Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney
December 6, 2017

When Ursula Yovich and Elaine Crombie take to the stage and launch into a song called Look at the Sun, backed by a tight three-piece band, it’s clear from the get-go that Barbara and the Camp Dogs is going to rock. Their vocals are so strong, sexy and stirring, the pulse of the song so fierce and urgent.

The raw, emotional journey that the show then takes you on creeps up on you more slowly, building and building until it finally knocks you for six.

Elaine Crombie and Ursula Yovich. Photograph © Brett Boardman

Written by Yovich and Alana Valentine (whose plays include Parramatta Girls, Run Rabbit Run and Ladies Day), with songs by Yovich, Valentine and Adm Ventoura), Barbara and the Camp Dogs centres on Barbara (Yovich) and René (Crombie), cousins who have grown up as sisters, who are both singers struggling to make ends meet.

Barbara is a rock chick with a band called the Camp Dogs, who sings in pubs, while René has a gig in a cover band at the local casino. Though close, they couldn’t be more different in temperament....