"Allegiance"
In my opinion, after "Hamilton", "Allegiance" was the best new Broadway musical of the 2015/2016 season. Unfortunately, it couldn't find it's audience on Broadway and closed after only a few months. But luckily, since this show has been George Takei's ("Star Trek") passion project, the show wasn't just going to exist among other closed shows and somehow be forgotten about, as some others have. So, for one night only, Fathom Events presented the Broadway production of "Allegiance", which was professionally filmed about a month or two before it closed on Broadway.
"Allegiance" is the story of a family, The Kimuras, who were put into a Japanese Internment Camp during World War II. The show tells of the family's struggles and takes you through the twists and turns that occurred during their time in the internment camp. The show was conceived by George Takei and his personal experiences in an internment camp. The show tells a touching story about family, standing up for your beliefs, and carrying on no matter what may happen in life.
The score is filled with gorgeous, lush songs that were written beautifully by Jay Kuo. The book was written by Lorenzo Theine, along with Kuo. Theine and Kuo have put together a very emotional and interesting show that was executed without a hitch. The one problem that I had within the writing of the show was that although the music was lovely, some of the big ballads were placed a bit to close together and it slowed down the pace of the show just a little bit.
In the lead role of Sammy Kimura, a young man who wants to enlist in the army and approve to his disapproving father that he is worth something in life, Telly Leung gives a brilliant performance. In both emotion and style, Leung's performance is absolutely transformative. The role of Sammy is very complex and the written material allowed Leung to work to the absolute best of his ability. The female lead of the show is Sammy's sister, Kei, was played masterfully by Lea Salonga. Honestly, what could I say about Lea Salonga that hasn't already been said....she's spectacular. Her big number, "Higher", was a true highlight of the show that Salonga sang and acted the heck out of. Again, Lea Salonga is simply an amazingly talented gem. In addition to conceiving the show, George Takei played the grandfather of the Kimura family. Takei's character was a delightful addition to the show and he did a memorable job in the role. His character made you smile whenever he was onstage.
In addition to the three leads, there was also killer work going on in the supporting cast. As Sammy's love interest, Katie Rose Clarke's performance as the camp nurse, Hannah, was well versed and she played the role's quirkiness and strength perfectly. As Kei's love interest, Frankie, Michael K. Lee was spot on and Christopheren Nomura served the material well. The use of close ups in the filming of the show really allowed me to appreciate the acting chops of the entire cast, but most specifically Lee and Nomura, whose acting performances I might not have been able to appreciate as much without the use of these closeups.
The writers of the show did a really good job of giving the lead character's love interests a purpose. There have been more than a few shows where there are secondary romances that really don't have anything to do with anything. But in this show, you can feel like they serve the story a purpose and it doesn't feel like they are there just to give the show a romantic subplot.
"Allegiance" really is a powerful show that was robbed of Tony nominations. The music is fantastic, the story is very impactful, and does a really good job telling us about one of the darkest eras in the history of the Unite States. It is really a shame that this show could not find a larger audience on Broadway. I hope there are plans for future screenings or a DVD release for this production because I think that this is a show that everyone needs too see. Go listen to the cast album, this is really a fantastic show
The Broadway production of "ALLEGIANCE" was directed by Stafford Arima and the cast consisted of:
Sam "Sammy" Kimura- TELLY LEUNG
Kei Kimura- LEA SALONGA
Sam Kimura (Present Day)/Ojii-San (Grandpa)- GEORGE TAKEI
Frankie Suzuski- MICHAEL K. LEE
Tatsuo Kimura- CHRISTOPHREN NOMURA
Hannah Campbell- KATIE ROSE CLARKE
Mike Masoaka- GREG WANTANABE
For more information, visit http://allegiancemusical.com/
"Allegiance" is the story of a family, The Kimuras, who were put into a Japanese Internment Camp during World War II. The show tells of the family's struggles and takes you through the twists and turns that occurred during their time in the internment camp. The show was conceived by George Takei and his personal experiences in an internment camp. The show tells a touching story about family, standing up for your beliefs, and carrying on no matter what may happen in life.
The score is filled with gorgeous, lush songs that were written beautifully by Jay Kuo. The book was written by Lorenzo Theine, along with Kuo. Theine and Kuo have put together a very emotional and interesting show that was executed without a hitch. The one problem that I had within the writing of the show was that although the music was lovely, some of the big ballads were placed a bit to close together and it slowed down the pace of the show just a little bit.
In the lead role of Sammy Kimura, a young man who wants to enlist in the army and approve to his disapproving father that he is worth something in life, Telly Leung gives a brilliant performance. In both emotion and style, Leung's performance is absolutely transformative. The role of Sammy is very complex and the written material allowed Leung to work to the absolute best of his ability. The female lead of the show is Sammy's sister, Kei, was played masterfully by Lea Salonga. Honestly, what could I say about Lea Salonga that hasn't already been said....she's spectacular. Her big number, "Higher", was a true highlight of the show that Salonga sang and acted the heck out of. Again, Lea Salonga is simply an amazingly talented gem. In addition to conceiving the show, George Takei played the grandfather of the Kimura family. Takei's character was a delightful addition to the show and he did a memorable job in the role. His character made you smile whenever he was onstage.
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| Lea Salonga (Kei Kimura) and George Takei (Ojii-San (Grandpa)) |
In addition to the three leads, there was also killer work going on in the supporting cast. As Sammy's love interest, Katie Rose Clarke's performance as the camp nurse, Hannah, was well versed and she played the role's quirkiness and strength perfectly. As Kei's love interest, Frankie, Michael K. Lee was spot on and Christopheren Nomura served the material well. The use of close ups in the filming of the show really allowed me to appreciate the acting chops of the entire cast, but most specifically Lee and Nomura, whose acting performances I might not have been able to appreciate as much without the use of these closeups.
The writers of the show did a really good job of giving the lead character's love interests a purpose. There have been more than a few shows where there are secondary romances that really don't have anything to do with anything. But in this show, you can feel like they serve the story a purpose and it doesn't feel like they are there just to give the show a romantic subplot.
"Allegiance" really is a powerful show that was robbed of Tony nominations. The music is fantastic, the story is very impactful, and does a really good job telling us about one of the darkest eras in the history of the Unite States. It is really a shame that this show could not find a larger audience on Broadway. I hope there are plans for future screenings or a DVD release for this production because I think that this is a show that everyone needs too see. Go listen to the cast album, this is really a fantastic show
 |
The Broadway production of "ALLEGIANCE" was directed by Stafford Arima and the cast consisted of:
Sam "Sammy" Kimura- TELLY LEUNG
Kei Kimura- LEA SALONGA
Sam Kimura (Present Day)/Ojii-San (Grandpa)- GEORGE TAKEI
Frankie Suzuski- MICHAEL K. LEE
Tatsuo Kimura- CHRISTOPHREN NOMURA
Hannah Campbell- KATIE ROSE CLARKE
Mike Masoaka- GREG WANTANABE
For more information, visit http://allegiancemusical.com/
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