My mom came to visit me for the weekend and of course when you come to New York City, seeing a Broadway production is a must. As a child, my mom would take me to museums and around to various historical sites which instilled in me a desire to learn about history and more importantly, the lessons history has to teach us.
On October 6, 2015, the musical Allegiance parted it’s curtains for the debut on the New York City stage at Longacre theatre. This engaging and thought provoking performance has entered into the hearts of many with a tear-jerking performance by George Takei and other performers like Telly Leung, who plays the young Sam Kimura and Lea Salonga who plays Sam’s sister Kei Kimura.
The cast is one filled with talented and gifted performers all working together to tell the story of one family and their journey through the hardships related to their time at a Japanese internment camp in Wyoming during WWII. This family and those close to them must learn to navigate the sometimes treacherous waters that is the political landscape revolving around the treatment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor and throughout WWII. The Kimura family and other Japanese Americans around them display “gaman,” which, in Japanese culture, means “to endure the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity,” a lesson anyone in the audience can learn from and embrace.
Allegiance is an uplifting musical filled with songs about self-discovery and the struggle to find the balance between what is expected of us and our own path. The musical, with it’s touches of comic relief and a bit of love story mixed in, gives an outsider a deeper understanding of the struggles faced by those who, in their own right, did nothing wrong but were still persecuted. The characters of Sam and Hannah struggle to ignite the embers of their love in a world that defines them by their race while Kei and Frankie strive to navigate through the rough political waters surrounding their internment.
This beautifully well done musical provides the audience with a glimpse into the life of the characters and further more into the life of George Takei, whose life the musical is based on. The resilience of the people is beautiful to witness and draws the audience into the lives of the characters. Overall, the musical is amazingly well done with almost seamless transitions, uplifting and powerful songs, and a cast that truly makes the audience feel the moment.
If you can’t tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the musical and would wholeheartedly recommend seeing it. As a student, I know we are all looking for a way to experience these amazing performances without breaking the bank and my solution to that is Tix4Students.com. All you have to do is register, find your school and such, and pay a $7 fee for six-months. But honestly, $7 for six-months is totally worth it to save LOTS of money on tickets.