"Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" at Round House Theatre

On Friday (9/14), at the recommendation of two friends who usher at the facility, we attended  the Round House Theatre's production of Rajiv Joseph's play "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo."  It’s a bit loud and a bit bloody as it weaves the story of two marines stationed at the Baghdad Zoo during the Iraq War with that of their interpreter, a gardener who formerly worked at Saddam’s family compound. It is also a story of private and shared ghosts that haunt the three main characters. Chief among these is a Bengal tiger who peppers the otherwise murky drama with his generally comical and incisive complaints, questions, and commentary. The tiger has been killed after biting the hand that feeds it, and this is a sort of metaphor for much of the action that follows.

Excellent staging and acting makes for a thought-provoking if sober evening of theater. The play won’t be everyone’s cup of tea as it offers no easy answers to questions it raises about the Iraq War or wars in general. However, it does explore quite a range of philosophical territory and should give everyone who sees it some sense of the complexity and confusion permeating the battle of cultures in the Middle East and in other areas around the globe.