What does one look for from the theatre? Entertainment? Inspiration? Performances that encapsulate our minds and make us seek a great understanding of our own creative ability? All of this and more perhaps. I know from my own experiences of theatre I want to be left with something to dissect for a long time after I have experienced a show.
Bengal Tiger at The Baghdad Zoo accomplished this and so much more. An engaging and captivating production which took us on a journey to a time many of us may have only experienced through our TV screens, through the stories told to us on the news without truly reckoning with the reality of what was happening on the ground. The Iraq War and the weapons of “mass destruction” are cemented in our collective histories and yet how can it be brought to stage in a way that educates and informs without undermining the gravity of the reality for all those involved?
The play posed many questions surrounding the complicity and identity – how do we rationalise war in the midst of global imperialism? Who gets to be the heroes and who are the true villains? What ghosts from the past continue to haunt us all as we move forward into the future?
The use of the Tiger to ponder many existential questions surrounding not only the afterlife but our morality and who we are in this life.
Through Omar Elerian’s direction this new production starring Kathryn Hunter in place of David Threlfall as the Tiger was truly fantastic. This is a strong cast: Arinzé Kene (Kev), Patrick Gibson (Tom), Ammar Haj Ahmad (Musa), Hala Omran (Leper), Sara Masry (Hadia/Iraqi Teenager), Sayyid Aki (Uday) that brings a captivating story to life. Hunter was fantastic; she added the necessary comedic pacing and tone to what would have been an exceptional heavy production.
To be able to intersperse difficult themes and topics with elements of comedic dialogue helped to ease the tension of the dark moments. Ahmad and Aki also brought forward the complex nature of the other side of the story about war that we do not always see unless we seek them. I must highlight Omran’s transcendental performance in the desert – her voice was resplendent.
The stage and sound pulled this production together beautifully and though at times it felt like there were almost too many topics contained within the story it was written so cohesively that it was a convincing depiction of a very complex era in history.
I utterly enjoyed this and hope many others do too.
