Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo – through Feb. 9 at the Theatre 3, theatrethreedallas.com. (Courtesy of AP)
As American interests in the Middle East simmer down and a decade’s long war comes to a close, audiences across the nation can expect to see more and more content and commentary, especially from the arts, about the U.S.’ involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries.
First at bat this year is Theatre Three’s “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”, a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama by Rajiv Joseph that was also awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment of the Arts.
When the play hit Broadway in 2011, Robin Williams played the show’s lead, a recently deceased tiger whose soul wanders around the city of Baghdad witnessing the atrocities of war.
Theatre Three’s production of the buzzed about play carries with it the anguish and pain one would expect of a war drama and leaves its audiences with much to think about after the stage goes dark.
The play takes place in 2003 Baghdad during the height of the Iraq War. Joseph’s slick script jumps between multiple characters, from American soldiers to Iraqi citizens, and by doing so shows the varying effects of war away from the battlefields.
As the play’s ghost-tiger drifts through the city haunting the soldier who killed him, more and more characters die ultimately joining the legion of ghosts that the show ends with. This unconventional approach takes some adjustment of the audience’s point-of-view but ultimately pays off in the show’s second act.
Jeffery Schmidt, the play’s director, had his work cut out from him considering the show’s paranormal content. Schmidt’s direction with the Bengal’s many story transitions is jarring but never to a degree of distraction.The eventual addition of multiple “ghosts” is also directed quite smoothly. Two performers, Parker Fitzgerald and Blake Hackler, particularly stand out.
Hackler plays Musa, a translator for American troops that knows the effect of the gruesome war on his homeland all too well. While Joseph’s story may drag at times, Hackler’s performance stays consistently strong and carries certain, bloated scenes.
For a “nice night at the theater,” “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” may not be the best choice as its material challenges the audience to think and, more importantly, feel all whose lives were taken by the war. However, if your looking for material beyond the manufactured musical medleys that the Dallas theater scene is far too familiar with, Bengal is the play for you.
