In Between Two

Joel Ma and James Mangohig come from wildly different backgrounds. Though they both have mixed Asian and Australian heritage, their family trees tell very different stories. In Between Two is a poignant exploration of family and the love of music that bought these two friends together. It is also, on a much broader level, a story of today's Australia.

Told via family photographs and the occasional foray into music, the pair slowly unpack stories of their grandparents and parents until they finally present their own histories with humour and unflinching honesty. Ma, who used to front early Aussie hip hop outfit TZU, is a confident and beguiling storyteller and though Mangohig is known for his production skills, he has clearly inherited some of his preacher father's gift for oratory. While much of the credit has to go to the performers, Director Suzanne Chaundy and dramaturgs William Yang and Annette Shun Wah have helped the pair perfect the show's pacing and delivery, slowly building anticipation in each narrative as each new family story unlocks the next piece of the Ma or Mangohig identity puzzle.

This is a thrilling hour of theatre and the best kind of example why a diverse cultural landscape should not only be encouraged in Australia but is essential.