War has often been theme for media. I'm sure we could spend hours thinking of the various titles of books, movies, TV shows, plays, even paintings or art installations that use war as a theme, setting, or back drop. It's not very often that we get these pieces of art while we are still embroiled in the war on which we are presented with.
Rajiv Josephs new play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is set in Iraq in 2003, not long after the US first invaded and ousted Saddam Hussein from his tyrannical role as leader. Joseph uses this setting to discuss universal themes like sin and redemption, and the never ending cycle of violence that has already begun before the curtain rises and will continue after it falls.
Robin Williams as The tiger dies in the very first scene, after eating the hand of an American soldier named Tom (Glenn Davis), and being shot by another soldier, Kev (Brad Fleischer). As the one who killed him, Kev is the only person who seems able to hear the ghost of this talking tiger, which starts driving him insane.
The story of the soldiers intersects with that of Musa (Arian Moayed), an Iraqi translator assisting the American military forces. The gold-plated gun that killed the tiger originally belonged to Uday Hussein (Hrach Titizian), one of Saddam Hussein's sons, and Musa's former employer.
The first act is difficult to follow because there are good portions of the script that are entirely in Arabic with no translation. This is not an easy play to watch. That doesn't mean that it isn't good, because it is, it just isn't easily accessible.
Musa was a gardener at the Hussein mansion, creating large topiaries shaped as various animals. The decaying remnants of this garden, hauntingly realized by scenic designer Derek McLane, capture the attention of the tiger, and it becomes a symbol of a lost paradise, abandoned by its creator and falling into ruin, just as God seems to have likewise gone missing and let the world descend into chaos.
This is the type of play that doesn't really sink it while you are watching it. It's not until the play is over and you are able to reflect that the magnitude of what you have seen really hits you. It's probably more poignant upon second viewing. Though I suppose there are some that will connect to it right away and not need that second helping.
The biggest problem that I had with the play is that none of the characters are particularly likable. There is the character of Musa, who is extremely likable, and the tiger. The tiger doesn't really get much interaction his is mostly monologues performed out at the audience. They are poetic and meaningful and often humorous monologues, but it does get a bit tedious.
If you can make it through Act I Act II is much better. Everything comes together in a very satisfying albeit difficult ending. The play challenges us to see what it is the rest of the world sees. It asks us to examine our beliefs, and challenges us to look within at the cycle we are all a part of.
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