BENGAL TIGER AT BAGHDAD ZOO. "HAUNTING!"

WONDERFUL STAGING AND RICH IMAGINATION

There is lots of stuff going on at the SF Playhouse these days. And one of their most exciting presentations is here and now. A human plays the Tiger role. The Tiger is behind bars. A Soldier wants to give the Tiger something to eat. Well, the Tiger decided that it would eat the Soldier's hand.

Why? Well, Tigers have to eat. Bengal is driven by fear and hunger. The Tiger bites Tom's hand off. He is in terrible pain. Kev - - another Soldier grabs a gun and shoots the tiger. But that's not the end of the Tiger. He becomes immortal. The Soldiers are haunted by the ghost of the tiger, who wanders about Baghdad. They both have super injuries.

Kev (soldier) reveals that he used a gold gun to shoot the Tiger. The gun came from the palace of the late Uday Hussein. The gold-plated gun creates a tussle between Tom and Kev. They both struggle over a gold toilet seat (Uday's).

I don't want to get too intricate -- I would rather you see the play for your self. It has a marvelous set (Thanks Bill English). This is a darkly comic tale. It is narrated by a tiger that was held in the Baghdad Zoo.

Each character brings out the rich imagination of the direction. The talent on the SF Stage sheds light on each character's turmoil. Yep - these are Major Talents. Everything is imposed by the 'real' world -- and the not so real. Bill English's direction, has no flaws. It's powerfully imaginative. He takes daring leaps.

HERE ARE THE STARS: Kuros Charney, Livia Demarchi, Pomme Koch, Pomme Koch, Gabriel Marin, Craig Market, Will Marchetti, Sarita Ocon and Joe Rivera. They keep us on the edge of our seats. The Actors bring us dark and unforgettable moments. Who would dream of missing it? I sure wouldn't. Emotional truth packs a wallop! It's like a stirring crescendo!

By Rajiv Joseph

Directed by Bill English

NOW PLAYING AT THE SF PLAYHOUSE ON POST STREET (Near Union Square)

RATING: FOUR GLASSES OF CHAMPAGNE!!!! (HIGHEST RATING) - trademarked-

(((Lee Hartgrave has contributed many articles to the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Datebook Section and he produced and hosted a long-running Arts Segment on PBS KQED -7yrs)))