★★★★★

This review may contain spoilers

Guards at Taj from Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rajiv Joseph, directed by Adam Karim, is easily the best play you will see this year at the Orange Tree Theatre.  

The two-hander tells the story of two imperial guards (Babur and Humayun) at the bottom of Emperor Shah Jahan reign with differing ambitions which leads to their friendship being tested throughout the 90 minutes with the completion of the Taj Mahal as the backdrop of the play.

Babur, played brilliantly by Usaamah Ibraheem Hussian, and Humayun, played by the experienced Maanuv Thiara, bring to life a pandora's box of emotions that the two seemingly ordinary characters have deep inside them once they are commanded to carry out an unordinary task.  

Despite it being only the fourth performance so far, the hours spent between the two actors is apparent as their infectious chemistry is demonstrated with every interaction between the two, showing the deep friendship developed by the two actors and characters, making the betrayal at the end the more tragic.

JMK Award 2024 winner, Adam Karim, brilliantly tailors Guards at the Taj to a British audience as it was originally written for American viewers to consume, yet still is able to touch on key themes of brotherhood, conformity, masculinity and betrayal, with a comedic undertone throughout but not diminishing the consequences the characters face. 

Usaamah Ibraheem Hussain (left) and Maanuv Thiara (right) spent hours together with Adam Karim for the past six weeks to bring Babur and Humayun to life (credit: Lidia Crisafulli).

Lighting Designer, Elliot Griggs, uses lighting masterfully in pivotal scenes to heighten the emotions the characters experience.  

From the warm orange cast over Babur and Humayun as they lay their eyes on the Taj Mahal for the first time in all its glory, to the deep red which washes the stage as the blood of the hands who created the architectural beauty are chopped. 

Rajiv Joesph's Guards at the Taj is a story about the shackles of conformity which society, in this case Shah Jahan's rule, may force you to abide by to fulfil one's duty.

However in doing so, one could be sacrificing the beauty in the individual and themselves which the cast and crew tell magnificently. 

Guards at the Taj is showing at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond until 16 November. To find out more click here.  

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