Bush Reopens in Brilliant Style with Guards at the Taj

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Penny Flood is gripped by a timely two hander in W12's revamped theatre

This clever, thought provoking two-hander delves deep into the price of beauty and the shocking  consequences of absolute power.

This small but perfectly formed play is an 80 minute, nerve-racking, emotional rollercoaster ride, and it's worth every second. Intelligent with plenty of food for thought, it's playful at first becoming frightening, switching from humour to horror in a heartbeat. A lot of ground is covered in a short time with action that gives rise to discussions around the nature and ownership of beauty: is it the sole preserve of the rich and powerful or can anybody enjoy it, and if there's a cost is it worth it?

It's also a very timely play about the horrors of totalitarianism and the lengths an absolute ruler will go to just because he can, regardless of the cost.

The trigger for this is the Taj Mahal, the fabulous monument built by Shah Jahan in the seventeenth century as a monument dedicated to his favourite wife.

 

Danny Ashok and Darren Kuppan are terrific as Humayun and Babur, the guards at the Taj. They're like chalk and cheese with serious, obedient and dutiful Humayan accepting his role in life and Babur, playful and optimistic, questioning everything and dreaming of a better life where he's free to think and say what he wants. Their cheerful banter is funny, getting things off to a relaxed start. An atmosphere that doesn't last long, neither the boys nor the audience are ready for what happens next.

There's something of the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about these two. It's a historic moment as the Taj Mahal is about to be revealed to the world, but Humayun and Babur are outside of history, it will batter them and wreck their lives and they won't be able to do anything about it.

The story is based on a gruesome legend that states that when the building was finished the emperor ordered that the hands of all the 20,000 people who worked on it should be chopped off so nothing that beautiful could be built again. That's going to be the boys' next job.

This is where the unthinkable becomes reality, the light-hearted atmosphere becomes harrowing, the discussion becomes more desperate as realisation dawns, and just when it seems things can't get worse, the lights go out and someone screams.  

The setting for this is minimal with just a wall in front of two very bloody pits. Simple costumes with only a couple of swords as props, there's not even an outline of the Taj. Subtle lighting and sound effects, especially of birdsong mark the change of time and mood. There's nothing to detract from the action.

A brilliant opening for the revamped Bush Theatre.

Guards at the Taj, written by Ragiv Joseph and directed by Jamie Lloyd, runs till 20 May at the Bush Theatre, at 7 Uxbridge Road, from Monday till Saturday at 7.30pm and matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. There will be a captioned performance on Thursday 27 April at 7.30pm and an audio described performance on Saturday 6 May at 2.30pm.

For more details and to book tickets online, visit the Bush Theatre website or call the box office on 020 8743 5050, open from Monday till Saturday from 10am till 6pm.

 

April 19, 2017