Guards at the Taj

Anthony  Mustafa  Adair  &
Jenson Titus Lavallee

Theatre Exile, located in Studio X, 1340 S. 13^th Street, is presenting the Philadelphia premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at the Taj through November 13. Set in Agra, India in 1648, two imperial guards, closer than brothers, stand watch at the gates of the grand Taj before it is to be revealed to the public. One has a staunch sense of duty; the other an equally strong belief in the wondrous beauty of the world. Guarding the natural beauty of the Taj Mahal should bring the two childhood friends even closer together, but the king’s decree that nothing as beautiful should ever be constructed again causes a rupture between them.  Joseph has created a thought-provoking piece in which one must decide how far it is possible to go before giving up your soul. For Humayun, (Anthony Mustafa Adair) a good guard follows orders; nothing else is tantamount.  For Barbur, (Jenson Titus Lavallee) following such orders has destroyed his inner peace and outer relationship with the world around him. Joseph takes this shocking drama one step further by testing the friendship between Humayun and Babar. As many are asked on a daily basis, “Where does loyalty lie and is there ever a point in which you put it to rest?” For more information or tickets, call (215) 218-4022 or visit online at theatreexile.org.