There is very little not to like about Two Hearts as musical comedy duo Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore kick into a high-energy pop concert with great singing, sizzling dance moves and wickedly funny jokes.
Their humour occupies a liminal space — instinctively ironic but never cynical; hedonistic without being reckless; earnestly engaged with the issues of the day but easily distracted and almost cool without managing to shake off a residual nerdiness.
They are the perfect embodiment of the "whatever" generation that can effortlessly hold together contradictions which left the baby-boomers hopelessly polarised. This mood of ambivalence is used to great comic effect in the songs: there's a passionate call to legalise marijuana — but only for medicinal purposes. A stirring feminist anthem extols the virtues of sisterhood so long as it's okay to hate on one particular girl and a supermarket shopping spree never quite answers the question, "would you rather save $2 or save the planet?".
A similar ambiguity hovers around the love-hate dynamic within the duo with embarrassing recollections of a one-night stand holding out the promise of romantic fulfilment.
Despite its casual vibe, the show benefits from meticulous attention to stage-craft. A sharply choreographed dance quartet burn up the stage with routines neatly integrated into the comedy. Lighting effects, music, twin-screen video projections and low-rent pyrotechnics give a convincing impression of an arena pop concert while providing opportunities for jokes about the perils of rolling like superstars on the budget of up-and-coming comedians.
