Walking into the BATS Stage theatre feels like arriving home. The vibe is instantly relaxing, and the cast — Mo, Q, Kipling, Lachlan and Viki — greet me and other audience members with easy smiles. I retreat to a backrow seat to take in the full set, which is simple yet unmistakably Kiwi: an NRL Warriors flag, a guitar resting on a nearby couch, a lone Croc beneath another and an empty Corona box poised to collect anonymous confessions from the crowd. The mood is warm, inviting and lived-in, setting the tone for an unpretentious ‘hangout’ atmosphere.

Before the show even kicks off, cast members hand out sticky notes, asking the audience to jot down, “The most unhinged thing you’ve done.” This small gesture immediately breaks down barriers and sets up a night where audience voices will shape the action.

The structure unfolds in a loose, garage-chat style of improv, each scene sparked by a single word shouted out by the audience at the performers’ request:

Octopus opens the show, leading into an in-depth conversation about The Wiggles, which drifts into 90s nostalgia before morphing into a parody of The Lion King, where “Sqwimba” (a play on the word octopus) is told that everything the light touches is his.

Cardboard follows, quickly joined by Steam Trains, sparking questions like, “Has anyone ever eaten cardboard or paper?” From there, the improv unravels into everything from a breakdancing baby in the womb to a high-speed train race in Fast & Furious fashion, followed by a sketch of two trees reaching for one another — the audience “root-ing” for them. As the theatre lights brighten, their branches stretch until they finally touch and ignite their “Sep-timber” spark.

Handbag veers into the surreal, starting with a “loose sausage” gag and shifting into pointed satire about some of the country’s political leaders “eating poo”.

A cheeky Sex with Me segment sees the cast riff on Blanket, Fish Poster, and Beverage Fridge. One of the most memorable lines of the night lands here: “Sex with me is like a Beverage Fridge — many hands have been inside.” The audience is in fits.

Finally, Camping prompts the arrival of Koro who rattles off his most “unhinged” moments — supplied by the audience earlier on — from lying about having Parkinson’s to impress a girl, to voting for a much-disliked political party, and even breaking into Wellington Zoo.

The quintet’s chemistry is clear throughout. Mo brims with raw, unfiltered energy, easily the liveliest of the group. Q steadies the chaos with grounded humour and sly timing. Kipling is confident and likeable, often steering the rhythm of the room. Lachlan thrives as the quieter one, landing perfectly timed laughs in unexpected places, and Viki delivers gentle but lethal humour, unapologetically sharp.

What impresses most is how well they support one another. For an improvised show — and particularly for my first — their teamwork is so seamless it could easily be mistaken for weeks of rehearsal. Though unstructured, the improv finds a natural rhythm. The performers make excellent use of space, constantly taking cues from one another. Their responsiveness and ability to heighten each idea reveal a discipline beneath the chaos. That is what makes this collaboration shine: no one tries to steal the show; they steer it together.

The experience is as much about the audience as it is the performers. From the sticky-note confessions to the interactive segments, everyone feels folded into the storytelling. The ambience is warm and collaborative, and the room erupts into uncontrollable laughter throughout — moments that cannot be scripted.

The show wraps with Kōrero Paki, an interactive song that draws the night full circle. A final round of applause and cheers follows, before the audience spill out to The Wiggles’ hit Wake Up Jeff. Tonight’s improv show is exceptional. The cast are fast, funny and fearless, keeping the energy high from start to finish without missing a beat.

The only downside? I now have that darn song Wake Up Jeff stuck in my head.

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Kōrero Paki (verb): to joke at, tell stories, tell yarns.

The synopsis for Kōrero Paki describes the show as “a night of mean kōrero and wild comedy from this spontaneous tira whakaari (theatre group) who will talk sh*t, share off the cuff stories, and take the show to wild places through improv.”

Featuring Mamaeroa (Mo) Munn (Oversharer, Is It Off, Catfish Trifecta), Quentin Potts (Mo’s husband, improv), Lachlan Bowker (stand up comedian) Viki Moananu (Poofta, We Need To Talk) and Kipling Davis-Colley (Big Dog, Skux Deluxe, Airhorn).

Walking into Tepare Iti at Te Auaha, I am welcomed by extremely high energy comedians and given a piece of paper and a prompt to write about. The stage set-up is great and really creates the scene of being in a garage with whanau and friends. It features two couches, a table with an electric jug and some beers, a guitar, and other various things.  

The group do a quick intro, we are told this is Bowkers third ever improv show, Munn confirms that she and Potts are married just in case things get weird, and then it’s straight into a nice little chat between themselves based on audience suggestions. Some involve Aotearoa birds, a misogynistic cat that leads to Moananu’s fear of cats, and the birthday of an audience member.

As this is the Living Room Format style of improv, at random times they jump off the couch and start acting out skits of what has been discussed, resulting in hilarious antics, references not all of the troupe understand, and howls of laughter from the audience.

As it is someone’s birthday the guitar is utilized and we all sing a very out of time and kind of hillbilly sounding ‘Happy Birthday’ to that audience member, much to their delight. Back on the couch this prompts birthday stories and we learn that giving Bowker a craft knife for his 10th birthday was not his mother’s best idea, as a child Davis-Colley had no friends, and in contrast Potts wanted no friends. Clearly comfortable with each other, the five comedians are truly making it feel like we are all just at a garage party having a good kōrero and laugh with mates.

An improv favourite of mine, ‘sex is like …’, has some hilarious audience inputs and the lady next to me, who admittedly doesn’t know what improv is, is calling out suggestion after suggestion before even being asked, but these professionals don’t miss a beat in taking those suggestions up, even if Moananu can’t remember what a screwdriver is. Knowing that Munn and Potts are married makes this part of the show extra entertaining as we see their reactions towards some of each other’s interesting answers.

Hidden talents are discussed with Bowker’s cousin bending over backwards, tongues licking noses and elbows (yes it can be done despite what google says) and a wonderful krump by Moananu to ‘Don’t rain on my parade’ joined by Potts. Shoutout to the show’s tech Emma Maguire who quickly plays the song.

A special guest arrives to read the audience notes from the start of the show and there are some err interesting ones that have the comedians and crowd alike laughing and cringing. The guest leaves and more skits commence.

This is where Davis-Colley truly shines, acting out being tied up on a chair tipped sideways on the floor for the entirety of this bit, making funny quips throughout sometimes as his fellow comedians ignore him completely. There are expert callbacks to earlier in the show, and a beautiful chaos in how each comedian is engaging the audience and each other in everything they do.

Every comedian brings their own flair to the show and it is hard to believe that Bowker has not done improv before this week. Munn excels in her element as the most seasoned at improv and, despite being described as Munn’s ‘plus one’, Potts does great in his own right. Moananu has a wonderful awkwardness about him and after 35 minutes has finally remembered what a screwdriver is. And I am even more of a Davis-Colley fan after he has well and truly stolen the show for me with how he delivers ‘dorky-but-cool’ with everything he does.

The show ends with a song. It has delivered on its mean kōrero and wild comedy, I am sore from laughing nonstop for the entire show, and the lady next to me declares she cannot wait to see another improv show coz ‘that was pure brilliance’. I think it’s safe to say that Kōrero Paki has been a huge success!

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