Koo Koo the Bird Girl

Sarah Houbolt’s uncanny resemblance to Minnie Woolsley is truly haunting. Woolsley starred as her character Koo Koo in the 1932 film Freaks (Tod Browning), a pre-code horror film about carnival characters featuring disabled performers. The film was considered so shocking and controversial it was banned for 30 years. Houbolt’s affinity to the film and the character is completely indulged in this magical and eerie performance. 

Houbolt has replicated Woolsley’s costume and appearance so precisely that she appears more like a reincarnation than an impersonator. The piece is dedicated to the memory of the original character and Houbolt frequently merges her performance with projections of images which include clips from the film. This creates a particularly striking effect giving the screened images a three-dimensional quality. At times it almost appears as though Woolsley herself is stepping out of the frame.

The performance reflects on assumptions around beauty, grace and physicality in relation to disability. Houbolt moves in and out of character and creatively and convincingly overturns all expectations. Her humour is sharp, but not cynical, and her performance is delightfully quirky, involving surprising props and objects. Houbolt also provides a tactile tour of the stage prior to the show for visually impaired audience members and two of the performances are AUSLAN interpreted. This is a thoughtful homage to an important legacy which Houbolt revives beautifully.

Patricia Di Risio