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A close crop of a person's face with a full ginger beard and moustache lit with orange and red hues. The person has a tiger walking up their cheek towards their eye.
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BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO

Written by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Omar Elerian
Book now

Monday - Saturday, 7.30pm
Wednesday & Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

Main House

★★★★★ 
"Funny, profound, must-see theatre" 
The Telegraph

★★★★ 
"Utterly compelling" 
The Standard


★★★★ 
"A high-wire mix of comedy, horror and intellectualism"
The Guardian


The role of the Tiger will  be played by Peter Forbes for the remaining performances. 

When an atheist suddenly finds himself walking around after death, he has got some serious re-evaluating to do.

Iraq, well into the new millennium. A fast-talking Tiger haunts the streets, plagued by a fundamental question: “Why am I here?”

And he’s not the only one.

US forces have long since toppled Saddam Hussein, yet Baghdad remains aflame. In the chaos, the lives of American Marines Tom and Kev collide with Iraqi translator Musa after their chance encounters with the Tiger. Iraqi or American, man or beast, they are all searching for meaning, revenge, forgiveness, and a solid gold toilet seat that’s worth a fortune.

Rajiv Joseph’s dark comedy received multiple Tony nominations and recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist after its Broadway run. Now in its European premiere, starring Peter Forbes (Follies) and Arinzé Kene (Misty), Omar Elerian brings this surreal and profound play to the Young Vic.

Run Time: Approx. 2 hours 30 minutes including a 20 minute interval

Photography by Sebastian Nevols. Concept by Émilie Chen

Director - Omar Elerian
Set & Costume Designer - Rajha Shakiry
Lighting Designer - Jackie Shemesh
Sound Designer - Elena Peña  
Movement Director - Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster  
Casting Director - Heather Basten CDG
Fight and Intimacy Director - Ruth Cooper-Brown of RC-Annie
Dialect Coach - Khaled Abunaama
Voice & Dialect Coach - Hazel Holder 
Costume Supervisor - Male Arcucci 
Hair & Make Up Supervisor - Sarah-Jane Pucci
Prop Supervisor - Kate Margretts
Jerwood Assistant Director - Layla Madanat
Associate Designer - Yimei Zhao
Additional Original Composition - Elena Peña
Additional Recorded Music by Abed Kobeissy and Ali Hout
Production Therapist – Rukiya Jemmott 

With Sayyid Aki, Peter Forbes, Patrick Gibson, Ammar Haj Ahmad, Arinzé Kene, Sara Masry, and Hala Omran.

With Thanks to David Threlfall, Kathryn Hunter and Sofia Asir

For headshots and biographies, please click here

★★★★★

"Funny, profound, must-see theatre"

The Telegraph

★★★★

"Madly surreal, bleakly funny"

Financial Times

★★★★

"Utterly compelling"

The Standard

★★★★

"A high-wire mix of comedy, horror and intellectualism"

The Guardian

Relaxed with Captions: Saturday 10 January 2:30pm
BSL performances: Wednesday 14 January, 2.30pm & Friday 16 January, 7.30pm (Vinessa Brant)
Relaxed performance: Wednesday 21 January, 7.30pm
Audio Described performances: Saturday 17 January, 2.30pm and Thursday 22 January, 7.30pm (Eleanor Margolies and Miranda Yates)
Captioned performance: Friday 23 January, 7.30pm (Miranda Yates)

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