It’s Christmas! That means an improv comedy Christmas show, and what a show it was.

A large group booking meant that the theatre filled up quickly, then the other bookings and walk-ins added to the audience, and by the time the players ran onto the stage, the crowd was already in high spirits. There was a good round of applause as Jon introduced the motley crew, the Honest Liars.

In the last show, LINK, the warm-up game of ‘Sex with Me is Like’ was such a hit that it was decided to do it again. And what a good decision. The first suggestion of “Sex with me is like a tennis ball because….” produced from the players such zingers as:

“… no one knows why it’s so furry.”

“… I always make a racket.”

“… it’s better with doubles!”

That was followed by “Sex with me is like a Rubix Cube.”

“… really, really confusing.”

“… who gets it done the fastest.”

“… I haven’t done it since the 80s.”

This game had everyone warmed up – the players with their wit and the audience with their laughter.

‘Pocket Note’ was the first game after the warm-up, with Henare, Sally and Sue trying to sell a product (of their choosing). It was fun as they picked up the notes of “I love you, Jenny.” “Oh, that’s spicy!” “You remind me of your sister”, “You should put some cream on that”, and other notes they tried to weave into the story seamlessly. But, here, have a quick look, as I’ve left the classic note for the video.

In the ‘Dating Game’, our three contestants had odd quirks. Kathy was a Mexican Waver, Sue’s occupation was to inseminate octopus, and Sally crocheted sexy stockings. Steve, whose name happened to be Santa Claus, asked each one a question before having to guess each of their quirks. Kathy’s was relatively easy as she constantly waved her arms in the air and spoke with a Mexican accent. Sally made sure Santa liked her sexy stockings, but Sue’s occupation wasn’t quite so easy, and Steve needed a little help.

‘The Clap’ game saw three teams battle it out for lines. Henera and Brett were teaching a hen to make trifle (it was Christmas, after all), and Steve and Sally were having Christmas together, making snowballs and getting very drunk. Kathy was the 80s fairy from the Christmas tree, and Sue was a new, moveable apprentice who was having her first time at the top. It didn’t help that she was not only scared of heights, but as the game progressed, we discovered she was a demon.

In the game ‘He Said, She Said,’ Kathy and Brett were trying to get the Christmas tree decorated before the store opened. However, it all turned to custard when the box of decorations turned out to be a box of cutlery. To top it off, the 2nd box was full of plates. But never fear, these two enterprising staff members decided to make the whole tree kitchen themed.

In the ‘Returns Desk’ game (another favourite), the three items returned were a cross-eyed goldfish, a piano with all the notes being C and the moon that didn’t smile. This is a fun game, as those returning the item have no idea what it is.

Watch a short clip of Brett bringing back the cross-eyed goldfish. You can see Brett’s entire segment on our YouTube channel.

A game of ‘The Cube’ followed with much hilarity, and then the night’s final game was ‘The Twitch’. Another round of Jon being put to a series of individual actions that had him sweating by the end.

While having a wind-down drink after the show, the players agreed that this Christmas audience had to have been the loudest and most fun one in all of 2023. It was a terrific, fun night and a great one to round off a very successful year.

Thanks to players

Thanks to

Crew: Fee
Sound engineer: Anthony.

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.