Allegiance NYC Reviews and Tickets

"You can't blame the creative team for opting for a conventional, emotion-grabbing way into the narrative — even though the focus on the romances and familial strife the relocations generated tends to weaken the well deserved indictment of those who relegated more than a hundred thousand fellow Americans to enemy alien status...The lyrics aren't especially clever or memorable, but the vocally strong cast sings the heck out of them."
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"'Allegiance' is a sometimes moving, sometimes stodgy musical about this terrible injustice...George Takei has a strange way of growing on you. Even when he is the sullen older Sam he is movingly human, his face registering warmth and pain. He is heartbreaking in the finale. Stafford Arima’s direction keeps all the plot lines clear, smartly speeding things up in the second act so when all the emotional threads are woven together, the effect is quite moving."
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"This is a production which features extraordinary talent. Broadway audiences are familiar with the stellar singing of Lea Salonga, and fans everywhere know George Takei as 'Star Trek’s' Sulu. The real eye opener is Telly Leung, who possesses not only a full, rich voice, but also first class dance moves...The rest of the ensemble is uniformly excellent; this is definitely a heartfelt experience for both those in the cast and audience members."
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"'Allegiance' still manages to be moving at times, but overall the uninspired music and slight lyrics fail to deliver the impact of this important story...With facile, obvious rhymes and not much musical color, the songs fail to intensify the emotion or advance our understanding of the story. Later book scenes strain credulity and the unbelievable plot machinations required to wrap-up the story threaten to undermine the whole undertaking. There are however some bright lights in this show."
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"The importance of 'Allegiance' and the remarkable strength of its principals and ensemble cast outweigh the new musical’s weaknesses...Despite minor concerns, 'Allegiance' remains a strong and successful musical dealing with an important part of American history. Its thematic content raises enduring questions about the current conversation regarding immigration, loyalty, and citizenship and adds considerable weight to that important discussion."
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"'Allegiance' is both intimate and sweeping in scope. Director Stafford Arima keeps the action moving at a swift pace...Other elements have needlessly been polished to a Broadway shine, which undermines the story’s truthfulness...'Allegiance,' above all, has heart. And though it sometimes feels as though it’s been molded to fit a preconceived idea of what a Broadway show 'should' look like, the musical’s relevance is a haunting reminder of how fragile and fleeting our freedom can be."
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"It’s a powerful tale of survival in the face of injustice, and although book writers Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione don’t trivialize what happened, they do employ some melodramatic flourishes...The story doesn’t benefit as much from a musical treatment as it could if Kuo’s music and lyrics were more distinct and alive. Stafford Arima directs an excellent cast fully committed to their characters. which makes for an affecting, if not entirely exciting, two and a half hours."
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"The creative team behind 'Allegiance' has worked hard to make this important musical both entertaining and illuminating, and Takei is just one of the many splendid performers, including Lea Salonga and Telly Leung, who boost the enterprise with both lively and touching moments...If there are some unfortunate choices and missed opportunities in 'Allegiance,' they are outweighed by what it does right, especially the heft of the subject matter and the talent of the cast."
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