THE HANGOVER REPORT – ALLEGIANCE crumbles under the weight of its good intentions

IMG_4553I really wanted to like Allegiance, the generic new musical that opened last night at the Longacre Theatre. Unfortunately, like the dismal musical adaptation of Doctor Zhivago last season, Allegiance is the victim of its own well-meaning desire to tell its story as tidily and innocuously as possible. Even when the plot, which concerns a Japanese American family’s transportation to and experience in a Wyoming internment camp, goes into potentially dark and morally ambiguous territory, the writing glosses over and simplifies any potentially dangerous, even devastating, moments. The result is a bland piece of musical storytelling, though efficiently guided by director Stafford Arima and his design team (the fluid scenic design is by Donyale Werle; lighting design by veteran Howell Binkley), that has little impact. The culprits include the painfully earnest book (credited to Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione) and the sweet, but instantly forgettable score (Jay Kuo).

The cast is also at fault, perhaps as a result of the material they’re given to work with. Tony winner Lea Salonga sings as brightly and purely as ever, but she has a hard time connecting with her fellow cast mates, particularly her onstage lover (forcefully played by Michael K. Lee). In fact, she seems like she’s in a completely different show from everybody else. Telly Leung and Katie Rose Clarke are merely serviceable, especially with regards to their grossly under-developed love story. The best thing about the whole endeavor is George Takei himself, in the largely non-singing part of the family’s elder statesman. Only Mr. Takei takes the time to carefully etch the pain of having to endure the atrocities the rest of the production merely suggests.

NOT RECOMMENDED

 

ALLEGIANCE
Broadway, Musical
Longacre Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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