Bengal Tiger Playwright Rajiv Joseph Finds Casting of Robin Williams 'Hugely Exciting'

It’s been a big year for playwright Rajiv Joseph. His play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was nominated for a 2010 Pulitzer Prize, and Second Stage tapped his play Gruesome Playground Injuries for a January 2011 off-Broadway run. Now Bengal Tiger is headed to Broadway after a successful mounting in Los Angeles with a pretty hefty star in the lead role of a Bengal tiger who waxes philosophical and ruminates on the existence of God.

“Robin Williams! Getting him is hugely exciting and really unbelievable,” Joseph recently told Broadway.com. “I’ve been a fan of Robin Williams my entire life, and he was our first choice. I sat back and got e-mails from my agent saying they were reaching out to Robin Williams, and I said, 'Okay, great, sure,' not thinking in a million years it’ll happen. Next thing I know, he’s saying yes.”

Joseph, who said he is usually a fairly hands-off playwright, can't wait to collaborate with director Moises Kaufman and their Oscar-winning star. "On a selfish level I want to be in the room so I can watch Robin Williams,” he admitted. Will the famous Williams improvisations become a major part of the show? “Are you kidding me, hell no!” Joseph joked, adding with a laugh, “No, of course, as a fan of Robin Williams I want to see him perform. I’m excited to have him on board and watch him do what he does best.”

As previously reported, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo will begin previews on March 10, 2011, and open on March 31. No Broadway theater or other cast members have been set.