Nostalgia is a strange and powerful feeling, a mix of happiness and sadness all at once. It’s the joy of remembering moments, people, or places we love, paired with the bittersweet awareness that those times are gone.

Improvised theatre often disappears as quickly as it is made, but Echoes of the Past gives the impression of something lasting. Best on Tap builds a layered evening around questions of legacy, memory and identity, touching on themes such as feminism, death, divorce and the shifting priorities of family life.

Scenes set in different decades are arranged into a single timeline, so stories feel as though they have been inherited across generations. The troupe uses this structure to blend humour with reflection, leaning into magical realism (a horse springing vividly to life, for example) while also grounding the work in relatable domestic moments.

Performers Mary Little, Nicola Pauling, Clare Kerrison, Kate Whitaker, Barry Miskimmin, Tim Croft and Wiremu Tuhiwai show great sensitivity to each other’s offers, shaping narratives about love, anger, resentment and forgiveness. Excellent listening skills and scene painting mastery.

Geoff Simmons hosts beautifully, setting a confident and engaging tone for the evening. He also helps guide the flow of the scenes, subtly directing the performance without overshadowing.

Among many highlights are a delightfully awkward 1950s birthday party where children are innocently asked what coitus means, and the moving apology monologue from Tamas (Wiremu Tuhiwai) to a door, performed with well-crafted emotional weight. Nostalgic fragments, such as a boy recalling his mother’s phrase, “Have I told you today that I love you?”, carries both sadness and joy, encapsulating the show’s bittersweet tone. Their scene painting is outstanding.

Special mention to Sebastian Morgan-Lynch and his cello, adding enormous value, subtly shaping the emotion of each scene. He nails the squeaky wooden rocking horse noises like a pro. 

On a technical note, the house lights come on halfway through, briefly breaking the atmosphere, and it feels like a few performers accidentally step into scenes already occupied, forcing quick improvisation on the spot, reminding us of the live, unpredictable energy that makes improvisation so exciting. 

Fine craft, strong ensemble connection, and a willingness to weave joy and melancholy together, Best On Tap offers something rare: improvised theatre that looked both backward and inward, finding humanity in the echoes that shape us. 

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