In August 1980, two-month-old Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo from her family’s tent while camped at Uluru. Azaria lost her life. Her family would ultimately lose any sense of normalcy in theirs.
Following the death of her child, Lindy would endure multiple inquests, intense media scrutiny, and a four-year stint in Berrimah Prison. During this time, Lindy received thousands upon thousands of letters. Well-wishers, advocates, thugs and zealots – the letters Lindy and her family received covered the gamut of human expression. Lindy kept them all.
Combining the words of letter writers, along with media interviews and reconstructed or re-imagined scenes, writer Alana Valentine distils both a sour cultural moment and a family’s intimate experience of suffering and strength.
Jeanette Cronin as Lindy delivers a tireless performance. She encapsulates a dark humoured, stoic and resilient Chamberlain. This is her stage and she holds it well.
There are moments of near camp delirium as the supporting cast – deftly played by Glenn Hazeldine, Philip Hinton and Jane Phegan – swirl around Lindy delivering sing-song taunts of her evilness. And there are moments of near-grotesque kitsch as Lindy clings to a simulacrum of the infamous little yellow jumpsuit, bloodied and dirt stained. Such scenes could come off heavy-handed, yet they are balanced by moments of sincerity and clarity delivered by an agile cast who slip from prosecutor to bible thumper and child.
(L-R) Glenn Hazeldine, Jeanette Cronin and Phillip Hinton in Letters to Lindy. Photo by Lisa Tomasetti for Merrigong Theatre Company.
Letters from those who met Lindy before Azaria’s death stand out most – compelled as they were to share the commitment and care they saw between mother and child in Azaria’s short life. The careful balance of these moments allows the audience to reflect on both the morbid tackiness of the nation’s obsession, as well as the Chamberlains’ personal pain and hope.
There is a moment towards the end where Azaria’s jumpsuit and singlet are carefully folded and handed back to a current-day Lindy. They are unsoiled. For once, they will not be held out for the public gaze. Lindy simply presses them to her chest and puts them away.
This is perhaps the play’s greatest accomplishment, it gives Azaria back her name and identity by recalling the love shared for her by her family and community – the love she still has. It calls bullshit on the swirl of prejudice, legal failures and media sensationalism that threatened to swallow the family whole, refocusing on the love of a mother for the child she lost.
Rating: 3 ½ stars ★★★☆
Starring
Jeanette Cronin
Glenn Hazeldine
Philip Hinton
Jane Phegan
Written by Alana Valentine
Director Darren Yap
Designer James Browne
Co-Composer / Co-Sound Designer Max Lambert and Roger Lock
Lighting Designer Toby Knyvett
Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
