Another Full House, Another Fantastic Night of Improv Comedy

If there was any doubt that Tauranga loves improv comedy, it was quickly put to rest on Saturday 1st August. Despite the crisp winter temperatures outside, the atmosphere inside the 16th Ave Theatre was warm from the moment the doors opened. Once again, every seat was filled, proving that Honest Liars continues to attract audiences eager for an evening where absolutely anything can happen.

One of the highlights of the night came before the first game had even gathered momentum. A brand-new member of the troupe made her debut performance. Taking to an improv stage for the very first time takes courage. There are no scripts to hide behind, no rehearsed lines to remember, and no guarantee of where the next audience suggestion might lead. Despite understandable nerves, she embraced the challenge brilliantly, earning plenty of laughs and proving she was more than ready to become one of the Honest Liars family.

The evening opened with the ever-popular Objections, where the audience supplied the wonderfully ordinary suggestion of toothpaste. Of course, within seconds toothpaste was anything but ordinary. One moment it was being praised, the next it was being condemned, and before long it had become the centre of increasingly outrageous arguments. One of the joys of improv is watching performers take the simplest object imaginable and transform it into something gloriously ridiculous. Toothpaste certainly received the full Honest Liars treatment.

No Honest Liars show would feel complete without Pocket Note, and this month’s offering was another gem. The setting was a zoo with one rather significant problem—it didn’t actually have any animals.

Undeterred, the zookeepers simply began eyeing up the audience instead.

Pointing into the crowd, one confidently declared they’d spotted a likely specimen. Then, just when things couldn’t become any stranger, a handsome construction worker arrived during his lunch break. Naturally, he too became prime exhibit material as the pair enthusiastically discussed creating what could only be described as a man’s zoo.

As always, the hidden notes introduced by the audience steered the scene in wonderfully unexpected directions. Phrases such as “Can things be quicker,” “Got drunk last night,” and “She got around” were woven seamlessly into the unfolding story.

The biggest laugh of the scene came when one of the zookeepers casually asked whether the construction worker would like to know what was in her lunch.

The note revealed:

“A butter chicken tsunami.”

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. There was a split second of silence as everyone processed the phrase before the theatre erupted into peals of laughter. Those magical moments, where a completely random suggestion lands perfectly, are exactly why no two improv performances are ever the same.

Our newest Honest Liar returned to the stage for Alphabet, one of improv’s trickiest games. Two performers must hold an entirely natural conversation while beginning each sentence with the next letter of the alphabet. Easy enough on paper—far less so when you’re also trying to build a coherent scene.

The audience’s chosen topic? A loom.

Watch the full game below:

Not exactly the easiest subject to chat about alphabetically, but both performers embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. It was another impressive performance from the newest cast member, whose confidence visibly grew as the evening unfolded.

Next came He Said, She Said, where each performer gives physical instructions for the other to carry out. This particular story revolved around gardening, although it quickly wandered into wonderfully absurd territory. There were garden gnomes, oversized holes appearing where they probably shouldn’t, playful accusations flying in every direction, and enough physical comedy to keep the audience laughing throughout. Watching performers faithfully follow increasingly ridiculous instructions while somehow keeping the scene alive is always a delight.

Another audience favourite, Sign Language Interview, once again demonstrated just how wonderfully impossible improv can become. The interview featured an “expert” explaining the highly specialised skill of teaching antelope to do woodturning. Spare a thought for the sign language interpreter, whose job was to physically translate every increasingly bizarre detail. Before long, she was stretching, twisting, balancing and, at one memorable point, lying on the floor spinning in circles as she desperately tried to keep up. The audience was in fits of laughter as both the interview and the interpretation grew increasingly outrageous.

The evening continued with more games, more wonderfully imaginative audience suggestions, and plenty more laughter echoing through the theatre. One of the pleasures of an Honest Liars show is that every audience becomes part of the performance. Their suggestions spark the stories, shape the scenes, and often create the biggest laughs of the night. They may not be on stage—except for the lucky few recruited as puppeteers during Puppets—but their input is every bit as important as the performers’.

If this show proved anything, it’s that even on the coldest winter evening, there’s no better place to be than inside the 16th Ave Theatre, where imagination runs wild, the audience becomes part of the action, and everyone goes home just a little happier than when they arrived.

Thanks to:

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.