GUARDS AT THE TAJ
by Rajiv Joseph
2016 OBIE Winner
Directed by Oleg Pupovac
16 - 28 January 2017
New Theatre
542 King Street, Newtown 2042
" i killed beauty "
THE PLAY
★★★★ "A must-experience!" - Daily News
★★★★ Critics’ Pick, Time Out New York
“Joseph’s voice must be recognised as a major one.” - New York Magazine
“Funny, haunting and deeply insightful." - LA Weekly
“RIVETING! The most astounding brutal tableau you’ll ever see on stage!” - Entertainment Weekly
“An envelope-pushing playwright. It’s deeply moving and packed with ideas with existential angst, silliness, horror and pitch-black humour!”- Associated Press
“Striking original drama!” - Variety
“Highly captivating. Joseph writes sly, funny dialogue laced with jolts of lyricism. An exquisite piece of writing. An unexpectedly moving experience.” - The Hollywood Reporter
“Nail biting and urgent entertainment!”- NBC New York
At morning’s first light, a new edifice representing the soaring power of the empire will be unveiled, the glorious Taj Mahal. But for the two hapless guards assigned to protect the palace, morning will set the wheels in motion for a ghoulishly funny existential crisis that will shake their faith in God, the empire and each other. Guards at the Taj is a black comedy about two average men swept up by the beauty, carnage and injustice surrounding one of the most famous wonders of the world.
THE PLAYWRIGHT
Rajiv Joseph’s plays include Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, a 2010 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Animals Out of Paper, The North Pool, The Lake Effect, and Mr. Wolf. He is the book-writer and co-lyricist for the musical, Fly. Rajiv also wrote for the Showtime series Nurse Jackie for seasons 3 and 4. Additionally, Rajiv was the co-screenwriter of the film Draft Day, which was released earlier this year, starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner. Rajiv received his B.A. in Creative Writing from Miami University and his M.F.A. in Playwriting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa.
