Sydney

This is a tale of deep friendship, loyalty and duty – and beauty. In 1648, two Imperial Guards stand tall, dressed proudly in blue and silver uniforms with their backs to the ornate gate of Taj Mahal. It has been 16 years in construction, made by slaves and craftsmen. It is the morning before the first viewing of the Taj Mahal, which was rumoured to be the most beautiful building in the world. The Emperor Shah Jahan wishes for the Taj Mahal to remain the most beautiful of all and thereby issues a decree to ensure that this beauty is never replicated, forcing these guards to carry out an impossibly gruesome task.

Babur and Hunayun are bound by many rules – they aren’t allowed to turn around and look at the Taj Mahal, they must keep their sword raised and are forbidden to speak. To break these rules, as we discover from their conversation, could lead to harsh punishments, from being locked up for three days to death by elephant trampling.

However, even the threat of such consequences does not stop the impulsive chatter of Babur, played by Akkshey Caplash with such childlike enthusiasm that I immediately warmed to him. The other guard Humayun, played by Idam Sondhi, is the opposite of Babur. He is earnest and takes his job seriously, and we soon discover that he is the son of a senior military man. Humayun craves the approval of his father, has loyalty to his emperor, and believes in working hard to achieve rewards. It is perhaps, this tunnel view which will cast a shadow over both their futures.

Akkshey and Idam portray a strong friendship between the two characters. There are many moments of levity as well as philosophical conversation that takes place, showing a depth to their relationship. Akkshey’s Babur is a dreamer, creating and sharing ideas for his original inventions. Throughout the play, Idam’s Humayun loosens up and also shares his own creative invention. The two men are caged by their lower station and the rules of the more privileged, and their dreams and inventions signify their longing for being free. There was a theme of birds scattered throughout the play, and I found the links of freedom to these birds woven into the story cleverly significant.

Writer Rajiv Joseph, who was the 2016 winner of the Obie award for Best New American Play and also won the Lucille Lortel award for Best Play, has written an engaging script. Although there was no interval, there were two distinct parts, the turning point being the grim act the guards were forced to do by decree of the Emperor Shah Jahan. James Browne, the set and costume designer, created a daunting dungeon complete with underground water drainage.

Much like Babur and Humayun’s vast imaginings, I thought that there was intentional purpose to allow the audience to build their own images in their heads of some key scenes, guided by the set and stage lighting by lighting designer Kate Baldwin and composer and sound designer Me-Lee Hay.

This shone through in two particular scenes for me, with the first light morning unveiling of the Taj Mahal – where we didn’t see an image or a physical set of the beautiful building, but rather experienced it through the clever use of light and the actor’s reactions. The other stand out lighting and sound scene had explosions of red splashed on stage, and a rhythmical harsh slice sound amongst a frantic soundscape which signified one of the key horrifying moments in the play. This scene was gripping, and there was no need to show the actual visuals of what was happening, as we could see it in our mind. I noticed one audience member had their hands up to their mouth, clearly involved in the play.

Guards at the Taj, skilfully directed by Bali Padda again, two years after his directorial debut of the same play, is on tour throughout Australia throughout September and October 2024. This review was from the performance at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta on the 12th September 2024.

Guards at the Taj is a confronting and beautifully scripted and acted play which will make you want to delve a little deeper into finding out whether or not this was based on a true story. Go see it, wherever it is playing around Australia!

Running time: 90 minutes, no interval.
Tickets from $59
www.riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/guards-at-the-taj

Photography by Noni Carroll Photography

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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