Many will tell you that getting married will change your life, but as Two Hearts will tell you, not much changes at all.
Real-life power couple and comedy duo Two Hearts, Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore have brought their new show ‘ ‘Til Death Do Us Hearts’ to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. After they tied the knot in 2022, they felt guilty that everyone couldn’t experience their ‘lavish wedding’. So, they decided to bring the wedding and their high-energy beats, to us!
Upon entering the ACMI’s Gandel Lab, we were greeted by Laura and Joseph themselves, dressed in their wedding best and dancing to the 80’s tunes that played throughout the theatrette. On the stage was a DJ ooth adorned with a flower arch, flanked by two screens also framed by flowers and flashing the Two Hearts logo. There was even a little table for gifts, and everything to this point passed the vibe check. Little did I know what was to come would be an hour of hilarious music and poignant political comedy.
Opening with a country-style track about their wedding day, describing how they were the centre of attention for one whole day, in reality, nothing about their lives has changed. And after getting married myself, to the love of my life back in August 2022, I found this song very relatable. My wife and I both agree that nothing about our lives has changed, we even kept our own last names and as it turns out, so did Laura and Joseph. Throughout the entire first song, the two screens splashed graphics and text that only enhanced the already fantastic songwriting. The use of these screens continued throughout the whole performance.
Two Hearts have many hilarious tracks specifically for this show and it is hard to pick a favourite. Some highlights include a track about girls going out at night in their miniskirts and no jackets with a lyrical hook of ‘I’m Catching’ a Cold Tonight’. A song on climate change and how we can do something to fix it, but we don’t, but most importantly, how we buy a reusable bag when we go to the store, but then forget it again the next time we go shopping and must buy another bag. Essentially, the more bags you buy, the more you’re helping, right? Not only was this track hilariously accurate, but it also came complete with a mid-song costume change where Laura returned in a dress, made out of, you guessed it, reusable bags.
The best song of the night would have to be the one written by Joseph that discusses the gender pay gap. He started out by exclaiming that he isn’t suffering from a cost-of-living crisis, but how he is suffering from a cost of giving crisis and then goes on to sing how he can pay for everything his girl needs, because he gets paid 20% more. He even threw money into the front row with my wife receiving 50c and myself receiving $1. It was hilarious, but also highlights the issues with society and the lack of equality in the workplace. And that is really the tone of the entire show. Yes, it is chaotically hilarious, but it’s also right on the money with the issues that our society faces.
There was also plenty of crowd interaction throughout the show. From being given the responsibility of being a flower girl to throw petals at important moments, to waving your phone torches in the air. There’s also a live ‘Kiss Cam’ and ‘Proposal Cam’ and I even got to propose to my wife, again! But one thing was evidently clear, Two Hearts know how to bring the hype and put on an incredibly insane one-hour show. I was exhausted from laughter and my face hurt from smiling so much.
Two Hearts are fantastic songwriters, musical producers, have incredible costumes (I lost count of how many outfits Laura has) and they are both hilarious comics. They are very in tune with society and the issues we face daily. They also have an incredibly natural stage presence and a charisma that draws the audience in, plus their crowd work is top notch. Two Hearts truly are the power-couple they claim to be.
I cannot believe I almost missed this show at the festival this year and I am so glad I got to attend the wedding of the year. Two Hearts ‘Till Death Do Us Hearts’ is one of the best shows I’ve seen all festival. And after performing 18 shows before the one I attended, I have no idea how they managed to keep the energy up. But whatever Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore bring to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival next year, you best believe my RSVP will be ‘yes’!
Whilst the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival is now over for the year, you can still catch Two Hearts at the Sydney Comedy Festival at the Factory Theatre on Saturday the 27th of April at 9:30pm and Sunday the 28th of April at 8:30pm.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/two-hearts
https://www.twohearts.co.nz
https://www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au/event/two-hearts-nz-til-death-do-us-hearts
https://www.instagram.com/twoheartscomedy
https://www.instagram.com/imlauradaniel
https://www.instagram.com/josephmoore1