Sometimes when you’re at a Fringe performance, the act will recommend other shows as the audience is about to depart. So many people mentioned Two Hearts that it seemed rude not to check them out. Two Hearts (Joseph Moore and Laura Daniel) have their tongues firmly in cheek as they declare themselves to be New Zealand’s only popstars, but with a show this good, it would be easy to forget any other NZ musical exports.
Moore and Daniel are very talented comedians, the show has high production values for the less than grand Assembly venue, and the songs are hilarious. The pair are a couple off-stage, which adds an extra dimension to proceedings, with sniping and backchat between the pair (no doubt hammed up for the audience) authentic and relatable to the crowd. There are more current cultural references squeezed in than are perhaps necessary, with NFTs, the metaverse and Johnny Depp all getting a mention. The audience revels in the crude and lewd lyrics and is whooping along in delight. Two Hearts have a magical ability to make even a rainy Tuesday feel like a balmy Saturday night with their bombastic performance.
We’re Pregnant and the Baby is Music is full of clever tunes and callbacks, the costumes have to be seen to be believed (particularly the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), and the audience is buzzing with praise by the end. The only real letdown is the interludes between songs, which lack a real narrative arc, but with tunes so catchy, it’s easily forgiven.