July 2020 - Honest Liars Improv

“I Laughed All The Way Through”

By hlimprovers | July 29, 2020

Following on the heels of a sell-out show at the Jam Factory, the Honest Liars had a booking at the Waihi Theatre and, true to form, excitement swelled as the time got closer.

The first order of business was to meet at the local Kebab eatery for some smashing food and a plan of action before heading off to the theatre.

For a couple of the players, it was a bit of a time warp as they had been known to tread the boards on more than one occasion in this theatre.

No time for faffing about though as there were banners to put up, lighting instructions to give and warm up to be played.

In no time at all, it was showtime!

The irrepressible emcee Melissa began warming up the crowd getting them to a full crescendo of applause as the players tumbled out onto the stage. And the games began.

‘Scenes from a Hat’ gave all the players a chance to warm up the crowd with their disrespectful answers and statements to subjects such as ‘the world’s worst nun’ and ‘what you shouldn’t say on a first date’. The mention of Trump in that first game was the kicker for the audience to fall about laughing.

‘Four ways to die’ saw death by suffocation, out of a window, stabbed and crushed with the story set in the mine pit. This was followed by ‘Pocket note’ a game in which the audience gave sentences which were written on paper then incorporated into the game. Of course, the players had left the stage in order not to hear. Naturally, the innuendos flourished making for brilliant comedy.

‘Party quirks’ saw some extremely odd guests arriving including Quasimodo and a gentleman who could turn chairs into humans!!

At the end of the first half, a couple of audience members came on stage and helped with the ‘Change game’. This meant tapping the player’s shoulder, saying “Change” and changing the context of the scene. It is always a thrill to have brave people join in and share the fun on stage.

A bit of a twist came at the beginning of the second half when the audience was asked to participate in sending a “happy birthday” to one of the player’s son. A very quick video recorded as the camera was raised to take in all the Honest Liars and the audience as everyone shouted out the birthday message. (Needless to say, it was well-received by the birthday boy).

Cracking on with the second half the audience by now was well and truly into calling out suggestions, some great, some okay and some definitely R18. But the games continued, and once more two audience members were called upon to participate in the game ‘Puppets’. They quickly took control of the players in a scene held in a ballet studio.

It seemed like just a blink of the eye, and it was over. The Honest Liars mingled with the crowd as they were leaving the theatre and encouraged them to come back to the next performance to be held on August 29th. The players then packed up and went off to Waihi Beach pub for a celebratory drink before heading to their digs for the night to debrief and relive an exceptional night.

Thanks to all the players

Sally
Kathy
Brett
Kelly
Kevin

Kim
Melissa
Kristina
Fee

Next show is on August 2nd so save the date!

1^st Sunday of every Month
Jam Factory, Historic Village
Show Starts: 7 p.m.

The Honest Liars Are Back!

By hlimprovers | July 15, 2020

FINALLY! The Honest Liars were back at the Jam Factory giving a show to an appreciative audience.

Players were eager to get into the games and got to the venue in plenty of time to begin warming up. An hour later the crew arrived to put out the signs, sort the sound system and set up cameras.

It seemed that the audience members were also eager beavers as they started coming in through the doors 45 minutes prior to curtain. Mind you, some did have to duck back out again when they discovered they were able to bring wine. Yes, the Jam Factory was back in business.

A slight change to the line-up at the get-go saw Kathy come on stage to do a short stand-up comedy routine. Not only did she warm the crowd up but it certainly impressed the audience when, after she’d finished, Melissa announced that this was Kathy’s first time doing stand-up. Needless to say, she got an extra rousing applause.

Then the games began.

‘Out of the Hat’ gave the players the chance to step forward with a one-liner. Perhaps the best was in the scene “Inappropriate thing to say when meeting your mother-in-law for the first time” when Brett said “Ooo, looks like I chose wrong” and indicated walking off with the MIL.

After a game of ‘Questions’ which saw the players in a funeral parlour debating what to do with the ashes it was time for ‘4-Ways to Die’. The audience managed to come up with death ideas from “snake bite” to “death by lollies” and other absurdities in between.

Marching right on through another couple of games the players then showed their comedic skills with ‘Hollywood Director’. This saw Kim as the frustrated movie director trying to get the ‘actors’ to get dramatic in the audience’s suggested location of the wall at the Mexico border. The director decided it wasn’t good enough and so changed the genre to a Musical, followed soon after to Shakespearean style. It became apparent that the whole thing was a disaster and so as a final attempt to rescue the movie, the director decided the actors needed to go back to acting school.

It wasn’t long before the favourite game of ‘Pocket Note’ was played with brilliant suggestions from the audience providing the usual hilarious sentences that the players had to weave into the scene. The hot pools in Rotorua provided the three players with a great place to get to know each other with Mark’s pick-up line (courtesy of the audience) being “Is it really that big?” setting the tone!

More games followed and then it was the turn of the audience. That’s right, members of the audience were asked to partake in the games and brave people volunteered after a bit of encouragement.

The game of ‘Sound Effects’ brought one courageous member up onto the stage where she provided sound effects for the scene that was being played out behind the bike shed where the players were planning to bomb the school.

The next audience participation was another favourite – ‘Puppets’. The players did end up in some extraordinary positions all the while trying to keep a straight face and deliver lines to solve a conundrum that the team of pole dancing mother and daughter were trying to solve.