Guards at the Taj
At the grand opening of the Taj Mahal, arguably the most beautiful building in the world, the emperor decrees that nothing more beautiful shall ever be built again.
By Tierney White
IN AN EFFORT to hold true to this, he orders two imperial guards to perform a horrendous task. But what happens when the two men, also best friends, are ordered to do the unthinkable?
The National Theatre of Parramatta lands on the Top End stage to present Guards at the Taj, a mix of witty black comedy with the bloodiest deeds of Greek tragedy. Director and Tour Producer Bali Padda says audiences are in for a ride.
“I think audiences can expect to experience a really immersive and moving production. It’s a beautiful story about friendship that’s funny, but it’s also dark – audiences can expect the unexpected, with a bit of a twist. I think it will shock audiences, but also leave them contemplating and thinking about their friendships.”
The production features Idam Sondhi as Humayun, a loyal civil servant with complete trust in the authorities, and Akkshey Caplash in the role of Babur, a dreamer who is deeply distressed by the order that has been bestowed upon them.
Keeping audiences engaged for the duration of a production is no mean feat, especially with so few cast members, but it’s one that Padda says comes naturally to the duo.
“Akkshey and Idam are extraordinary performers. Not only are they extraordinary performers, but they are just wonderful gentlemen as well … The responses from audiences are just overwhelmingly positive about their performance. They are up there for 90-minutes and hardly leave the stage.”
The story is set in a period and culturally specific location of the Taj Mahal, back in the 17th Century, after 16 years of construction. There have been a lot of legends and myths swirling around in the centuries since about how the extraordinary monument was made, and who was involved, and Padda says the play leans into some of the mythology surrounding it.
“You ask anyone from India, they’ve got a different version, a different story, a different legend. But what’s really great, is that the story is not a cultural story about India and the Taj Mahal, it’s actually a contemporary western, English language play in the style of [Beckett’s] Waiting for Godot, and Tom Stoppard, with Greek tragedy mixed in there,” he says.
“It kind of blends those genres of something that’s culturally specific, to something that’s really moving in terms of what audiences love to see.”
Don’t miss your chance to see this touching, funny and potent performance, that explores how far boundaries in friendship can be pushed.
Guards at the Taj
WHEN FRI 11 OCT | 7.30PM
AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
COST $45 | $40 MEMB/CONC $35 YOUTH (14-17)
INFO yourcentre.com.au
Header, thumbnail & inset: Noni Carroll Photography
