BENGAL TIGER Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 12:46am

Today is Thursday, March 31, marking the official opening night performance of Rajiv Joseph's Pulitzer finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, starring Robin Williams (in his Broadway acting dbeut) as the title character who roams a haunted patch of Iraq, circa 2003, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Previews began March 11 under the direction of Moisés Kaufman.

The play is billed as a "savagely funny and deeply affecting play" in which "a tiger haunts the streets of present-day Baghdad seeking the meaning of life." The tiger "witnesses the puzzling absurdities of war," encountering "Americans and Iraqis who are searching for friendship, redemption and a toilet seat made of gold."

The rest of the cast is comprised of performers who appeared in earlier Los Angeles-area engagements of the acclaimed play in 2009 and 2010: Glenn Davis as Tom, Brad Fleischer as Kev, Hrach Titizian as the ghost of Uday Hussein and others, Sheila Vand in multiple roles, Necar Zadegan in multiple roles, and Arian Moayed as Musa.

Having witnessed the final preview (3/30), I'll give my thoughts after I've digested everything. For now, know that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself: It made me think, it made me laugh, it made me feel. Stellar performances all around in this wonderfully crafted (both textually and visually) piece.

Best to all involved!


Updated On: 3/31/11 at 12:46 AM

[willep]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 12:55am

I loved this production and wish it the best of reviews. Break Legs to all involved!

[wexy]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 11:40am

thought it was good, interested to see the reviews as well.

[musicalman2]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 8:49pm

Chicago Tribune review: Robin Williams "needs more roar"
Review link

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 8:51pm

LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/03/theater-review-bengal-tiger-at-the-baghdad-zoo-on-broadway-1.html

"the play has lost virtually none of its urgency and vigor. I stand behind my contention that it's the most original drama written about the Iraq War."

Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576234740284154746.html

"The staging is smart, the supporting cast strong, the décor ideal. The only weak link in the chain is Mr. Joseph's play, which is… well, not awful. But not good, either."

am NY: http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/theater-review-bengal-tiger-at-the-baghdad-zoo-3-stars-1.2793831

"Rajiv’s intelligent drama, as staged by Moisés Kaufman, convincingly captures the chaos of Iraq immediately following the 2003 invasion."

Updated On: 3/31/11 at 08:51 PM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 9:28pm

The Republic:
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/bacea6663ecc4d89b39ccd6a3d8586f4/US--Theater-Review-Bengal-Tiger-at-the-Baghdad-Zoo/

"Moises Kaufman directs the play with both an intimacy that makes watching a two-person scene feel like an intrusion and with broad, blunt allegories."

Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bengal-tiger-at-baghdad-zoo-173552

"Dark and disturbing but also corrosively funny, Rajiv Joseph’s play set during the early days of the Iraq War is an exotic original."

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 10:15pm

NY Times: http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/theater/reviews/bengal-tiger-with-robin-williams-review.html

"I’m talking about the play itself: Rajiv Joseph’s smart, savagely funny and visionary new work of American theater, whose presence on Broadway invites fanciful comparison to the titular beast."

Pretty much a rave! Awesome and well deserved!

[theatreguy]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 10:20pm

So happy for these (mostly) great reviews! Even the bad ones have some good pull-quotes.

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 11:26pm

Happy for them too! I really liked Tiger an awful lot, but was surprised to see a fair amount of negative comments on the theater boards and am glad Brantley and I feel the same way about this one.

Congrats to Robin Williams for making such an excellent choice for a Broadway performance as well...and I look forward to seeing Rajiv Joseph's work in the future!

[willep]

Posted: 4/1/11 at 1:51am

EW gives it a B-

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20477910,00.html

[egghumor]

Posted: 4/1/11 at 2:49am

From everything I had read and seen of this play/production, I was impressed and held rather high hopes for the play/playwright, et al. The NY Times review was the first I very happily read (April Saul, it's by Isherwood, not Brantley), and I assumed most other theater critics would follow suit, but now that I've read at least 12, and counting... it seems the concensus is not strong for the play; in fact generally unfavorable. The most negative review I've encountered thus far is from David Rooney in the Huffington Post. I think this pay is going to have a tough time having much of a run, unless word-of-mouth is strong.

[willep]

Posted: 4/1/11 at 2:51am

I loved it, personally.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/2/11 at 10:05am

Just heard Roma Torre on NY 1

"Pretentious" & "Mental Masturbation"

Doubt they will use this in any form

Ouch

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/2/11 at 12:29pm

They got a rave in the Times. Roma Torre will hardly prove to be the show's downfall.