Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at the Young Vic
Rajiv Joseph’s 2009 play, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, finally makes its way to London, not with a whimper but with a great big roar and ACDC’s Thunderstruck playing on full volume.
It’s 2003, and war has broken out in Iraq. Baghdad is in flames. Iraqis are forced to manage conflicting loyalties to the invading force claiming to liberate them, and the thousands of countrymen who died because of the invasion.
Meanwhile, it’s 2025, and war is dominating global headlines: Israel and Palestine, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and mounting rhetoric against Venezuela from the United States, rhetoric that in many ways mirrors that of the Iraq War. This play could not have better timing, drawing clear parallels with current events.
The premise is embellished from the true story of an unlikely casualty of the Iraq War, a Bengal tiger that was shot dead by an American soldier at the Baghdad zoo. But in the play, the tiger does not simply die. Instead, she ends up haunting the streets of Baghdad, questioning her existence, her beliefs and her morals as the war rages on.
Olivier Award-winning Kathryn Hunter is spectacular as the tiger. She is sharp and cutting, making every word one to hang on. What makes her performance even more impressive is the fact that she has been subbed in at the last minute for David Threlfall, who is out due to illness. She makes the role hers in spectacular fashion, stealing the show with buckets of charm.
It would be criminal not to mention the rest of the cast are great, whose only fault is performing alongside Hunter. But each one of the tight group of actors is flawless in their role.
Joseph’s writing is a wonderful existential web that drips with dark humour. This results in a performance that’s funnier than some comedies while still delivering gut punches where it matters.
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is the right show at the right time, performed and directed with genuine excellence. It does not disappoint.
Jim Compton-Hall
Photos: Ellie Kurttz
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is at the Young Vic from 4th December 2025 until 31st January 2026. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
RSS