Sparrow-Folk are Catherine Crowley and Juliet Moody - a female comedy duo who hail from Canberra, Australia. Witty, charming (and not to mention very, very funny), their hour-long musical comedy smash hit
Sparrow-Folk absolutely pulled it off with their raucous, hilarious, hour-long ride into saucy, silly SuBIRDia.
Ushering in the audience under the guise of a street party, Sparrow-Folk welcome you into their suburban world. Wearing tea-dresses under aprons and with a kitsch clothes line as the only set, they epitomise the perfect suburban housewife. This is where the similarities end, however, as underneath their innocent facades Sparrow-Folk are anything but sugar and spice. Taking you on a rambunctious musical journey, they show you what really goes on in the mind of a typical housewife. They may not understand rugby, but thankfully they have friends who are as discreet as tampons. They’ve experienced their fair share of inappropriate workplace touching, and have some hilarious insights into the trials and tribulations of marital sex. What was so brilliant about all SuBIRDia’s songs, however, was the musical prowess with which they conducted these wonderfully accurate observations - which in themselves erred just on the right side of cheekiness to pull off their slightly scathing undertones. There are light-hearted numbers and some that are just plain silly. Others tug on the heartstrings a little more. Some are stripped back (quite literally - those aprons do not stay on long) and more sensitive. The show balances perfectly between light-hearted comedy and some intelligent observational humour: a wonderfully silly show that actually makes you think.
Musically both Crowley and Moody are outstanding, with gorgeous voices I could have listened to for hours. The use of ukulele (instead of guitar, for example) was well-judged. Though without doubt the most impressive props were those the two women had knitted themselves. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but lets just say I’ve never quite seen the birds and the bees be embodied in such a way.
The show does perhaps limit itself in terms of audience. Middle-aged women I would imagine receive it best, as there are many jokes aimed at men. However there can be no doubt that Sparrow-Folk absolutely pulled it off with their raucous, hilarious, hour-long ride into saucy, silly SuBIRDia.
