THE BASICS: GUARDS AT THE TAJ, a play by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Katie Mallinson, starring Afrim Gjonbalaj and Darryl Semira, runs through December 11, Thursdays (except Thanksgiving) through Saturdays at 7:30, and Sundays at 2:00, at Road Less Traveled Productions, 456 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14202. (716) 629-3069 roadlesstraveledproductions.org.
There will be an “Off-book: Zoom discussion” on Wednesday, December 7 at 7 pm (visit the website for a Zoom link).
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Set in India in 1648 GUARDS AT THE TAJ opens as the sun rises, and two imperial guards assigned to protect the unveiling of the just-completed Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building ever made, sneak a forbidden peek. They are like schoolboys, giddy at the prospect. But when ordered to perform a most hideous and unthinkable task, their friendship is tested and broken by brutal circumstances. It’s very, very dark at times, and very, very funny at others as the play deals with friendship, and the various pulls of loyalties in a repressive society. You can watch a short talk by the director below.
Runtime: 80 minutes without intermission
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: We’ve come to expect thoughtful plays at Road Less Traveled Productions; plays that stay with you, sometimes for years, and this is one of those. It stars Darryl Semira as “Babur,” the more curious, free-spirited (and sometimes goofy) of two guards and Afrim Gjonbalaj as “Humayun,” the more buttoned-up (and sometimes more severe) of the two. Humayun is a bit scary at first, tall and fierce, wielding his scimitar, a real martinet, but pretty soon, even though he resists, he can’t help but smile as his buddy Babur starts to clown around.
Guards clowning around? Well, yes, which is the first indication of where this play might go. They are friends since childhood and they care about each other. But guards aren’t supposed to yuck it up on the job and that’s going to slowly, at first subtly, but inexorably lead to an unfortunate end. Did Babur have a hand in all that? Why do “bad things happen to good people?” And when they do, what part did those good people have in all that?
If at any point you think you know these two, you do and you don’t. And at any point you think you know where the story is going, you do and you don’t. Be prepared for the play to take unexpected turns. But some things are consistent. Afrim Gjonbalaj and Darryl Semira are simply extraordinary in their roles.
And the direction by Katie Mallinson is so sure and solid. She has built a reputation for directing plays about difficult subjects such as THE NETHER (virtual child sex trafficking in cyberspace); PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS (drug addiction); EQUIVOCATION (the “gunpowder plot” to assassinate King James I of England); PHOTOGRAPH 51 (the discovery of DNA) or COPENHAGEN (a meeting between physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg) just to name a few of her directorial successes with deep, deep subjects.
Ultimately, this is a story about loyalty. Loyalty to one’s true self, loyalty to friends, loyalty to the job, loyalty to the emperor. It’s also about the soul-crushing nature of bureaucracy, especially when the system is tightly controlled at the expense of individual rights. And it’s also about the soul-crushing disparity between the haves and the have-nots. And it’s about many other things, I’m sure, things that haven’t occurred to me but that you will think about after watching the play.
A major part of the story is the retelling of a myth that upon completion of the building of the Taj Mahal, the 20,000 workers who were imported to build it were maimed to prevent them from ever building anything so beautiful again.
At the recent BABEL reading featuring author Omar el Akkad, he talked about his family going to Qatar (currently in the news for hosting the FIFA World Cup) looking for work. He described how almost all (95%) of the workers responsible for the stunningly beautiful buildings are imported and how hot and dangerous the construction work is, resulting in many, many deaths. In fact, Human Rights Watch verified that in 2020 reporting that: “Qatar has a migrant labor force of over 2 million people, who comprise approximately 95 percent of its total labor force. Approximately 1 million workers are employed in construction…. The kafala system governing the employment of migrant workers gives employers excessive control over them, including the power to prevent them from changing jobs, escaping abusive labor situations, and, for some workers, leaving the country.”
So this play might ostensibly be set in the 17th century, but it is as current as any you might see.
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!