GUARDS AT THE TAJ Will Embark on Australian Tour Next Month

After a critically acclaimed 2022 season, National Theatre of Parramatta will present the national tour of Guards at the Taj. This heartbreakingly humorous work from Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Rajiv Joseph (Broadway’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) will embark on a national tour from 3rd September, with a strictly limited return season at Riverside Theatres from 12th to 14th September 2024.

Winner of the 2016 Obie Award for Best Play and the 2016 Lucille Lortel Winner for Best Play, Guards at the Taj is an exploration of beauty and power, autocracy and resistance, and of conflicting loyalties, where friendships are tested and broken by extreme circumstances.

Set in India in 1648, Guards at the Taj follows best friends and guards in Hindustani ruler Shah Jahan’s Imperial Army, Humayun and Babur. Humayun, a sternly loyal second-generation civil servant, feels compelled to follow orders to appease his father, whilst a sensitive and inquisitive Babur is more sceptical. Tasked with standing guard over the newly constructed Taj Mahal on the night before it is revealed to the world, guarding is the last thing on Babur’s mind, leading Humayan with him as instead they bicker, reminisce and daydream.

Subsequently, when they are both ordered to do the unthinkable, to ensure the beauty of the Taj Mahal is never rivalled, the stoic Humayun and imaginative Babur must confront what loyalty, friendship and following orders truly mean to them.

“I’m incredibly excited to be bringing this remarkable story and production back to audiences” said Director Bali Padda. “Guards at the Taj was my professional directing debut back in 2022 and it feels amazing to be touring it to all the amazing venues and audiences around Australia. I loved creating this production with NTofP and the exceptional creative team and cast. It was humbling, soul-fortifying, and slightly anxiety-inducing. I can’t wait to bring Guards back to life with this hard-working and fabulous team so that audiences can soak it up again!”.

NTofP Executive and Creative Producer, Joanne Kee added, “We are thrilled to be bringing this production back for a national tour and look forward to audiences across the country enjoying this beautiful and resonant contemporary black comedy from Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Rajiv Joseph.”

Playwright: Rajiv Joseph Director: Bali Padda Cast: Akkshey Caplash and Idam Sondhi
Costume and Set Designer: James Browne Lighting Designer: Kate Baldwin Sound Designer and Composer: Me-Lee Hay Stage Manager: Catie Murphy Production Manager: D. Andrew Potvin

2024 Tour Dates:

Frankston Arts Centre

3 September

The Concourse, Chatswood

6 – 7 September

The Art House, Wyong

10 September

Riverside Theatre, Parramatta

12 – 14 September

Capitol Theatre, Tamworth

17 – 18 September

Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong

19 – 21 September

Orange Civic Theatre

27 September

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre

28 September

Joan Sutherland Arts Centre, Penrith

4 – 5 October

Darwin Entertainment Centre 

11 October

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