Photo by Matthew Murphy
It has been known that I have a shed a tear or two at the theatre over the years, but one of the most moving musicals I have recently attended is the Broadway premiere production of Allegiance at the Longacre Theatre. Jay Kuo and Marc Acito's epic musical is unjustifiably coming to a close on 14th February 2016 and so I would like to heartily encourage our readers to check out this genuinely touching and thought-provoking show, before it shuts its doors on the Great White Way.
I, like so many others no doubt, was ashamedly ignorant of the trials and tribulations experienced by Japanese-Americans in the wake and aftermath of World War II. The persecution they endured in their own country as a result of their ethnic appearance is perhaps unforgiveable, but strangely mostly forgotten by the history books. The musical is inspired by the childhood experiences of one of these victims, who also happens to be one of the show's stars - George Takei. The "Star Trek" icon makes his Broadway debut at 78 years old and I can't think of a more personal and fitting way to make your mark on the Broadway stage. The knowledge that the scenes inside the concentration camps riddled with prejudice and discrimination mirrored the actor's own childhood is enough to soften the hardest of theatre-going hearts, in my opinion. Takei gives an emotional and completely engaging performance, both as a present day Sammy Kimura as well as Kimura's grandfather (Sam Otsuka) back in the WWII era. One of his final monologues left me so deeply stirred and it was a privilege to be in that moment - witnessing a man pouring out his soul so publicly.
Another reason to catch Allegiance is the chance to see the amazing talents of Tony and Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga in person. Her performance as Kei Kimura is both powerful and fragile at the same time. I would certainly be disappointed if she didn't receive a Tony nomination this year. Her solo "Higher" reminds us unequivocally of her star status. Telly Leung also gives a strong leading man performance as the young Sammy Kimura, with buckets of energy to give on stage.
In these days of constant racial diversity rows, it is so refreshing to see a Broadway musical filled with perhaps one of the most underrepresented ethnicities in Western TV, Film and Theatre. The predominantly Asian cast tell an important story of Japanese-American history and culture - one that deserves to be heard and respected. I, for one, hope that 'Allegiance' will continue to have a life elsewhere in the world after 14th February.
Click here for tickets to Allegiance, which is booking through to 14 February 2016 at Broadway's Longacre Theatre.
Photo by Matthew Murphy Lea Salonga, George Takei & Telly Leung in Allegiance More production photosOriginally published on