Allegiance NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (1,090)
See it if you want an intelligent, heartfelt, IMPORTANT show. U will laugh, cry, & fell overjoyed with this incredibly moving performance. GO SEE IT!
Don't see it if you hate history/current events.
See it if you are interested in seeing a wonderful cast telling a heartfelt story. A story which was inspired by true events during WWII.
Don't see it if you are looking for a glitz & glamour, an old school musical with huge dance numbers.
See it if You'd like to see a production with a biographical theme along with wonderful singing by Lea Salonga and Telly Leung.
Don't see it if You want only entertainment without any historical reference, and do not want to laugh, cry, and hum to some of the catchy tunes.
See it if you are in the mood for a beautiful, sweeping historical tragedy
Don't see it if you're looking for something light and easy
See it if you are interested in history you want to learn something in addition to being entertained you want to see a great show you need a good cry
Don't see it if you are only in to fluff and loud trashy music
See it if You are interested in history, or want to feel all the feelings.
Don't see it if You're not in the mood to have your heart stomped on.
See it if You are interested in the history of the Japanese concentration camps durring WWII. You are a fan of Lea Salonga
Don't see it if You're in denial of the treatment of Japanese people during WWII.
See it if You get a chance
Don't see it if You are a young child
Critic Reviews (82)
"This is a musical? You bet, and a darned passionate one, too. The carefully researched book by Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione and Jay Kuo, who also supplied the soaring music and intelligent lyrics, collates years of events into a gripping trajectory, while the stirring score perfectly illustrates the action, seamlessly staged by director Stafford Arima. "
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"Takei, of course, was a kid at the time, and a survivor in every way. Indeed, the moral authority of his presence...is about the only thing that really works in 'Allegiance,' a musical...that seems, alas, wholly out of sync with its subject matter, especially when directed at such breakneck speed by Stafford Arima."
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"In fact, when it’s not threatening to rip your heartstrings out all together, 'Allegiance' is quite entertaining, with 1940s dance numbers, nods to the Andrews Sisters, and bits of jazz influence. Even if it’s not 100 percent original all the time, 'Allegiance' is an important show with a phenomenal cast, and it deserves to be seen."
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"It's so depressing when a new musical that explores an important historical event turns out to have so many problems…The musical gets derailed by Jay Kuo's weak score (full of derivative music and pedestrian lyrics), the busy, broad nature of the plotting and Stafford Arima's unexciting staging…'Allegiance' does raise awareness about a dark, overlooked chapter in American history. But considering the show's problems, it is unlikely to find a wide audience."
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"Shockingly, it works: Not only is 'Allegiance' a grandiose epic reminiscent of Miss Saigon, it also serves as a compelling family drama...'Allegiance' is delightfully old-school: a big schmaltzy musical of dubious historical accuracy delivered with ample humor and heart...Stafford Arima's fast-paced, ever-moving production reinforces that tone."
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"Bookwriters Marc Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione do a fine job in voicing the multiple issues involved with the situation with earnestness, and director Arima's production eschews extravagance to focus on the human story, but 'Allegiance' lacks a score that meets the emotional demands of its subject...This is a great topic for a musical and the talented company plays it admirably, but 'Allegiance,' while certainly not a bad theatre piece, is an underachieving one."
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"There are a few things that don't quite work - and a couple that are flat-out wrong - in 'Allegiance,' but every time the show threatens to succumb to sentimentality or formulaic musical comedy gestures, it surprises with something striking, even shocking...Even as it arrives at a reconciliation of sorts - which, if staged with more restraint, would be far more powerful - 'Allegiance' doesn't sugarcoat the events it portrays."
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"But none of this has been executed with any wit, color, or invention that may even partially obscure what they're going for…If it all sounds as crushingly boring as it is socially responsible, it is. Dramatic works in general predictably suffer from being forced into activism molds, because any instituted myopia drastically complicates (and perhaps impedes altogether) the process crafting people and situations that can be cared about on anything but a surface level."
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