Guards at the Taj – Fall Reunion Reading Series

In 2015 New York’s Atlantic Theater produced the world premiere of Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph. The play won the Obie Award for Best New American Play and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. Its two stars, Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed, received Obie Awards for their performances. Director Amy Morton was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award. They are all coming back together for the theater’s Fall Reunion Reading Series beginning on November 5th.

It is 1648 in India. Two Imperial Guards, Humayun (Metwally) and Babur (Moayed), are tasked with guarding one area of the newly built Taj Mahal, but are not permitted to looked at it. Their responsibility is to be quiet at all times and keep their backs to the building. As the walls that surrounded the building come down and workers who helped complete the mausoleum are afforded a chance to go inside, Humayun and Babur are tasked with an assignment that will shake them to their core and shock the audience.

Charles Isherwood, in his New York Times review, said, “Guards at the Taj, which has been directed with a rich sense of atmosphere by Ms. Morton (star of August: Osage County and the recent Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), raises potent questions about the human price paid throughout history for the caprices of the mighty, even when they result in architectural wonders that ultimately give pleasure to the masses.”

I saw the West Coast premiere of Guards at the Taj in late 2015 at the Geffen Playhouse with a different cast and director. Joseph’s play is powerful, funny and truly unforgettable.

Guards at the Taj reading will be available November 5th – November 7th with four different viewing options. There is no charge to watch the readings, but reservations are recommended as is a $25 donation. The reading runs 80 minutes.

On Sunday, November 8th, Joseph and Morton will hold a live conversation at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST

Photo from the original production of Guards at the Taj. (Photo courtesy Lucille Lortel Archives)