• About
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Residential halls experience maintenance issues
      Residential halls experience maintenance issues
    • Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
      Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
    • Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
      Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
    • News in Brief
    • Senate Report
  • Features
    • ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
      ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
    • Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
      Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • Alumnae Spotlight
    • Faculty Focus
  • Opinions
    • Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
      Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
    • Trans people are not your culture war
      Trans people are not your culture war
    • The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
      The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Arts
    • Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
      Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
      “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
    • What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
      What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
    • What video games can teach us about self-care
      What video games can teach us about self-care
    • Athlete of the Month
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Miss Me With That Gay Shit
      Miss Me With That Gay Shit
    • Tower House Prez Emails
      Tower House Prez Emails
    • Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
      Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
By Annabel Thompson Arts, ReviewsFebruary 8, 2017

Upstage’s “Guards at the Taj” mixes darkness and humor

Sabina Unni and Atiya Khan in Rajiv Joseph's "Guards at the Taj" Photo by Julia Monaco '17

The character dynamic in Rajiv Joseph’s “Guards at the Taj” starts off simple. The only speaking characters in the play are two guards in charge of protecting the newly-built Taj Mahal, one who is obsessed with order and insists on following rules (Humayun, played by Sabina Unni), and one who is more of a troublemaker (Babur, played by Atiya Khan). It’s a classic pairing, and they bounce off each other perfectly. Their interactions throughout the opening scene go about how you’d expect, with the two of them bickering about whether they should be allowed to talk during guard duty and whether Shah Jahan’s punishment for mild sedition is too harsh.

It’s all fun, games and lighthearted comedy until they find out it’s their job to cut off the hands of twenty thousand men in one night, as the Shah never wants something as beautiful as the Taj Mahal to be built again.

After this revelation in the first scene, the play consists of the two men coping with the reality of what they’ve done. We see their squabbles go from minor arguments over rules and imaginary inventions to guilt-ridden discussions over whether they have literally killed beauty. It would have been easy for the show to get lost in its own darkness and end up looking cheap, but despite the more gut-wrenching scenes, Joseph’s script somehow manages to strike a balance between heavy and light.

During the play’s final few scenes, the two men talk over ideas for inventions like airplanes and a “transportable hole,”  like schoolboys, while washing gallons of blood off the Taj Mahal. The most poignant moments in the show, however, come from moments of silence rather than dialogue; the two men stand together waiting for their watch to be over, they apply blood to each other’s faces during a scene change, they hold hands watching the sun rise over the Taj Mahal. Their emotions are

Joseph, and by extension Humayun and Babur, asks the question: When does “I was just doing my job” stop being an acceptable justification for violence, and when is revolution called for? The script alludes to both ancient and modern-day atrocities, from punishments for blasphemy to drone strikes. It’s an incredibly relevant play that brings to mind several recent news stories. Is a Marine officer morally responsible for the actions she carries out? Should Donald Trump’s security detail lie awake at night feeling guilty for protecting his life? Is it more important to act in accordance with one’s duties or one’s morals?

It may be logistically impossible for two people to cut off forty thousand hands in one night, but “Guards at the Taj” is worth suspending disbelief for. I left with teary eyes, clutching my own hands sympathetically. Some of the dialogue and the symbolism felt a little heavy-handed, particularly the play’s strict adherence to its own morals, but most of it was subtly written and well-played. If you didn’t get to see it this time around, check it out the next time you get the chance; just be wary of the blood.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleDystopias provide surprising comfort in the age of “alternative facts”
Next articleTheme of inclusivity pervades Super Bowl LI halftime performance and commercials

You may also like

Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP

Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading

“Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies

1 Comment

  • Seth Perez says:
    May 9, 2020 at 3:51 PM

    Hi, i am currently working on a review for your production of Guards At The Taj. I was hoping that you would have a record of the production crew who worked on this play so I may reference their role in this wonderful production.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top