Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo - Red Line Productions

Overview

This play about the Iraq War shies away from WMDs, oil and 9/11. These considerations, after all, are somewhat abstract to a big cat. That's right — Rajiv Joseph has entrusted his commentary on George W. Bush's appalling expedition into Iraq to a philosophising tiger.

Bengal Tiger..., as the name suggests, is set in Baghdad's zoo, where a large feline is trying to unravel the mysteries of human conflict. His musings are not helped by the constant planning of his guards, Kev and Tom, two disillusioned Marines. They're scheming to get rich by finding Uday Hussein's fabled gold toilet seat. Then the ghosts start showing up.

Yet another in a long line of baseless, gung-ho military disasters for America (and Australia), the Iraq War was a sustained campaign of needless destruction. I've yet to find anyone who can make sense of it, except as an exercise in corruption and greed. Perhaps it's time to listen to the tiger.

Image: John Marmaras.