The Guards of the Taj Mahal: Beauty, Power and Conscience on Stage
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
The play The Guards of the Taj Mahal runs at LG Arts Center Seoul’s U+ Stage through Jan 4, 2026. Rajiv Joseph’s acclaimed work, back in Korea after eight years since its 2015 New York premiere, won the Obie and Lucille Lortel awards. Set at dawn in 1648 just before the Taj Mahal opens to the public, the two guards Humayun and Babul talk through a night that probes beauty vs. power, orders vs. conscience, and the collapse of long-held values. Director Shin Yu-chung reinterprets the piece with sparse staging and lighting to spotlight the actors’ presence and language, aiming to reveal the essence of theatre. The two roles are double-cast: Choi Jae-lim and Baek Seok-gwang as the disciplined guard Humayun, and Lee Seung-ju and Park Eun-seok as the curious guard Babul. Early previews praised the intense, actor-driven storytelling and the production’s atmospheric restraint, calling it an “overwhelming stage completed by breath alone” and “a play whose beautiful scenes and lines linger.” (LG Arts Center: a major performance venue in Seoul)
