Wow, I'm surprised by the various reports of soldout showings. The 7:30 p.m. show at my 300-seat theater was practically sold out, so they added an 8 p.m. screening in another theater.
When Fathom Events announced it would be presenting 'Allegiance,' I was skeptical: Who was gonna see a musical about Japanese-American internment camps? Yes, it starred Lea Salonga, but she's not a household name. Yes, it's based on George Takei's life story, but it has nothing to do with 'Star Trek.' Its writers (Jay Kuo, Marc Acito & Lorenzo Thione) are unknown.
I don't know what the ethnic breakdown was at other theaters, but at mine, I'd say 85% of the audience were Asian-Americans. And it was multigenerational. There were a number of families, which consisted of grandparents, parents and their kids. I've never seen an Asian-American turnout like this.
I really enjoyed this filmed version. The closeups helped me appreciate the committed and compelling performances of Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, George Takei and Michael K. Lee even more. The score is too heavy on anthems, but I liked the prettier numbers, like the inspiring 'Gaman'; the beautiful love duet ('With You' ), and the swingy dance tunes ('Resist') .
As for the costumes being historically accurate, the only photos I've seen from the Japanese-Americans internment camps have been in black and white. But I can't say that was an issue for me. If the costume designer (Alejo Vietti) took some artistic liberties with color, it's a Broadway musical, and I doubt anyone wanted to see a cast dressed in gray all the time, covered in dust (which is referenced a number of times in 'Allegiance').
To think 'the camps were not as bad as I thought,' based solely on the costumes, is to miss the larger point: That these were 120,000 fellow Americans who had their civil liberties stripped away from them, due to wartime hysteria and racism. They were forced to live in desolate camps behind barbed wire, watched by guards, and endure bad housing, inadequate health care and poor nutrition. Half of them were kids, incarcerated for up to four years, without due process of law. Even after leaving the camps, they had to struggle to rebuild their lives from scratch. Years later, many internees would still suffer from the psychological damage.
It's a shameful chapter of U.S. history that millions of Americans don't know and shouldn't be forgotten. Even now, there are politicians calling for a roundup of Muslim-Americans, citing the Japanese-American internment as a precedent. 'Allegiance' is historic, even as a piece of theater: It's the first Broadway musical to tackle this topic, and with a largely all-Asian-American team of creators and cast. And yet, here's the irony: What's the ONLY Drama Desk nomination it gets recognized for? Costumes!
Updated On: 12/14/16 at 08:21 AM
, even if you were well-meaning.
