Comedy duo Sparrow-Folk take flight once again with ‘Nice Pair’

Posted on 15 February, 2023

For 10 years, Juliet Moody and Cathy Crowley, the award-winning pair behind comedy duo Sparrow-Folk, have been painting motherhood with an unvarnished brush on stage—the real, the funny, and the achingly familiar.

Their latest show Nice Pair is, of course, no exception. Filled with the raw and unflinching originality that makes these talented multitaskers so damn funny, Nice Pair will take flight at Canberra Theatre Centre from 2–3 March as part of the Canberra Comedy Festival.

But as Juliet and Cathy reflect on their comedic journey out of their pandemic cages, it becomes clear that Nice Pair brings forth a new element that perhaps separates this work from the rest—it’s actually (gasp!) planned.

Like any parent challenged to wear countless hats, Sparrow Folk’s creative process would typically come to life amid many deep breaths, ear-piercing screams, incessant shhhing, car rides, and zoom calls. And while it’s an inspiring muse within their work, it’s something they wanted to avoid during the rehearsal process.

Armed with a director and support from the Canberra Theatre Centre, Juliet hopes this rare commodity of time and outsider support will bring a new element to the show.

“In the past, we’ve rehearsed whilst babysitting kids—we have been on the road and creating the shows as we drive to the festival, still tidying up last-minute songs. It’s always been in classic Mum mode, multitasking to the max as you’re heading towards the final destination. So we really wanted the opportunity to spend some time with the director who is just wonderful, and then the Canberra Theatre Centre also jumped on board with us too.”

“I will say we are having a bit of a crisis about whether we can do it if it’s not on a shoestring. Are we one of those kids in school who can’t actually do the assessment unless we are doing it the night before? I guess we’re about to find out that the hard way, by putting all our eggs in the nest, so to speak.”

The duo will, of course, leave room for spontaneity on stage—a nod to their improv roots, their beautiful friendship and natural ability to make audiences feel instantly at ease.

“We always like to make audiences feel as though they are joining our nest,” says Cathy. “Come in, relax with us, have a great time, and we’ll all feel like best friends by the end. That’s how we like to describe our shows.”

“We are a bit Oprah-ish,” Juliet chimes in. “We love handing out gifts, too.”

The pair also notes that while their show feels like a comedic whirlwind, a gentle narrative structure keeps the show moving forward. Unfurling, much like their other work, within the retrospective details that live in the every day.

“I think we aim to write funny songs…but there’ll be a bit of a reverence and a bit of silliness in there too. But we’re definitely writing from our own truth. Something happens in our lives and we feel a burning desire to write about it, and then what always happens is that a bunch of songs lend themselves to a shared narrative,” says Cathy.

And while Nice Pair is all about Sparrow Folk’s ‘laugh till your stomach hurts’ type of performances, hilarious onstage antics and seemingly effortless charisma (with a hint of mischief), underneath lives two mums and, more importantly, two best friends.

Reflecting on their 10-year journey, Juliet says comedy is a way to keep their friendship firmly in flight.

“We were really good mates who found it hard amidst all our lives and motherhood to actually hang out. So we just went ‘Well, if we do music and comedy, we are committed to rehearsing and spending time together’—which is great. Because every year we get to go on these ‘girls trips,’ which are called ‘festivals’, and hang out together,” reflects Juliet.

As comedy has its much-needed moment here in the ACT, Cathy says that it’s important to celebrate this art form beyond its online platform, uniting Canberrans with something so special in this post-pandemic and continually unprecedented world—laughter.

“I think we’ve really shifted in the last couple of years to the online platforms and sharing funny videos, but live comedy is such a great form, it’s just so uplifting,” she says. “There’s nothing like being in a room full of people where you’re not just laughing at a screen—you are laughing with other people. I think we need that to fill our bucket.”

“So I’m hoping that people get out and support not just our show but all the comedy shows that are coming to Canberra because it’s such a great experience.”

If these cheeky birds well and truly quacked you up, check out their new podcast Sparrow-Folk: Adventures in SuBIRDia, the first and only narrative musical podcast to come out of Canberra.

Sparrow-Folk is offering Canberrans the opportunity to be part of the podcast launch on Thursday 2 March at the preview of their brand new live show before it tours to the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Photography by Monica Pronk