NextStop Theatre set for Guards at the Taj,

NextStop Theatre Company is set to present Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph, running March 26 through April 19, 2026. Previews will take place March 26 and 27, with opening night at 8:00 pm on March 28.

Directed by Mekala Sridhar, this celebrated dark comedy features Vaibhav Taparia and Vish Shukla as two imperial guards stationed outside the Taj Mahal at the moment of its completion. Set in a fictionalized 1648 India, Guards at the Taj asks: at what point do you follow morals over orders? As two lifelong friends witness the unveiling of one of the world’s most beautiful monuments, they are suddenly commanded to carry out an unthinkable act. What follows is a wry and devastating examination of loyalty and the cost of blind obedience.

The play was widely celebrated during its original Off-Broadway run, earning the Obie Award for Best New American Play and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. In its review, The New York Times praised the script as “both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply unsettling.”

Though set centuries in the past, Guards at the Taj resonates with contemporary audiences, inviting reflection on the tension between duty and personal conscience. Its exploration of how ordinary people navigate extraordinary moral pressure feels as urgent today as ever, offering audiences space to grapple with timeless questions rather than the easy answers.

The production team includes Ynika Pocopio Yuag (dramaturg), Gisela Estrada (scenic designer), Cidney Forkpah (costume designer), Hailey LaRoe (lighting designer), Isabel deCarvalho (props designer), and navi (sound designer). Grace Rodriguez serves as stage manager, with Madison Lyons as assistant stage manager.