Snoop's Theatre Thoughts

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Catherine Hopkins
The Black Mirror Theatre Company
July 28, 2018

Don McLendon Photo: Black Mirror Theatre Company

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is the third production I’ve seen from The Black Mirror Theatre Company, and it’s a St. Louis premiere. Like their previous works, this is a smaller production with relatively simple staging, but that staging brings a striking effect to the material. This play, a blend of gritty realism, fantasy, and metaphysical speculation, is a challenging work of theatre that is sure to provoke much thought and discussion.

What strikes me first about this production is it’s direct but simple staging, and it’s effective evocation of a war-torn area in such a basic but effective way. The set, designed by Gwen Wolffson, transforms the small black box space at the Kranzberg Arts Center into Baghdad in early 2000s, draped by sheets of fabric spray painted with Arabic graffiti, and with the use of small set pieces as needed to suggest various areas, such as a hospital room, a leper colony, a garden, and of course, the Baghdad Zoo. There, a Tiger (Don McLendon) is being watched by two American soldiers, Tom (Erik Kuhn), and Kev (Kalen Riley), who are stationed at the ravaged zoo. After the soldiers go too far in their taunting, the Tiger strikes back and faces their retribution, which leads to further ramifications for the soldiers and the Tiger, who goes on a journey of sorts throughout the streets of Baghdad, pondering the meaning of life, death, and the nature of war, among other subjects. Meanwhile, an Iraqui translator, Musa (Brian J. Rolf), works with the soldiers and is reminded of tragic events in his past, involving his sister (Hailey Medrano) and Saddam Hussein’s late son, Uday (Charles Winning), who had been killed along with his brother in a raid on his palace that Tom had been a part of, and a gold-plated gun and toilet seat that Tom had looted from that palace figure prominently in the story as all the characters are faced with decisions, dilemmas, memories, and reminders of the brutalities of war and the struggle for life and humanity in the midst of war. It’s a highly reflective piece with fantastical elements that seems to serve more as a means of raising and exploring this personal and philosphical questions than trying to be an accurate account of specific events.

The characters and their reactions are the most important element here, and there’s an excellent cast here, led by McClendon as the Tiger, whose presence dominates the production. McLendon doesn’t dress like a tiger or try to imitate a tiger. He’s outfitted in a loose-fitting dark blue shirt and white pants, and sandals. There’s no orange or tiger stripes anywhere, but still, he’s a Tiger. The sometimes harsh, sometimes snarky, sometimes introspective, but overal philosophical and reflective character is the key figure here, and McLendon holds the audience’s attention with his bold, intelligent portrayal. There’s also excellent work from Kuhn as the single-minded, greedy Tom, Riley as the confrontational and increasingly emotionally unstable Kev, Winning as the menacing Uday, and Medrano in three different roles including Musa’s sister, Hadia. Rolf, as Musa, gives a standout performance as the haunted, conflicted gardener-turned-translator. Director Catherine Hopkins has paced the show well, with moments of chilling urgency as well as some more subdued moments emphasizing the overall drama. Michelle Zielinski’s lighting and Hopkins’s sound design also contribute to the devastatingly effective impact of the events here.

Hopkins, in her introduction speech before the performance, and also in the Director’s Note in the program, emphasized the efforts to portray the characters and situations, and particularly the Arabic language and Iraqi culture, with respect, and I think that comes across clearly in this production. The dialect and language coach, who has chosen to remain anonymous, deserves a mention here for contributing an air of authenticity to the production. Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is an intense, challenging, and often provocative play, examining important timely and timeless issues, and I think it’s been sensitively and memorably staged here.

Erik Kuhn, Hailey Medrano Photo: Black Mirror Theatre Company

The Black Mirror Theatre Company is presenting Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center until August 4, 2018.