famous understudy role?LP: Yeah[Both laughing]LP: Yeah, he was amazing. I mean, I don't want to cast aspersions on Harry's prep for it. He did... He did it. He did tell me every day that he didn't want to go on for it. He said he had his part and he was happy to play his part, so I wasn't to go off. And you've never seen another actor puppeteer another actor more to get him to the stage. He'd be like "you sound fantastic Larry! Off you go!" And I'd go on and I'd do it and then this one time as I say it was just gone. And he nodded and I think he went away and I'm not sure if he was sick, but I think... He wasn't completely comfortable, but he did it like an absolute trooper. He went on and yeah...DH: I think he was hungover, wasn't he?LP: He was hungover. Yeah. [Laughing] He'd been out the night before and he said, "the thing was Larry." He said, "we'd gotten so far into the tour and you hadn't gone off!" He goes "and you voice had sounded terrible!" He goes "and then this. You sounded strong for this one week so I thought I could go out on the town. So, I did and then came in." And I held up a little notepad saying, "I can't speak" and he went "ok, erm, one second!" And then he went, and he threw up and then he came back in and he went "ok right. Ok I'll do it." He said, "I'm contractually obliged to do it so I will."[Both laugh]LP: And that was like "what a trooper." So, I stayed with him for the day and just dressed myself in black, so I became one of the crew members. Or should I say faux crew members. And literally as soon as he came off stage, I would walk him to his next costume change and just hand him the props. Which was half the battle I think if you're understudying. You can do the bit on stage, but it's knowing the journey backstage and knowing who not to bump into, especially in a Mischief show, because there's so much happening!DH: Yeah, chaos.LP: Yeah, so much happening behind stage and there's so many little bits where someone will run directly at you and you don't know which side to slide to, if it's the left or the right. And it's stuff like that which'll catch you out. But he did an amazing job. And also, with Harry's eyesight I did think "have I killed a man?" [DH laughs] When I pushed him on for the final scene and there was the revolve, I remember seeing him just... It was like, I don't know, a cruel experiment pushing a gerbil into a trap! Or a new system, a maze, that is has no idea how to kind of weave through. But he did it! I could see him just like bumping into bits on set and still running! And then he managed to come on and do the last lines! And then I was so proud of him, he'd done such an amazing job to master... To do that. To do an understudy part with a Mischief show on tour is incredible because I think... Because, you know, the rehearsal time on that is minimal to none really.DH: Yeah.LP: I mean, and that's not through lack of planning, it's just through a tour strips you of time and energy. And, you know, if the set arrives late, or something like that, then your rehearsal time is gone. And so, kudos to Harry Kershaw for being able to do that.DH: I think that Pan tour was, sort of, full of very resilient people, I think. Or who at least became very resilient once it finished.LP: I mean, prep wise, for any other show after that I've been fine! Because, you just... People like... You'd see other actors like stressing over a prop being lost and you'd be like "Pff! Are you bleeding? Are you conscious? Then you're fine! You're fine! Get up! You're fine!"[Both laugh]DH: I think the thing that you say about kind of backstage stuff, I think what ends happening is people kind of get very used to their kind of routine. And I think with that (particularly with a Mischief show) the backstage track, the backstage dance is as much a part of the show as it is in front.LP: Oh yeah!DH: There's equally... Did you find it equally more challenging on tour because I know the venues change so much?LP: Yeah. You... It would... You'd have that element where you're dressing room would be three stories up instead of one storey from the stage. And then you'd find that the old cue that you had that would allow you to... You'd be listening over the tannoy and that would allow you to arrive at the space to walk on on time. It was now 15 to 20 seconds out which would mean you'd... And you'd learn that pretty quick. And so, it was weird, when you'd walk around the space you came a proper pro at it, walking around and just like timing up/sizing up timing differences. Because the timing on those shows of getting in and out of one costume, or putting on a safety harness for something else, would always... It could just throw you. And it was...Actually, that reminds me, because I'd never had to wear a safety harness on Pan. But I did on Comedy About a Bank Robbery, did I tell you that I... Did I tell you about the pants thing on Comedy About a Bank Robbery? Have I mentioned that to you before?DH: Erm no I don't think so.LP: So, it's... There's a scene in Comedy About a Bank Robbery where they're robing the bank. And that's another Mischief show and there's a pants skit where everyone's getting pants swapped round because we're all playing different people. And it was... I did it for three months and I came in and I had to wear a safety harness because I had to climb up this ladder that led me to the roof. And you'd then shuffle out on this faux air vent that the audience can see up into and with one thing and another... I mean the dance on that show was... Also, the backstage dance was so precise because there was so little room to move. As you know Dave.DH: At the Criterion?

LP: Yeah. Do you remember there's a bit where you just...? I'm in a room and I... A grate is meant to fall down and hit; is it Shuck in the face? And it knocks him out and then everybody climbs on the table, climbs through the air vent that's just been opened and then we go into the next scene. Well, the air vent, it didn't open. It didn't open and fall and hit Jeremy Lloyd (who was playing the part at the time) in the face. So, he's just making it up. He's just going... I think the line is "I am the law, you will..." And he just started to go "I am the law!" And there was no more to the line, so he just started to go "I am the law! I am the law! I AM LAW!" [DH laughs] And I literally just looked at him and I went... I thought I'm gonna have to just... He'll be alright with this because we both went to the same drama school. He'll know that I'm about to throw him a fake punch. So, I just... I leant in and fake punched him, and he went... He took it like a champ! You couldn't have rehearsed it better! He flew backwards and just... Like he was looking for anyone to give him an excuse just to get knocked out and stop screaming his line.[Both laugh]DH: He just wanted to get down!LP: Yeah, he just really wanted to get down. But I think at the same time Mike Bodie was on stage with me and we both did the fake punch on him at the same time and like, without looking at each other, we both did a fake punch so he really went flying. And then we were like "thank god!" And we tried to get out of the scene, but we couldn't and then Mitch ran on and just said "hey guys! Come down this way! I've found another way to get through the bank!" So, then we all ran out and it was great, and I was like "oh thank god! That's all completely solved!"And then I realised that in the bag that I'd left in that scene were the pants that I needed to put on for the next scene that would fit perfectly over the safety harness and that I couldn't go on in the trouser that I had on because the safety harness... There were no holes for it to fit through. And I'm standing there, just about to go on stage and it's quite a Mischief decision where I look up at Mitch, the guy playing Mitch, and he goes "what are you going to do?" And I was like "erm... I just won't wear any pants for it." And by pants I'm talking like the American pants. So, I just took off my trousers and we... And it turned into a really weird art copying life. [DH laughs] And life copying art where the whole... I just wondered on with no trousers on, just in my boxers on, just with a harness on and everyone... Was it Mitch turned to me and went [in an American accent] "Hey, Cooper what happened to your pants?" And I went [in American accent] "ah they was chafing me" And he nodded and we just continued with the scene. But none of the other actors knew what was going on. They kept coming on and just observing that I wasn't wearing any trousers and they'd go "ah!" And, yeah, I think it was a good little in-house joke for the rest of the show. People just kept catching a look at me in my boxer shorts and going "hmm interesting choice, interesting choice."DH: "This guy’s got no trousers!"[LP laughs]DH: Yeah, it's so weird stuff like that! Because that happened to us actually when Jez was on. A similar thing where the grate didn't fall, and we had to give him a punch.LP: Oh god!DH: And it was very, very funny. So, I think that might be why he was just ready for it, because he was probably in his mind being like "someone please punch me."[Both laugh]LP: Yeah. He knew!DH: I think he knew that that was in the contingency!LP: Yeah, he was like three steps ahead on that one just going "punch me! Punch me! Punch me! Punch me!"DH: "Come on guys!"[Both laugh]LP: Just screaming out "I am the law!" And giving out heavy eye contact to everybody on stage with him.[LP laughs]DH: But that whole trou' down thing in Bank Robbery, how it came about was because we... We didn't actually have it in the original draft, it wasn't until we started rehearsing it and it was in sort of week three of rehearsal. We were kind of getting to that end bit and we had Sam without trousers, and we had Cooper without trousers.LP: [Laughs] Yeah.DH: And I remember us going "we've... They're imitating Freeboys. We've gotta get Freeboys' trousers off!" [LP laughs] And I think we dedicated an entire... Probably not an entire two days but what was nearly a full two days rehearsal. And it was really hard because we were like "why would Freeboys take his trousers off!"LP: "Why would he take his pants off!"DH: Yeah! Like why? And why would somebody else try and take his trousers off? [LP laughs] You kind of get that Cooper's turned up in disguise and forgotten his trousers. So, he takes the trousers off someone else. Great, we're minus one pair of trousers. But then we need to somehow lose another pair! [Both laugh] And I really remember, obviously we can generate as many ideas as we want, but the writers (Henry, Henry and Jono) ultimately are the ones that sort of have to make the decision and put it on the page. And I remember all of us finding it really funny and Shields was quite against it and he was really like "no this is stupid. We shouldn't do this. We shouldn't do this." And he didn't like begrudge us to spend this much time on it.LP: No.DH: Because we were just like "how do we get Freeboys' trousers off?" [Both laugh] And we came up with so many crazy ideas and Shields was just kind of sat in silence watching this rehearsal. And just after about, I don't know after about an hour, of him just like staring at the stage sort of resting his chin on his hands and him looking quite despondent, just went "oh no!" We were like "what?" And he was like "I've figured it out!" And I went "what?" And he was like "[Sighing] right you come in here. You do this. Duh, duh, duh. And then Mitch comes over and says I thought we'd discussed you need to take off your trousers. And he thinks Freeboys is Cooper. He thinks he's talking to Cooper and he rips his trousers off." [LP laughs] And the he did it and we all watched him do it, like walk us through it and everyone just went "oh my god that's it!" And he just, sort of like, was really upset and just went "yeah, I know. That's how we get Freeboys' trousers off." And then went and sat back down.[Both laugh]DH: And I was really proud of him because I was just like "well done mate! Like, you've really committed." Like he really wasn't sure about it and then once it's...LP: That's so good! An idea that you're not psyched about, then finding the solution for it and going "right this bit that I don't really think should be in the show is now in this show because I found a solution."DH: Yeah.LP: Oh god![Both laugh]DH: And it was... I was very pleased for him. But I'm so glad it's in the show.LP: It's great!DH: But then also, it's one of the moments that caused I think one of the worst blunders in Mischief history.LP: Oh no!DH: Which was Shields. You must have heard about this?LP: No!DH: Shields coming on for a scene too early and starting a scene too early.LP: Oh no, you did tell me this! Oh god!DH: Yeah and it's... For a quick explanation for those that haven't heard this one, because we tell it all the time in Q&As at which people have probably heard it.[LP laughs]DH: But it was... There's basically a very complex sequence where loads of people are coming in and out of doors in a bank and are all disguised as this character of Mr Freeboys. And, as Larry's explained, a lot of them aren't wearing trousers. And the scene in which Henry Shield's character Mitch comes out and argues with Mr Freeboys because he's mistaking him for one of his accomplices in disguise, he goes "I thought we discussed you were going to take off your pants." And he goes to rip his pants off. But there's about... This scene with Henry Shields and Henry Lewis kind of starts like three times.LP: Yeah.DH: There's like three similar scenes and Shields just jumped to the last one on the first one and Henry Lewis wasn't wearing the ripable trousers.LP: Oh god!DH: And Shields just came out and was like [in an American accent] "what are you doing? I thought I told you to take off your pants."[Both laugh]DH: And Hen was just like [in an American accent] "what?" He was like [in an American accent] "Yeah! Take off your pants!" He was like " No I don't want to take off my pants," and Shields was like "take off your pants!"LP: [Laughing] And he's wearing non-ripable trousers at this point? Giving him eyes, just going "what are you doing? Are you able to just rip normal trousers off?" Oh god!DH: And I just looked at Hen because I was under the set waiting to do all the sound effects and stuff. And I just looked at Hen and Hen was like trying his hardest not to laugh.LP: [Laughing] Oh no!DH: And I saw the beat where Shields realised what he'd done, and he just went translucent! He just went completely see-through and he was just like "ohhh...."LP: Bless him!DH: And then we just kind of... He said something and I think Hen was like "get out of here!" And just walked off stage and Shields ran off and we sort of scrambled to start the next scene. And then backstage we were all just like "ok, well we need to do this and this." And you’re just trying to immediately...LP: Yeah.DH: It's like you're blind trying to put a jigsaw together.LP: Oh god yeah.DH: Like, you know what the pieces feel like and you know where they're meant to go but you just can't see it.LP: Yeah.DH: And then we were just kind of... And Shields was like "no, no, no. We'll just go as normal and I'll just repeat the scene"LP: Woah!DH: And then they did, and they just replayed the scene. And I think in the confusion, because the show runs at such speed, it was kind of ok.LP: Yeah, yeah.DH: But yeah it was interesting moment for us.LP: It's of a farcical... Yeah. It'd be a curious one to just... You always kind of do just want to just check in with the audience and be like "did you... what did you see?" Actually, well you're curious about it in the moment and then as soon as the shows done and if they've applauded, you're like "it's fine! I think we got away with it!" But you know...DH: Yeah, and I think nine times out of ten as well people are just like "oh the bit with the trousers! Very funny!" And you're just like "exactly!"LP: Yeah, it's “thank you, thank you.”DH: Right, we're coming up to... We're gonna have to move on now to Questions from the Web.LP: Ok. Oh right!DH: Where we're gonna answer some questions that have been Tweeted in by fans.LP: By them!DH: So, could you give us a Questions from the Web Jingle?LP: [Singing a low toned, quick jazz style tune] Questions from the web. Questions from the web. It’s the big, dark, scary internet questions. Questions from the web.DH: Very nice!LP: I don't know why I went scary!DH: There was a lovely vibrato on there.LP: Thank you man, cheers! Thank you, I mean I practised a little bit you know. Not the song but...DH: Well these songs are very scary.LP: Oh god! I should have really lent into that!DH: The first one is from Dee Dee W.LP: Hello Dee Dee!DH: And Dee Dee asks, "what is your favourite role to cover in Magic and what is the hardest?"LP: Oh! I think, the hardest is... I'll start with the hardest. It's yours Dave and that's just because I'm second cover for that and that also kind of got shuffled on because originally, I was just doing Sophisticato and the Mind Mangler which is Henry Lewis' and Shields'. And that was... I already had that down and that was already quite a lot to get down. And then, yeah yours purely because it was... Because I suppose I'm not the tip of the spear on this show and also because I'm not the back-up spear either. I'm the back-up, back-up spear. [DH laughs] And that kind of means that...DH: The third spear!LP: Yeah! And so, third spear carrier who doesn't come on that often. But, dear god! Well as we learned! As Corona Virus got further and further closer to us and illness just picked up all over that... Because, I remember that you got... Now were you off or were you ill I can't remember. Because you don't get ill much and even when you're ill...DH: No, I actually went to Cornwall for a week after my Italy trip got cancelled.LP: Oh, that's right! That's right you went to Cornwall because you... Did you have a nice time? I never asked. Was it nice?DH: I had a lovely time. I'm desperate to go back.LP: Oh good!DH: It's such a wonderful place.LP: Well when you're down at The Mincak. Look at that, we can advertise Mischief Movie Night!DH: [In a dramatic whisper] Mischief Movie Night at The MinackLP: When you're at The Minack theatre, I'll yeah definitely come down and show you around. Because that! You're in an absolute dream of a place down at The Minack! That is so lovely!DH: It is nice, although I think we have to be in a strict bubble! We're not allowed to do too much.LP: Oh of course!DH: We can explore but only within our 'pack.'LP: Oh, yeah, you're pack. I can... What can I do? I can... I can kyak...DH: I think you can join us; you just have to sort of be socially distanced.LP: Sure! That's alright! Well I can... Also, because down there it is an amazing... It is just an absolutely phenomenal countryside. And like... Have you ever been down to like Lands’ End and that area?DH: Yeah, I went to Lands’ End and I actually went to The Minack. But a massive storm hit when I went to The Minack.LP: Oh god!DH: Which was very cool!LP: Yeah, it's very cool!DH: But it was meant to be the first day of the season opening, sort of towards the middle of March and it was like a university production of... I mean you want it to be The Tempest, don't you?LP: Yeah!DH: But it was something like A Midsummer Night's Dream or Taming of The Shrew or something.[Both laugh]DH: And it was really like "oh well that's definitely going to be cancelled because the rain was not safe."LP: Yeah, there's nothing better than a storm cracking over there on a show that actually... Like I think I've seen Macbeth there when a storm, a proper thunderstorm with lightening, occurred and that was pretty epic! And then, I saw a version of somebody doing like a very jazzy number and they were doing a tap dance on a raised portion of The Minack stage and there was lightening started to strike in the background and you just saw this person dancing in the rain with steel toecap you know tap shoes on just speed up. [LP hits a table rhythmically to mimic the tap dancing] Get faster and faster and faster as she was just started going "I need to get off stage now! Really, really quickly!" And they finished the tap routine and just left the stage and then went "Ladies and Gentlemen there will be a short interval." And you were like "yeah, I don't blame them!" But they, you know, rarely do they cancel.Oh god, I've realised I've completely moved in a tangent far far away from the question that Dee Dee asked. Yours! Yours is the most tricky because of the magic tricks, just because tech and rehearsal time for that is minimal with the actual props. Just because we have to make sure that Dave's sharp for it and then also Sydney (lovely Sydney) is also, once again, sharp for it. And then I suppose also that was... Was the last show we did before it shut? I did... Before we mothballed, I'd done three characters in three days. I'd covered Sophisticato and then I did Mind Mangler and then I did Blade and that, going into the water tank... I mean thank god we'd rehearsed as much as we had done! Because it was... It was.... Yeah, it was tricky. It was tricky. It was just... Elements of that water tank were just [sounding stressed] "ooh!" It can get a bit...DH: I remember feeling... Because after I'd done it... I find the training for the water tank really difficult but you kind of get used to it after a while.LP: Yes!

DH: But I remember feeling pretty good after the first time you went in. I think you were in for quite a while. And then even when you came out you were slightly ashen and you were just like "oh! that's not pleasant!"LP: Yes! Yeah, I think that was when I'd been in the week before and gone under. And just poundage of water that is pushing down on you, you can... It's fine. As you know, it's completely fine if nothing goes wrong. Whereas if something goes wrong, if you get a little bit of water that pours into your mask then, you know, straight away like your kind of...DH: Its unpleasant.LP: It's very unpleasant very quickly. And that, I could feel water just dripping in through the side of the mask and I was like "ok, ok, I'll... I need to, you know, take my time with this, make sure it doesn't..." And then finally we finished it and they pulled me out, but I was pretty ashen, and I was like "phew, ok!" So, the other two were... I'm far more comfortable with, I suppose because I can rehearse the tricks in like my room.DH: Yeah.LP: I can literally just sit there with a card trick and also with Mind Mangler I can sit there and practise the close-up magic elements of it. Whereas with Dave, you just love throwing knives.DH: A lot of actual danger.[LP laughs]LP: A lot of actual danger. It's the simplest, it's the clearest track all the way through once you've done it.DH: Yeah.LP: It's the clearest to actually run it.DH: Backstage it's very easy.LP: Yeah and what I love also is I knew as soon as I went on for it, Sydney said "just watch it buddy because Dave runs the whole track. So as soon as he walks up stage, he's not walking he's running, and the timing is affected by that. So, you do have to run to costume. Run to that. Everything is..." And I was like "Dave Hearn coming in in a track where he just does everything really really quickly! [DH laughs] When he could have just been going "oh guys could you just give me five more minutes" But, oh no! Dave will just run between them all!"DH: No, we'll sprint! It's because there's not enough room backstage for any of my quick changes.LP: Yeah.DH: And I've got just enough time to get back to the dressing room to do a quick change and then come back to stage.LP: Yeah.DH: So, it's just like that kind of horrible six of one, half a dozen problem. [LP laughs] Where you're just kind of like [reluctantly] "ah. Yeah, I can sprint back to my dressing room, get changed and sprint back."LP: Yeah.DH: And they're like "ok great! Good well that's solved!"LP: "Brilliant! Thank you!"DH: And I'm like [reluctantly] "yeah. It is."[Both laugh]LP: You're like "Uh! It is. Don't worry, I'll do it for you! It's fine! Aaahh!" Oh christ.DH: But, that's good, ok. So, that was difficult, and the others are your favourites. Hayley Pineapple asks...LP: Oh, lovely name! Do you think she's called pineapple?DH: No, I think that might be her Twitter name.LP: Ok.DH: But maybe it is!LP: I mean I'm called Pears!DH: Yep, that's true. I'm sure there's someone called...LP: So… But I need to stop doing this where I literally just react to people's names, because I did that as Sophisticato. Were you there for that show? Where I invited someone up on stage and they went... [Laughing] I mean, it was very unprofessional I don't know why. I don't know why. It's just because I was kind of in the moment and I just reacted as myself sometimes. And someone went... I said what's your name (because I have to spell it out)? And the guy was like "Michael Cherry." And I went "Cherry!" And he went "yes." And I went "really!" And he went "yes." And I went "ah! My last name's Pears!" And then I just went "no it's not! It's Sophisticato!" And I was like "well you could be Sophisticato Pears. It's completely fine! You can get away with it. It's alright."DH: Just breeze through it.LP: Absolutely, I just breezed through it and I was like "huh!" But at the point I was still doing that whole... It's weird when you like do improv like that though isn't it?DH: Yeah.LP: It's just... You will just react to... You just try and be honest and then also in the moment. And some you're like "oh ok."DH: Well I had a guy when I asked the guy’s name for the help with a trick, he said his name was Dave. And I was just like "mmm it's a good name!"LP: [In an American accent] "mmm it's a good name man!" That's just like "snap!" "Why did you say snap?" "I just say snap sometimes!"DH: It was just like a weird moment. Yeah, but Hayley Pineapple asks...LP: Sorry.DH: Her question is actually food based strangely enough. She says, "what food have you never eaten but you would really like to try?"[Long pause while LP considers it]LP: I think... I know that there's... I was watching a food programme the other day and I know that in Europe we actually receive... We've got some very standardised... Our fruit department is... We kind of think that we've got all the fruits, that they all just appear and stuff that's quite random where you're like "oh, plantain! That's a little bit different." Whereas there's actually hundreds of fruits that don't make it over here because they're not commercially like... They'd have to push a few barriers with the West, because some of them smell terrible. [DH agrees] Some of them smell terrible but they taste fantastic and I think basically I'd like, if I was like out East, I'd love to go round a market and just try a lot of the fruits there that... Because I was looking, and I was like there's just so much there that like is the shape of a cherry but the taste of an orange. I think that would be... I haven't got a specific name but yeah just dump me in a market in the East and I'll...DH: There's a lot of strange fruit.LP: Yeah, a lot of strange fruit.[LP laughs]DH: Ok, good. And keeping with the kind of Pineapple/Pears theme, this is good.LP: Zing! Very good!DH: Ben asks, "what do you love about working with the original Mischief company?" Obviously, this is a loaded question because I'm asking it.LP: It's very loaded![Both laugh]LP: Did he really ask that Dave? No, no, I think... I'd been dying to work with you guys for a while because I'd come in and it had been wonderful to take over on a project and have a mixture of a stamp... Putting your own... Because you guys... What's different about Mischief with a West End show or a show that's found quite big, is that you guys will give an awful lot of freedom to the new performers who come in. Which is an insane kind of opportunity for any actor or actresses having a crack at it, because usually that's not given. On big budget, West End shows they're usually very specific about where you stand. Usually everything is kind of blocked off, you know you've got... The stage is divided up like a chess board and you get told where to stand and you might get a little bit of freedom in how you deliver the line but with Mischief, you know, the part is yours and you can (within reason) do what you like. And I think I was really excited to work with you guys on it and also just see how it got put together. That was one thing I really wanted to do. I wanted to see how you guys shaped a show and it was... Yeah, it was a real privilege to see it go up in the... To see Magic, go up in the time that it did and just the expedience and the professionalism and yeah also just the friendships in it were really lovely. And, yeah, it was what I expected, but also far more relaxed with each other than I would have thought. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I just... [Both laugh] Everything was just very calm and, you know... And like seeing what everyone brings to the company as individuals is really interesting and just seeing how that works and plays off it. And having like the three boys, the three writers, would be quite... You know the heads are quite down on the writing and the project and the shape of it. And then I think, I would say, probably... ohh... I'm putting myself in deep water. I would say you've got a kind of a class clown element to you, where you'll kind of come in and you'll lighten everything. You kind of keep everything think and keep everybody happy. You kind of gel...DH: Morale captain[Both laugh]LP: Yeah, you're a morale captain! You're morale, and you just come around... Bouncing around asking everyone... Telling jokes. And then like looking after people as well, and Nancy does that. Nancy's got a real... Like she'll make sure that the people are looked after, whomever. And just really tries to keep that element of it... So, you know, like, for Christmas... I couldn't get back here for Christmas and I just arrived in my dressing room and there was a little 'morale pack' that she'd prepared with I think Roxy who is also in the show. And I was like... That was just an insanely lovely thing to do that didn't need to be done. And it was elements like that. And just, as much as possible, because obviously we're working in like... Yeah, it's a professional environment. But as much as we can people... You know, you've got to try and keep up the elements of fun. I mean it's called a play for a reason! Everyone's got to, you know, have fun with it! So, yeah that was something I found. Yeah, it was... Just how... Just watching you guys as a group, as a cohesive group, work. Because I wanted to, as I mentioned earlier, like thieve that and see if I could dress it up differently and push it out on stage. [DH laughs] But that's... I was... Yeah, still really impressive to watch that. Yeah.DH: Aww, that's good.LP: Yeah, that's lovely.DH: I think that's a good thing to bring us on to the final section of the interview.LP: Beautiful!DH: Which is the Quick-Fire section.LP: Mmm.DH: So, could you give us a Quick-Fire jingle.LP: Oh right, ok, "Quick Fire". Oh. [Singing very quickly] Quick-Fire Jingle. Quick-Fire Jingle. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang, Bang!DH: Nice! Nice!LP: Thank you!DH: Erm, ok. Let's bang into quick fire. Here we go.LP: Ok!DH: What is your favourite colour?LP: Red. It's not! It's purple!DH: Purple. Texting or talking?LP: Sorry I freaked out! Talking! Definitely talking!DH: If you were an animal, what would you be?LP: A zebra!DH: If you could describe yourself as a dessert, what would you be?LP: An eclair! A chocolate eclair!DH: Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?LP: It's a cake. Scientifically proven for tax reasons, everyone knows that.DH: Describe yourself in three words.LP: Hairy, Tall... [Pause to think] Hesitant![DH laughs]DH: Very good! If you were one of the 52 playing cards, which would you be?LP: I'd be the Jack of Spades.DH: Nice! What is in your pockets right now?LP: [Rummaging] That's a good question. Lint!DH: Perfect!LP: Lint!DH: What is your favourite film?LP: [Thinking] I... Er... It changes all the time... Erm... What did I watch the other day? There was something that I really wanted to champion that I thought was really good that people wouldn't have seen. I watched The Green Mile with my mate the other day and it still holds up.DH: It's very good. It's very good.LP: Still holds up.DH: And finally, who would be the best Mischief person to be trapped on a desert island with?LP: I reckon... I know... Actually, I know this! I know this hands down because I've said this in the past. He's not an original company, but Sydney.DH: Sure. Ok.LP: Sydney would... I've said this because Sydney would... And he won't mind me saying this because I've said this to his face. He would be one the reason that the plane crashed on the island and two he'd... You'd feel like you'd be helpless with him but somehow, you'd come back, and he would have made like a waterfall into a... He'd be like the Swiss Family Robinson. He'd have just turned it into a turbo, and you'd have this huge treehouse. And the birds would love him. Like, flying down and like you'd have like Parakeets and he'd just be like "hey man! Look at this, this is really cool!" And you'd be like "Sydney how is that..." And he'd be like "oh I just found it all." And like, he's just got such a lovely way with him that yeah, he'd just charm the island and the island would look after him because it'd be like "ah he's alright."DH: Keep an eye out onto his. Very good!LP: Great!DH: And I think that is... Yeah, that is all we've got time for! Thank you very much.LP: Look at that! Mate!DH: Thank you ladies and gentlemen for listening!LP: Thank you! Thank you very muchDH: But more importantly, thank you very much for Larry Peers or Pears!LP: Wahey!DH: Thank you very much for giving up your time. I've been Dave Hearn. And you have been...LP: Larry Pears. Peers.[Both laugh]DH: And you have been listening to the Mischief Makers Podcast. Follow us on Twitter @MischiefComedy. Thank you very much and keep making Mischief!LP: Ayyeee...