Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Encyclopedia
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is a play by Rajiv Joseph
. The show is about "a tiger that haunts the streets of present day Baghdad
seeking the meaning of life. As he witnesses the puzzling absurdities of war, the tiger encounters American
s and Iraq
is who are searching for friendship, redemption, and a toilet seat made of gold."
lives in the Baghdad Zoo
. He tells the audience that most of the animals have fled to "freedom" because of the Iraq Invasion, only to be shot dead by soldiers. That night, United States
soldiers come to guard the zoo. The tiger, driven by fear and hunger, bites off the hand of Tom, a soldier. Kev, another soldier, shoots the tiger, mortally wounding him. He dies slowly.
Kev finds himself haunted by the ghost of the tiger, who wanders about Baghdad
. Due to an outburst while searching an Iraq
i's home, Kev is sent to the hospital. Back in Baghdad with a prosthetic hand, Tom pays a visit to Kev less out of compassion for a broken-minded buddy than for a more practical purpose.
It is revealed that the gun Kev used to shoot the tiger was taken from the palace of the late Uday Hussein
. Tom wants the gun back so he can start a new life in the United States
by selling not only the gold
-plated gun, but a solid gold toilet seat
. During the exchange, however, the gun falls into the hands of Uday's former gardener, Musa, who is also working as a translator for the soldiers. He is visited repeatedly by Uday's ghost.
The rest of the show involves the living characters interacting with the dead ones as the war happens around them.
in Culver City, California
, directed by Moisés Kaufman
."Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo", May 10 - June 7, 2009, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles, Center Theatre Group. It ran from May 10, 2009, to June 7, 2009. The creative team included sets by Derek McLane
, costumes by David Zinn, and lighting by David Lander
. Another production ran at the Mark Taper Forum
in Los Angeles
from April 14, 2010, to May 30, 2010. Kevin Tighe
starred as the Tiger.
A Broadway
production opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
on March 31, 2011, following previews from March 11. The show played a "strictly limited" engagement until July 3, 2011. Again directed by Kaufman, the Broadway cast featured Robin Williams
in the title role, with Glenn Davis
as Tom, Brad Fleischer as Kev, Hrach Titizian as Uday, Sheila Vand as Hadia, Necar Zadegan
as Leper, and Arian Moayed
as Musa. Robyn Goodman, Kevin McCollum
, and Jeffrey Seller
produced this production along with the Center Theatre Group
. The New York Times
estimated that Bengal Tiger was expected to cost at least $3 million.
wrote that the Tiger "isn’t given any silly costuming, thank heavens, but simply wears tattered clothes" and saying that the show is "boldly imagined" and a "worthy finalist for the recent Pulitzer Prize".
The Broadway production received mixed to positive reviews. The Los Angeles Times called Bengal Tiger "the most original drama written about the Iraq War", but said, "Without an actor of Williams' marquee draw, 'Bengal Tiger' would likely not have made it to Broadway. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that it has . . . But I'm glad that it has found a home in the commercial theater district not only because the work will challenge mainstream theatergoers but because I think it will leave the more sensitive among them profoundly moved."
The Chicago Tribune praised the piece itself, but mentioned that Williams' performance "seems to miss much of the amoral ferocity of the beast (a tiger can be depressed or antic, but he is still a tiger). And a bigger problem yet is that Williams' Tiger is, as things go, not so much the protagonist as a sardonic observer of Baghdad ironies."
Rajiv Joseph
Rajiv Joseph is an American playwright and a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist who occasionally has been confused with a substandard dentist of similar name....
. The show is about "a tiger that haunts the streets of present day Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
seeking the meaning of life. As he witnesses the puzzling absurdities of war, the tiger encounters American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
is who are searching for friendship, redemption, and a toilet seat made of gold."
Synopsis
A tigerTiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
lives in the Baghdad Zoo
Baghdad zoo
The Baghdad Zoo is a zoo originally opened in 1971 and located in Baghdad, Iraq, in the al-Zawraa' Gardens area along with the Zawraa Amusement Park and Zawraa' Tower. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the zoo housed 650 animals...
. He tells the audience that most of the animals have fled to "freedom" because of the Iraq Invasion, only to be shot dead by soldiers. That night, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldiers come to guard the zoo. The tiger, driven by fear and hunger, bites off the hand of Tom, a soldier. Kev, another soldier, shoots the tiger, mortally wounding him. He dies slowly.
Kev finds himself haunted by the ghost of the tiger, who wanders about Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. Due to an outburst while searching an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i's home, Kev is sent to the hospital. Back in Baghdad with a prosthetic hand, Tom pays a visit to Kev less out of compassion for a broken-minded buddy than for a more practical purpose.
It is revealed that the gun Kev used to shoot the tiger was taken from the palace of the late Uday Hussein
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein from his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost his place in the line of succession due to his erratic behavior and...
. Tom wants the gun back so he can start a new life in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by selling not only the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
-plated gun, but a solid gold toilet seat
Toilet seat
A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which may be contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use.If the toilet is located in a home...
. During the exchange, however, the gun falls into the hands of Uday's former gardener, Musa, who is also working as a translator for the soldiers. He is visited repeatedly by Uday's ghost.
The rest of the show involves the living characters interacting with the dead ones as the war happens around them.
Productions
The play debuted at the Kirk Douglas TheatreKirk Douglas Theatre
The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located in Culver City, California and in 2004, was acquired by the famed Center Theatre Group. The theatre is the most intimate of the group's three stages and seats 317 patrons at max occupancy.- History :...
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
, directed by Moisés Kaufman
Moisés Kaufman
Moisés Kaufman is a playwright, director and founder of Tectonic Theater Project. He is the author of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, 33 Variations and is perhaps best known for writing The Laramie Project with other members of Tectonic Theater Project...
."Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo", May 10 - June 7, 2009, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles, Center Theatre Group. It ran from May 10, 2009, to June 7, 2009. The creative team included sets by Derek McLane
Derek McLane
Derek McLane is an American set designer for theatre, opera, and musical theatre). He graduated with a BA from Harvard College and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama....
, costumes by David Zinn, and lighting by David Lander
David Lander
David L. Lander is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. David is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.- Biography :...
. Another production ran at the Mark Taper Forum
Mark Taper Forum
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
from April 14, 2010, to May 30, 2010. Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe is an American character actor primarily known for his roles on television. Tighe is best known for his role as Roy DeSoto, a senior paramedic, on the NBC series Emergency! . He and Randolph Mantooth, his partner in the series, have remained close friends...
starred as the Tiger.
A Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
Richard Rodgers Theatre
The Richard Rodgers Theatre, is a Broadway theater in New York City, built by Irwin Chanin in 1925. When it was first opened, it was called Chanin's 46th Street Theatre. Chanin almost immediately leased it to the Shuberts, who bought the building outright in 1931 and renamed it the 46th Street...
on March 31, 2011, following previews from March 11. The show played a "strictly limited" engagement until July 3, 2011. Again directed by Kaufman, the Broadway cast featured Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
in the title role, with Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis (American actor)
Glenn Davis is an American actor noted for roles in in "Jericho," , "The Unit," and "24," , according to the Internet Movie Database....
as Tom, Brad Fleischer as Kev, Hrach Titizian as Uday, Sheila Vand as Hadia, Necar Zadegan
Necar Zadegan
Necar Zadegan is an Iranian Americanfilm, television actress and model. She is best known for her recurring role as First Lady Dalia Hassan on the eighth and final season of 24.-Life and career:...
as Leper, and Arian Moayed
Arian Moayed
Arian Moayed is an Iranian-born American actor and theater producer. Moayed received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 2011 for his performance as Musa in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.-Early life:...
as Musa. Robyn Goodman, Kevin McCollum
Kevin McCollum
Kevin McCollum is one of the leading producers on Broadway. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1984....
, and Jeffrey Seller
Jeffrey Seller
Jeffrey Seller is an American theatrical producer. He is the winner of three Tony Awards for Best Musical: Rent , which also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Avenue Q ; and In the Heights...
produced this production along with the Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group is a non-profit arts organization located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and the Kirk Douglas Theatre...
. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
estimated that Bengal Tiger was expected to cost at least $3 million.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Outcome | |
| 2008 NEA Awards National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current... |
||
| Outstanding New American Play | ||
| 2010 Pulitzer Prize Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City... |
||
| Pulitzer Prize for Drama | ||
| 2011 Drama League Award Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing... s |
||
| Distinguished Production of a Play | ||
| Distinguished Performance: Arian Moayed | ||
| Distinguished Performance: Robin Williams | ||
| 2011 Outer Critics Circle Awards | ||
| Outstanding New Broadway Play | ||
| Outstanding Set Design: Derek McLane | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design: David Lander | ||
| 2011 Easter Bonnet Competition | ||
| Outstanding Bonnet Design | ||
| 2011 Drama Desk Awards | ||
| Outstanding Play | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Play: Moisés Kaufman | ||
| Outstanding Music in a Play: Kathryn Bostic | ||
| Outstanding Set Design in a Play: Derek McLane | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play: David Lander | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design of a Play: Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers | ||
| 2011 Tony Awards | ||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Arian Moayed | ||
| Best Lighting Design of a Play: David Lander | ||
| Best Sound Design of a Play: Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers | ||
| 2011 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | ||
| Favorite Play | ||
| Favorite Actor in a Play: Robin Williams | ||
Response
In reviewing the Los Angeles production, Charles Isherwood in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that the Tiger "isn’t given any silly costuming, thank heavens, but simply wears tattered clothes" and saying that the show is "boldly imagined" and a "worthy finalist for the recent Pulitzer Prize".
The Broadway production received mixed to positive reviews. The Los Angeles Times called Bengal Tiger "the most original drama written about the Iraq War", but said, "Without an actor of Williams' marquee draw, 'Bengal Tiger' would likely not have made it to Broadway. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that it has . . . But I'm glad that it has found a home in the commercial theater district not only because the work will challenge mainstream theatergoers but because I think it will leave the more sensitive among them profoundly moved."
The Chicago Tribune praised the piece itself, but mentioned that Williams' performance "seems to miss much of the amoral ferocity of the beast (a tiger can be depressed or antic, but he is still a tiger). And a bigger problem yet is that Williams' Tiger is, as things go, not so much the protagonist as a sardonic observer of Baghdad ironies."