Muunboot knows how to start a show with a bang. The show kicks off with blasting drum n’ bass, flashing lights and exuberant self-hype as the quartet of Aaron, Mo, Mog and Ralph storm the stage, making it rain ‘Muunbucks’ as they go. The audience are here for it.

The stage itself is set up simply: a ‘living room’ on the right and a helpful sign pointing left to the ‘Scene Zone’. The Muunboot team settle onto the couch, and the show is underway.

Welcome to the Schmuckpad is the live version of the podcast, which is normally recorded in director Joel Luscombe’s living room, affectionately referred to as the titular ‘Schmuckpad’. As such, the show skews true to a podcast format: the team start to chat about a topic (in this case, Moo Deng the baby pygmy hippo), go off on tangents and personal stories, then do a series of sketches and scenes inspired by the discussion. Once they’ve exhausted the topic they return to the living room; rinse, repeat.

The performers – Megan (Mog) Connolly, Aaron Douglas, Ralph Hilaga, Mamaeroa (Mo) Munn – know each other well and bounce off each other’s ideas with energy and playfulness. They have their ‘roles’ to a point – Aaron is the ‘slightly too cool for this’ dude (whose beanie manages to dodge the rule of “don’t wear hats in improv”), Mog is a chaos goblin, Ralph is juggling multiple commitments and Mo is unashamedly autobiographical – but all of them bring skill to their variety of characters.

My main criticism is the classic risk of the format: the cast’s enthusiasm often has them talking over one another (more on the couch than during the scenes) and the scenes are more skits without much emotional weight or change of pace. But, as the cast themselves confess, three out of four of them have ADHD, and the scenes themselves are frequently witty and funny.

Things take a turn two-thirds of the way through the show that flips the entire premise on its head, and I’m loath to reveal this twist(s) without knowing if they plan to do this show format again. What I can say is that this gear shift adds a burst of energy, drive and narrative arc to the show that reinvigorates the cast and audience. By the end the stage is covered with discarded Muunbucks, corpses and pasta sauce (if you know you know) as the audience leave.

All in all, Muunboot are a tight unit that obviously enjoy working together and the audience enjoys seeing. While there are pacing issues (I would suggest putting the twist a bit earlier, but that’s armchair directing) the show is a fun and silly foray into the world of live improv podcasts and beyond. Kudos to the team – including director Joel Luscombe, “surprise guest” Dianne Pulham and Doordash delivery guy Quentin Potts – for a very chaotic night.

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