The South African actor calls the Big Apple home.
A true busy bee, he still took time to share his favorite NY spots with us.
“In New York, the Thai food scene is my ultimate comfort food, especially around Downtown Manhattan and Williamsburg”. Vaibhav Taparia is a foodie. He is also an actor. Luckily for him, he lives in one of the most vibrant cities in the world when it comes to food or entertainment. Taparia has been calling NYC home for a few years now. Performing on stage and for Film and TV, the city is his playground, a source of inspiration. Taparia recently went out of town to perform in Virginia. While Taparia is grateful to leave the city from time to time and immerse himself in nature, the Big Apple will always be home. We took the opportunity to sit down with Taparia and get to know his New York. The city of a working actor.
“Being an actor requires almost never unplugging; most actors audition via self-tapes. A tape can come at 8 pm on a Friday night; it’s sometimes hard to find that balance and remember that we also need downtime “ shares Taparia. The industry has evolved in a way that actors can now audition for projects all over the planet. “People think being an actor in NYC is all glamorous, that we go from being on set to a red carpet event before sipping on cocktails, but the reality is different: a fast-paced industry and a need for constant discipline.” Actors need to train their bodies and remain inspired; thankfully, this is compatible with having a hobby. “ I’m also a tennis player, and searching for new courts has become one of my favorite ways to explore the city. I’ve discovered so many beautiful parks and neighborhoods across Brooklyn that I probably would never have visited otherwise. I also love my AMC Stubs membership because it allows me to watch films regularly, discover different cinemas, and stay connected to the kind of storytelling that inspires me as an actor”, the performer adds.
NYC is perhaps the world capital of entertainment. When actors are not on stage, they still go see shows. Taparia shares with us his favorite venues: “For theater, I love the Lyric Theatre and the Minskoff Theatre, not only because they are beautiful venues, but because Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Lion King capture the scale and magic of Broadway. I’m equally drawn to historic downtown spaces like the Gene Frankel Theatre and La MaMa, which have helped shape New York’s experimental theater scene. I was fortunate enough to perform in a staged reading at La MaMa, and I could genuinely feel the history and importance of the venue while I was there. Being able to perform at La MaMa is the kind of thing dreams are made of, especially for an actor in NYC. The atmosphere carries the weight of every artist who has created there.” When asked what a visitor should prioritize in NY, Taparia responds: “My advice to a tourist would be to see one major Broadway production and then visit a smaller downtown theater, because experiencing both sides of the city’s theater culture is what New York is all about.”
Fashion is part of the fabric of NY. While Vaibhav is not a model, he understands fashion is part of storytelling. “My Armani watch came from my father.” The pieces and accessories we love are part of our story. The clothes characters wear are part of their journey. Whether he works for the stage or the big screen, Vaibhav loves collaborating with stylists and costume designers on set or in the rehearsal room. For him, this is a crucial moment where everything clicks; the character becomes alive. “Fashion gives me another route into the private logic of a character, especially when the person on the page is emotionally guarded.”
That was central to his performance in Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at the Taj. As Humayun, one of two imperial guards ordered to carry out an act of almost unimaginable violence, Taparia had to make rigid obedience feel like a tragic survival mechanism rather than simple coldness. The uniform represented authority, but the performance had to reveal the frightened son and devoted friend underneath it. The costume he wore became his second skin. “This show was particularly challenging because we were only two actors on the stage. There was nowhere to hide. Physicality was crucial for this character. I truly believe that the uniform, my costume, became an anchor for me, for my performance,” he adds.
In the spring of 2026, Taparia led the intimate two-hander at NextStop Theatre opposite Vish Shukla. Reviewers responded to the pair’s ability to move from comedy to trauma without losing the relationship at the play’s center. DC Theater Arts wrote that they “absolutely anchored” the show.
Taparia is going to be busy in the next few months working on film and stage projects. He will star in an upcoming performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; he is particularly excited about the overlap between theatre and fashion in this particular production. On a day off, he loves grabbing a bite at the Chelsea Market and exploring the skyline in Manhattan. He also has a very NY habit: “‘On performance days, I always try to grab a quick slice of New York pizza before the show. It has become my little pre-show ritual: simple, quick, and very New York.” Sounds like the perfect day.
