Guards at the Taj

by Rajiv Joseph

In 1648 India, two Imperial Guards watch from their post as the sun rises for the first time on the newly-completed Taj Mahal—an event that shakes their respective worlds. When they are ordered to perform an unthinkable task, the aftermath forces them to question the concepts of friendship, beauty, and duty, and changes them forever.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Historical Fiction, Fiction

47 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Michelle Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning two-character play that straddles the line between dark comedy and beautiful drama, alternating from scene-to-scene and sometimes moment to moment.

[Kaushik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof

[Billycongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to separate the feelings for the play and the things that happen in the play. Because it's so brutal. Not that this didn't happen. Because it did. Actually it was even worse. I didn't want to finish it, but then I thought I should understand the full artist intent. It didn't really help. It's not that we don't know that horrible things happen all the time, and maybe that's part of the function of plays, but I'd rather see something that didn't make me sick to my stomach. I didn't know what the play was about before I started, and there was some humor, but then it just went down such a deep dark hole.

[Manjiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

The play "Guards at Taj' is very absorbing. i found it unique in a sense that it has humour despite being tragic. emotions that trigger in the two guards are presented very well . all the same, I wonder how effective the stage presentation will work out. the dialogues are definately going to be monotonus and lengthy. the concept of killing of beauty is surprising. i had never thought of such gruesome tragedies that way. all the best to the author. he really has a huge talent, not just in choosing his subject, but also in its presentation.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

As plays go, this is short and brutally, savagely tragic. Somehow it also manages to be hilarious and heartwarming. A rollercoaster is an apt analogy: soaring, plummeting, exhilarating, leaving a sensation like you have nearly died, and a last moment of calm before you stumble out into the real world.

[vilma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea I would be reading something so tragic and sad when I got into this play. I knew the idea but the story surprised me. I found myself gasping a couple of times but also... this is a surprisingly funny and almost light-hearted play. A roller coaster of emotions for me at least. I really liked the language and how this was written and I would really enjoy seeing this performed.

[Zoe Hertzberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

good. not a purgatory play despite being 2 characters.
I have, some interesting things to say, but this was very play. its interesting to consume the play in a modern media landscape which alters my perception of the elements, but no one (in survey) wants to talk about that. (they like to pretend we exist in a vacuum of art #shadenoshade).

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

bonne piece, deux type qui subisse une autorité suprême qui leur demande de garder le taj mahal sans le regarder car c'est la chose la plus belle jamais créée et pour être sûr que se ne soit pas être recréer une beauté pareil, ils décident de couper les mais des 20000 personnes qui ont travailler sur ce prochain. franchement bon, je conseil

[Ari Roseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

took lots of breaks bc i couldn’t stop crying. v v v important to not confuse empathizing with stories for feeling a need to insert ourselves into everything we consume, BUT i will always be tender about plays that capture accurate brotherly relationships. ANYway my chest hurts i need a glass of damn water

[bananagoy1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I mean it’s plays like this that are why I do theatre. What a fantastic ending. I hope this isn’t the last time I see Rajiv Joseph’s work or get to work with it—he is a stark reminder of what makes my career beautiful.

[Joy Nesbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fear this is now one of my new favorite plays. What if waiting for Godot was in India and it was punkrock and anti-colonial? What if we followed our intrusive thoughts? What would we do to protect our best friends from a worse fate? What if we looked at the Taj Mahal?

[Druva · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, Babur, my benevolent, inventious pal, you did not kill beauty, for beauty cannot die at the hands of any moral as long as we continue to remember. Mere memory, mere love, mere appreciation. For as long as we observe. For as long as we are.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Pointless. Sorry I wasted my time.

[Elizabeth Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long but good read. Comedic, and also frightening—very cinematic. Would be cool to see staged.

[Raj Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Don’t go” 💔

this play broke me

[Mira Schubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shitttt

[Andy Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic piece by Rajiv Joseph.

[Sydney Mulhall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for school- hate this play. Very gory and not that influential imo.

[Sophia M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Devastating.

[margot]

for THE 219.
Horrifically gruesome. Which is 100% the point, but it's not my cup of tea.

[zz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This morning, when we turned around to look… When we saw Tajmahal… I thought the moon had fallen. I thought the moon had crashed into the river.

[ap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah I didn’t know this was gonna go that route wow. Definitely shocked me. I wonder what kinda reactions this gets when seen live.

[Will Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely had no idea what to expect when I picked up this play. I was looking for a short play to ease myself into reading more dramas, and the title caught my eye. When I sat down to read scene 1 (months after I picked it up at the store and forgot about it) I promptly read the entire play in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down! This piece managed to be beautiful and tragic and intense in such a short amount of time; I was fully invested in the characters almost immediately, and each new realization and turn of events is so satisfying and yet so heart-wrenching. That is as much as I can say without giving away too much of the plot, but I am so glad that I bought this play (and I still can’t believe that a play I bought just because of its title turned out to be one of my favorites of all time)!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a real stunner, and Joseph continues to solidly his position as one of the best American playwrights working today. Here Joseph channels his inner Martin McDonough to tell the story of two lowest-level guards standing before the Taj Mahal as it nears its completion. What starts out as a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern like comedy-sketch becomes something much deeper and darker when the two are ordered to commit an unspeakable act of violence that changes their relationship and their understanding of their small place in the universe forever.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play was a bit too much. Two Imperial guards, who are best friends, are forced to cut off 40,000 hands. This understandably drives one of them crazy so the other ends up cutting the distraught guard's hands off. I don't even think this probed friendship or loyalty interestingly and the play certainly wasn't entertaining. Overall, an unnecessary creative work that should only be consumed when in a healthy mental state.

[Kristen Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, because of the technical aspects of this play, it will probably be produced not as often as it should. Great life questions presented about:

What is a job?
When does a job become a crime?
How do God and King coexist under one religious and moral system?

Good stuff. Probably going to use it for the Broadway Workshop this year.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent play -- confronts unbearable horror in an emotionally powerful, intimate, and thought-provoking way.

[Jyotsna Hariharan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a little shaken from reading, I'll probably come back and review this properly. But what a masterclass in the traditional two person- play.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I’d love to see this on stage. Beautiful script.