It might be fair to say Operation Babylift has faded in the common collective Australian memory, it has not however stopped influencing a significant portion of the nation’s community. With a strong desire to reestablish that link, Fragile: Handle With Care follows a personal story very familiar to many touched by that remarkable event.
1975 saw the end of the highly contentious Vietnam War. The refugees that fled Vietnam at the fall of Saigon included a large number of unaccompanied babies and young children, many from hastily established orphanages. Operation Babylift as it was called, had a profound influence on the Vietnamese diaspora for many of these children, any opportunity to be reconnected to their original families was almost completely lost. With the children ending up in countries like Australia, France, Canada, the U.S. and Germany, the sense of loss of identity is palpable.
Barton Williams’ effort to explore his experience first started as a children’s book which, after a number of iterations, evolved into the production currently staged. Along with a cast of excellent local actors, Williams has a mixed part in the play, occasionally acting as himself, but on the most part, as the narrator.
His passion for others in the same situation is clear. The show itself is not just an emotional retelling of his story but a very serious discussion of identity and the dislocation between his place of birth and the environment of his upbringing. He remarks on the difficulties of navigating this issue when detached from his Vietnamese culture even though he was adopted into a kind caring Australian family. Williams’ eloquent and at times poetic speaking voice gave great weight to the reality of the situation. Although the events around Operation Babylift were shocking, at no point does it come across as vindictive or angry, rather an open and honest story about a person finding themselves after tragic circumstances. Humbling, Fragile: Handle With Care is a proud show that highlights the power of the human spirit to endure in the search for identity.