Honest Liars Improv Show Tauranga

Supermarket Chaos and Speedy Weddings: Honest Liars’ November Improv Show

The penultimate Honest Liars show of 2025 kicked off the moment the players arrived at 16th Ave Theatre. The pre-show warm-up was buzzing with coffee cups in hand, and jokes flying faster than the early evening sun streaming through the rehearsal room windows. Spirits were high, minds sharp, and by the time the audience filed in (and the bar opened), Tauranga was primed for another night of spontaneous hilarity.

The first game, “Objections,” set the tone for the evening. The audience suggestion “coin-operated supermarket trolleys” quickly descended into glorious chaos. What began as a simple policy debate turned into a full-blown trolley riot, as the players jostled to make their objections heard. The laughter rolled like a runaway cart down the aisles of Countdown, and the crowd was immediately hooked.

Keeping with the supermarket theme, later came “Pocket Note,” a crowd favourite for its unpredictable twists. The suggestion: “a meteor has struck a supermarket”. Only three survivors remained — Gala, a painfully slow till operator; Sue, who was in a hurry because, well, it was the end of the world; and Kathy, who had hoarded all the toilet paper and still wanted more. Between them, they picked up from the floor mysterious pocket notes reading lines such as: “I love working weekends,” “I didn’t do it,” and “I like big butts and I cannot lie.” The resulting story was part disaster film, part absurd supermarket comedy, and entirely hilarious. Were these lines seamlessly incorporated into the story? Of course they were – these are Honest Liars!

Then came “The Time Warp.” Kathy and Steve played a couple locked in a domestic battle over the dishes, with Jon as the all-powerful timekeeper. At his command, scenes leapt back and forth through their relationship. They ranged from first date to wedding to honeymoon, and in all of them, it became clear that Kathy was, in fact, a speed freak who did everything at lightning pace. The audience howled as their life together unfolded in chaotic, fast-forward and backward sequences, from suds to vows to honeymoon antics.

Things got delightfully weirder with “The Change Game,” where Kathy and Ryan prepared an elaborate doggy wedding. Enough said.

And of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without “The Dating Game,” a cheeky send-up of the old 1970s TV show. Contestant Gala (as a free-spirited hippy named Toyota Caravan) had her pick of three… let’s say unique suitors: Jon, a serial killer by trade (apparently that’s a job now), Mark, who collected eyeballs as a hobby, and Ryan, who had a split personality being a sex addict and Gollum, the perfect combination!. After much deliberation and plenty of laughter, Toyota chose Gollum. After all, she became his precious.

VIEW THE GAME HERE: DATING GAME

As the show drew to a close, the energy in the theatre was still soaring. The players took their final bow to raucous applause and plenty of hoots from the crowd. Another night of quick wit, fearless creativity, and side-splitting improv came to an end, and the Honest Liars celebrated yet another triumph in Tauranga’s favourite comedy playground.

If this show was anything to go by, the final one of 2025 is not to be missed. Bring your best suggestions, loosen your laughing muscles, and prepare for the unexpected — because with the Honest Liars, anything can happen.

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Book your tickets for the next show and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.