Transforming the Malthouse’s Merlyn Theatre into a carpet floored, rocking pub venue, is rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs.
Written by Ursula Yovich and Alana Valentine, the duo’s powerful music takes the audience through the story of finding a place of belonging and reconnecting with family.
‘‘We started writing the production about five years ago,’’ co-writer and performer Yovich says. ‘‘I did a musical called The Sunshine Club in the ‘90s where I met Steven Page. He said you should have an all girls, black rock band called Barbara and the Camp Dogs, and you should be Barbara.’’
After approaching Valentine about the idea, both of them got busy bringing the performance into its being. ‘‘Initially, it was about the music, art and theatre industry, commenting on what its like being a black person in that world. It slowly progressed into a two-hander between two sisters. I said to Alana I want another black girl up there with me who can sing and act, and she is all of that.’’
Yovich transcends the themes and image of the rock’n’roll scene into her portrayal of Barbara and what her character embodies. ‘‘I want to make Barbara really human and full of flaws. I didn’t want to shy away from the people I know and the people I have experienced and grown up with. I wanted it to be real.’’ It’s through the characters that Yovich also tries to inform a sense of unity in the production as a whole. ‘‘It’s about relating to all human experiences.’’
The genre of rock music also allows Yovich and Valentine to not be pigeonholed into specific character roles. ‘‘Rock is about anger and expression. I want to demystify black people and not be seen as one particular image. I want people to see how angry we are about the way things are.’’
An important element to portraying the story line is the set design of the production, which takes the audience not only through the pub scene, but also through Australia, as Barbara and her cousin Rene embark on a road trip to reconnect with their family.
‘‘The setting allows people to see the mistakes Barbara makes. She is a victim, and makes choices that aren’t good for her, yet is also in charge of her own destiny.’’
Through the writing process, Yovich and Valentine have been able to express parts of their lives as their characters develop. ‘‘To some extent yes, Barbara is my alter-ego. I don’t think I would do some of the stuff she does, but I also have that fire and anger. There are things in her character that I obviously connect with, and that’s me.
“There are experiences I have seen, parts of my family in there. I’m sure parts of Alana are in there too, being a co-writer. I think a lot of black fellows who have experienced trauma of that degree would act up unless they had the love and support they really need.’’
Barbara and the Camp Dogs takes the audience on a journey with themes of love and home spreading through performance and song. It’s honest in its delivery and calls upon performers from different industries.
‘‘Our backup band are real pub girls. They’re not musically trained, but phenomenal, real musicians. They bring rawness to the show. There is a lot of hurt and anger underneath this piece, some of which is revealed and some locked away. The show is a love story between two sisters, and explores the relationship between how we break things and how hard it is to try and fix them up.’’
Barbara and the Camp Dogs plays at the Malthouse Theatre’s Merlyn stage now until Sunday March 3 (bar Mondays). Tickets and more information are available via the venue website.
