Guards at the Taj
by Rajiv Joseph
An award-winning playwright; a critically acclaimed directorial debut. Guards at the Taj centres around the friendship of two imperial guards and their conflicting loyalties when ordered to perform a horrendous task. This intelligent new work questions the cost of beauty, power and injustice, and autocracy and resistance.
Photo credit: Noni Carroll
The black-humoured banter of Waiting for Godot, the bloodiest deeds of Greek tragedy… It’s not just that directorial debuts don’t come any stronger than this, few productions of any sort do. ★★★★½
ABOUT THE SHOW
What happens to a life-long friendship when two ordinary men are ordered to do the unthinkable?
At the grand opening of the Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building in the world, the Emperor decrees that nothing more beautiful shall ever be built again. To ensure this, he orders two imperial guards to perform a horrendous task.
The guards are best friends. Humayun is a loyal civil servant with complete trust in the authorities, while Babur is a dreamer, and deeply distressed by the order that has been bestowed upon them. He plans a revenge that will put these two best friends at odds.
Featuring a heartbreakingly funny friendship put to the ultimate test and existential banter reminiscent of Beckett and Stoppard, Guards at the Taj mixes witty black comedy with the bloodiest deeds of Greek tragedy.
"...touching, funny and potent.... a captivating exploration of how far friendship can be pushed and the tension between duty and humanity." City Hub
I have long had a conflicted relationship with authority: the pressure to follow rules versus the urge to shift the status quo. Each time we exercise our power or allow it to be exercised upon us there’s an impact, even on relationships with our closest mates. It’s time to wash the blood out of our eyes and remember that no person is an island.
- Bali Padda
Touring
September - October 2024
CREDITS
Director Bali Padda
Set & Costume Designer James Browne
Composer & Sound Designer Me-Lee Hay
Lighting Designer Kate Baldwin
If you are interested in touring get in contact!
Arts on Tour
02 8038 1880
touring@artsontour.com.au
Arts on Tour is based in Redfern NSW and we respectfully acknowledge the Gadigal people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the unceded land on which we work.
As we tour artists and productions across these vast lands, we pay our respect to all First Nations Elders, past, present and future.
We celebrate their continuing connection and contribution to culture, country and community, and thank all First Nations peoples for their wisdom in caring for the land, the sky, the rivers and the sea.