Two Hearts: The Winery Tour

Two Hearts

Two Hearts: The Winery Tour is undoubtedly the most extravagant show you’ll see this Comedy Festival. Complete with grand piano, television screens, and novelty-sized glasses, the production value alone is worth the price of the ticket. While spectacle can come at the price of content, musical comedy duo Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore have created a show that sustains comedic and creative value for a full sixty minutes, as they attempt to secure a new audience demographic.

Armed with buttery Chards and beats, while a winery tour may reflect maturity, the duo quickly lapse from an acoustic ode to wine into more irreverent material. From baby boomers and factory farming, to environmental awareness and cybersex, no one and nothing is safe from Moore’s lampooning lyrics or Daniel’s vociferous vocals. Every number is a crowd pleaser, although Moore’s Dave Dobbyn tribute and a back catalogue rendition are particular highlights.

As not only a performative, but also romantic duo, Daniel and Moore play up their pop star dynamic, the diva and the tech nerd respectively, to generate low key drama between the musical numbers. It’s a goldmine, and there’s a lot of room for it to develop over the years to come, especially as a genuinely affecting relationship in which the audience can invest. At the moment it’s merely touched upon, but the dramatic weight it could bring could be what takes them to the next level.

It’s worth noting their most recent draw card, if only because Daniel does so herself, often to the chagrin of Moore, throughout the evening. Dancing with the Stars fame has allowed the duo to connect with TV viewers, and while Comedy Festival should be lauded for generating venue revenue, Two Hearts’ theatrical endeavours may just help the industry reach an even wider audience not only in Auckland, but nation-wide.