Review of ‘Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo’: “Roaring premise delivers a scaredy-cat narrative”

London’s Young Vic welcomes the UK premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s play about the Iraq War. Guillermo Nazara shares his views to let us know if this fierce breed of a show earns its stripes onstage.

I must applaud Kathryn Hunter for stepping into a lead role overnight and performing it semi-off-book. She was reading the prompter, but she portrayed her bestial character more than adequately. There is just as much as she could do with it, however. The personage is a philosopher — and also a tiger. Her rendition would benefit from a more menacing presence and mannerism. Yet, that effect is hard to convey when you can’t keep your eyes off the screen. And especially when the material isn’t that good to begin with.

I wouldn’t think a play opening with a limbless soldier could be so heavy-handed. There is some gnawing throughout the script, both literal and figuratively, but none of those elements ever comes across as biting. It’s not difficult to see why, though. In fact, there’s very little to see — it is that vapid and that flawed.

Set during the 2003 Iraq occupation, the piece makes a clumsy attempt at depicting the horrors of war through different perspectives. On one side, there are a couple of American troopers haunted by the images of what they’ve seen and what they’ve done. On the other side, there’s Uday Hussain’s former character, also tormented by the spirit of his late boss and the horrific loss and grief he’s been put through. And finally, there’s the anthropomorphic tiger, who was shot to death after ripping one of the servicemen’s hands off out of fear and hunger.

From there, the text tries to deliver a compelling debate. Who is the real predator and who is the real victim? What actions does our nature justify, and which ones should our principles condemn? Is it need that fuels our most destructive instincts, or is that just an excuse to mask our latent selfishness? Those are all insightful questions. Yet, none of them is treated with the same quality, not even remotely.

It’s not deep, or edgy, or even entertaining. The numerous issues the script suffers from leave no redeeming features to its credit. The pacing is sluggish, and the overall treatment is uninviting. There is no grasp; no substance, despite its stirring premise, and the absence of subtext makes the entire effort come off banal, shallow, and unengaging.

The plot is predictable and barely satisfying. Structurally, the play is missing several crucial elements. The characters’ arcs are sketchy and superfluous. The conclusion hardly feels as such. And most opportunities for truthfulness are lost through an unresourceful execution that showcases next to no understanding of its own subjects, let alone storytelling.

Its clunky dialogue, which often moves aimlessly and on ever-spinning cycles, does little to help performances, most of which are decent but rarely striking. Patrick Gibson admittedly delivers the best rendition as Tom, efficiently capturing the moral duality of the role without affecting its likability. Simultaneously, Sayyid Aki’s farcical interpretation of Uday Hussain overflows with dark comedic energy and presence, which can be occasionally overwhelming, nonetheless. Yet, both Ammar Haj Ahmad and Arinzé Kene’s portrayals are unfulfilling — there’s no genuineness, nuance, or profundity in their deliveries. And as a result, they are either wooden or over-the-top.

With the staging as its sole saviour, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo keeps all its potential caged behind a fence that audiences wouldn’t even bother climbing. There’s nothing groundbreaking about its visuals, but at least they are able to entice the viewer more than any line in the script. Although its germinal idea is sound and rousing, its implementation isn’t the wild, raw spirit it believes itself to be. It’s not savage but brute. And instead of holding the right grip, it ends up mauling the whole thing.

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All pictures credit to Ellie Kurtz.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo plays at London’s Young Vic until 31 January. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara