George Takei's Allegiance - Charing Cross Theatre

[appoul]

Jan 9, 2023 10:09:44 GMT jampot said:

What time did it finish?

It lasts 2 hours 20 minutes including the interval.

[appoul]

Jan 9, 2023 9:48:25 GMT thistimetomorrow said:

is there any side that's better to sit on?

Plenty of things happen on Balcony 1 and the wall under it, so definitely choose seats that are numbered 3-12. Takei sits nearer row A for much of the show. I saw it from row N and the view was very good.

[max]

Always found the seats comfortable and toilets fine at this venue, but that's just one experience - key thing:

George Takei is doing tons of publicity. He was really interesting on Loose Women, but they stupidly only gave him a short slot at the end having yacked on about stuff amongst themselves for most of the hour. But - this Venue will not get a chance like this very often to put its best foot forward, and make people want to return there because they were treated well from the moment they arrived.

This is it guys - it's showtime from the moment people step through the door.

[Dr Tom]

A very good performance last night. I only booked the day before, seeing that a lot of shows in the first week are already sold out. Completely fluid throughout.

I booked Stalls A1, which turned out to be in the centre of the front row. There was a bit of confusion about seating as the front row seats are in a random order. Anyway, everyone seemed quite happy for me to sit there. There were a few empty seats about despite being sold out, but all I can think is they were held back for VIPs. A lot of Americans in.

The front row is very close, even compared to most front rows. Reach out and touch George Takei (who gives a masterful performance) close. Many people would prefer being further back. I'm always very happy at the front, even if it makes it impossible to hide the tears.

Staging is a little difficult due to the audience being on two sides. You have a side view a lot of the time. Having been there, I do feel that the centre of the block is much better than the sides, especially near the front.

The casting choices for this one are interesting. Telly Leung is incredibly handsome up close (and incredibly talented too). He very much made the role of Sam Kimura and he's been playing it for a long time. Aynrand Ferrer has a beautiful voice. Patrick Munday has really started to show his talents with comedy. With the ensemble, it's almost like a reunion of The King and I. And I was very impressed that the totally charming Iroy Abesamis made it through the show without a massive grin on his face.

Sound quality where I was sat was excellent.

I think this is an excellent and powerful musical. Clearly very personal to George Takei. When I saw this on Broadway, I remember talking to the Japanese-American man sat next to me and he told me that this was also the story of his family. I got the impression that the history was not well known in the US and it would be even less known in the UK. The show seems so much more intimate and magical in the confines of Charing Cross Theatre than it did to me on Broadway.

I didn't join the massive queue outside to meet George Takei afterwards (The Arches was rather crowded with half of one side blocked off with a security entrance to Heaven, the other side with the theatre queue). But I rather get the impression that he is taking time to meet everyone who would like to talk to him, which is admirable. I will certainly go back and I hope the show and the story gets the recognition it deserves.

[Dave B]

Thanks Dr Tom, I'm getting really excited to see this now!

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

For those who have seen it on Broadway and here, have there been any changes made to the show? I'm not familiar with it but I know that it had a pretty tepid response originally so I'm surprised to see almost entirely positive reactions so far.

[Dr Tom]

I don't have a really clear memory (this was 7 or so years ago), but I think it's the same. The main change is staging for an audience at either side. I remember being glad I'd seen it on Broadway, but I can understand people expecting a different style of show. I expect there's also a bit of a self-selection bias here with those of us who have made an effort to go to early performances (although there are plenty of shows I go to an early performance of and don't take to).

[anita]

I was going to order the DVD but the postage price put me off.

[TallPaul]

Poll added. Does Allegiance belong in a galaxy far, far away? Did you want to be beamed up? Please vote.

[max]

It's on TodayTix I notice, from people tweeting that they unlocked Rush tickets.

A breakthrough for The Charing Cross Theatre?
I think we've said here that lack of visibility on TodayTix was one of the things holding the venue back.

[austink]

Indeed it probably took having a proper famous person in a show there to address the historic issue that was preventing todaytix listings. Good development. Hope it isn’t just a one off.

Jan 12, 2023 22:20:59 GMT max said:

It's on TodayTix I notice, from people tweeting that they unlocked Rush tickets.

A breakthrough for The Charing Cross Theatre?
I think we've said here that lack of visibility on TodayTix was one of the things holding the venue back.

[david]

My 2023 theatre season got underway tonight with a visit to this show and it really was a great way to start it. Having booked my ticket only a few days ago using the OLT sale, I bagged seat P9 for £20, and i really couldn’t fault it. A great view at a bargain price. Based on my experience tonight, I’d definitely recommend a central view in this seating block. I would be tempted to avoid the two end seats at either end of the rows simply for the fact that you would miss a lot of stuff that goes on above in the two balconies.

In respect to the show, that really was an emotional piece of theatre which left quite a few of us wiping away a few tears by the end. With the full cast on tonight, I really couldn’t fault anyone and all played their part in delivering a really great night out at the theatre and a great opportunity to learn a little history about the treatment of the Japanese in the US during WW2 which I had only a passing knowledge of pre-show. The fact that the show is based on the real life experience of George Takei and his family really does add an extra emotional punch.

I loved the score and the vocals, particularly from Telly Young and Aynrand Ferrer backed up the orchestra of 6 were a joy to listen to. No sound issues from my seat tonight.

Certainly, being staged in the intimate setting of the Charing Cross theatre I think works in the favour of this show. Being so close to proceedings you really do feel drawn into the on stage action. Both during the interval and as people were leaving at the end, there was a lot of positive comments from other patrons tonight . I have no hesitation in recommending a ticket purchase for this show.

[max]

Jan 13, 2023 14:48:03 GMT austink said:

Indeed it probably took having a proper famous person in a show there to address the historic issue that was preventing todaytix listings. Good development. Hope it isn’t just a one off.

Jan 12, 2023 22:20:59 GMT max said:

It's on TodayTix I notice, from people tweeting that they unlocked Rush tickets.

A breakthrough for The Charing Cross Theatre?
I think we've said here that lack of visibility on TodayTix was one of the things holding the venue back.

It would be embarassing for Today Tix if they made it a one off - I don't think they can.  Weirdly the Park Theatre has been on their site for ages, rarely with star names; but it does seem that Mr Takei made inclusion irresistible at last. 


If seat plans are anything to go by 'Allegiance' seems to be selling pretty well.  Kevin Wilson is pulling every single PR opportunity possible.  Impact of reviews will be interesting.

[sfsusan]

Jan 8, 2023 1:20:52 GMT 42ndBlvd said:

dust was everywhere

The dust was part of the set atmosphere. It's mentioned when the people arrive at the camp, "the dust gets in through the cracks". I agree it was a bit overdone, especially before the setting is meant to be in the camp.

Jan 8, 2023 19:33:08 GMT theatrescribe said:

Wait til you see the toilets! 

Agree! The ladies' has 4 stalls, at least two of which had doors that didn't close/lock and as a bonus, the seat in one of those wasn't entirely fastened down.

There were some lighting problems that delayed the start of the show.

And some seats are torn, with missing seat numbers. Once you worked out that they started at the aisle with 1 (I was in M 4 and 5) everyone found their seats pretty quickly. Nevertheless, the seats were comfortable with decent knee and foot room (I could cross my legs without kicking anybody).

But all that pales in light of the show. It was very intense and emotional, with amazing performances. The ending is a bit cliched and sentimental but it still hit the emotional target. I wasn't the only person sniffing on the way out.

I paid 30 pounds for each seat through Official London Theatre. (I think the regular price was 73 each.)

[mkb]

This was a pleasant-enough diversion and achieves Takei's stated aim of spreading knowledge about the plight of US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII.

The music is strong, as are most of the performances, but the book is weak. At times the narrative drags, and there is no room for nuance or serious character development. We are very much in the world of safe, sanitised musical theatre rather than the grim reality of what happens when two nations go to war.

I wonder if the UK were to declare war on and attack another nation, whether second-generation Brits living in the latter would be so quick to declare their undying support for their adopted home nation, especially if they were interned. Divided loyalties are presented here as an inner conflict between American patriotism and Japanese cultural values, rather than any explicit support for Japan. I fear that, in order to win over an American public, this musical is not being entirely honest.

The traverse staging is awkward. (Does that format ever work?) The set is built out about 1m from the stage wall on the entrance side of the theatre. This means that aisle seats on that side -- those with the lowest seat number iirc -- have a slightly restricted view.

Three stars.

Act 1: 19:35-20:45
Act 2: 21:07-21:55

[max]

Jan 15, 2023 12:12:08 GMT mkb said:

This was a pleasant-enough diversion and achieves Takei's stated aim of spreading knowledge about the plight of US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII.

The music is strong, as are most of the performances, but the book is weak. At times the narrative drags, and there is no room for nuance or serious character development. We are very much in the world of safe, sanitised musical theatre rather than the grim reality of what happens when two nations go to war.

I wonder if the UK were to declare war on and attack another nation, whether second-generation Brits living in the latter would be so quick to declare their undying support for their adopted home nation, especially if they were interned. Divided loyalties are presented here as an inner conflict between American patriotism and Japanese cultural values, rather than any explicit support for Japan. I fear that, in order to win over an American public, this musical is not being entirely honest.

The traverse staging is awkward. (Does that format ever work?) The set is built out about 1m from the stage wall on the entrance side of the theatre. This means that aisle seats on that side -- those with the lowest seat number iirc -- have a slightly restricted view.

Three stars.

Act 1: 19:35-20:45
Act 2: 21:07-21:55

I think traverse staging does work, but in the way that traverse staging usually is:  with the audience sitting either side of the long edges of the stage.

I know that a very few audience members do sit that way in the balcony at The Charing Cross Theatre, (and for From Here To Eternity at ground level), but in the main it has two 'end-on' feeling audience blocks watching the stubby end of the traverse.  I was perfectly happy with it for 'Pippin' though, which I thought was great (and I don't even like the material that much).

I haven't seen 'Allegiance' yet, but I was interested in your insights.  It does sound like it would be good if at least one character was rooting for the Japanese war effort (secretly most likely in the circumstances). As for the majority of characters, I don't have the US knowledge, but in this country early generation immigrants often talk of how 'tolerant' their new home is, how 'grateful' they are to be here, and often aim to out-English the English. Immigrants also want to show those 'back home' that they didn't make a dreadful mistake, and sending money home (even if not doing well yourself yet) is a big part of demonstrating that. So it may not be too off kilter that the characters in 'Allegiance' want to show their American-ness not just as an act for self-preservation, but because they mean it and want it (even if self-deluding).

'Tolerant' and 'grateful' are words that Suella Braverman used just a few days ago in celebration of Britain's welcome; and it's absolutely the last thing those of the second and third generation want: to celebrate being 'tolerated'!  But that's where Braverman and previously Priti Patel are. It may have something to do with their parents coming from Kenya/Mauritius and Uganda respectively - where the British would have held them in higher esteem than Africans. They've both managed to be children of immigrants yet with a haughty keenness to judge and scold others -  just as their rank 'back home'.  

So I get your point re. the gradations of experience and reaction through the generations.  George Takei was already third generation himself, it was his grandparents who were the newcomers to America. Maybe 'Allegiance' could have dealt more with that complexity.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[sfsusan]

Jan 15, 2023 12:12:08 GMT mkb said:

Divided loyalties are presented here as an inner conflict between American patriotism and Japanese cultural values, rather than any explicit support for Japan. I fear that, in order to win over an American public, this musical is not being entirely honest.

Are you saying there was substantial "explicit support" for Japan among the Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the US? That's certainly not been the prevailing narrative in the US in the past couple of decades.

Apparently, 2/3rds of the internees were actually American citizens. And a 2011 investigation by the US Solicitor General found that a 1942 report (the Ringle Report) was buried because it "would have undermined the administration's position of the military necessity for such action [internment], as it concluded that most Japanese Americans were not a national security threat, and that allegations of communication espionage had been found to be without basis by the FBI and Federal Communications Commission."

And in 1941, before Pearl Harbor inflamed prejudices, a report commissioned by President Roosevelt "certified a remarkable, even extraordinary degree of loyalty among this generally suspect ethnic group."

Do you have contradictory information?

[mkb]

Jan 15, 2023 20:43:27 GMT sfsusan said:

Jan 15, 2023 12:12:08 GMT mkb said:

Divided loyalties are presented here as an inner conflict between American patriotism and Japanese cultural values, rather than any explicit support for Japan. I fear that, in order to win over an American public, this musical is not being entirely honest.

Are you saying there was substantial "explicit support" for Japan among the Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the US?

Not at all. Where did "substantial" come from? I was surprised that there were none at all.

If it is historically accurate that there were no pro-Japan voices, even quietly among friends, then that would be interesting and remarkable.

[sfsusan]

Jan 15, 2023 21:20:47 GMT mkb said:

If it is historically accurate that there were no pro-Japan voices, even quietly among friends, then that would be interesting and remarkable.

I doubt there were absolutely no pro-Japan voices, but I think the play is addressing the more common experiences rather than what a few people might have whispered in private.

The play has been accused of not being historically honest in other details (no white nurse was killed in the camps, the stockades were at other camps rather than Heart Mountain) but it seems to me that those are somewhat nitpicky criticisms of a work of art that isn't presenting itself as a documentary.

[sukhavati]

Jan 15, 2023 21:20:47 GMT mkb said:

Jan 15, 2023 20:43:27 GMT sfsusan said:

Are you saying there was substantial "explicit support" for Japan among the Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the US?

Not at all. Where did "substantial" come from? I was surprised that there were none at all.

If it is historically accurate that there were no pro-Japan voices, even quietly among friends, then that would be interesting and remarkable.

I read of a couple of cases that took place on 7 December '42, where a crashed Japanese pilot convinced a pair of workers on a private Hawaiian island plantation to use small arms to attack others on the estate, as well as another plantation worker who used the machine gun on a crashed Zero to fire at others on that farm. I don't remember reading if the turncoats were first generation, but the point was that they could fluently communicate in the Japanese language, therefore were capable of being turned. At the time, Emperor Hirohito was still considered to be divine, so carrying out attacks against the enemy was considered a sacred duty. Aside from the ceremonial saki toast, how else did they convince kamikaze pilots to go on suicide missions?

My husband was friends with a former commandant of a US Marines air base. The gentleman had been an aviator in the Pacific theatre during the war; I don't know how the subject came up, but he'd told my husband that part of the thinking behind the internment order was for the safety of the Japanese Americans. Their ethnicity is obvious compared to American Germans, some of whom were also interned during the war (obv, not as well known as the story of Japanese Americans). There was a little fear that there might be an American version of Kristallnacht in cities with Japanese districts. But as with the anecdotal stories of the Hawaiian plantation workers, people who used Japanese or German at home were suspected of harbouring sympathies toward the countries of their parents.

More recently in the US shortly after 9/11, there were a handful of "revenge" killings of Sikhs who had been mistaken for Muslims because of their turbans. Sadly, there are a handful of American idiots who are ignorant enough not be be able to differentiate between individual ethnic communities, but bold enough to kill because they think they are eliminating an enemy.

[sfsusan]

Jan 16, 2023 4:01:25 GMT sukhavati said:

... part of the thinking behind the internment order was for the safety of the Japanese Americans.

Then why were the guards watching inwards instead of outwards?

That thinking was part of the rationalization, but not really a reason.

Jan 16, 2023 4:01:25 GMT sukhavati said:

I read of a couple of cases that took place on 7 December '42, where a crashed Japanese pilot convinced a pair of workers on a private Hawaiian island plantation to use small arms to attack others on the estate, as well as another plantation worker who used the machine gun on a crashed Zero to fire at others on that farm.

I think you're talking about the Ni'ihau incident. Apparently, a crashed Japanese pilot convinced three residents of Japanese descent to help him escape after he was captured. In the escape he was killed, one Hawaiian resident was wounded and one of the people helping him committed suicide. I suppose that could be made to seem like an armed attack on a peaceful farm. And it was definitely used to claim that the Japanese in Hawaii couldn't be trusted. Ironically, it wasn't considered enough proof to incarcerate them... perhaps because they were too large a part of the Hawaiian workforce.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau_incident

Jan 16, 2023 4:01:25 GMT sukhavati said:

how else did they convince kamikaze pilots to go on suicide missions?

The motivations of Japanese military personnel are irrelevant to civilian Japanese living in America, let alone American citizens of Japanese descent.

And yes, violence powered by ignorance and 'justified' by patriotism/nationalism/religious fervor is a huge danger, everywhere.

[sukhavati]

Jan 16, 2023 16:27:24 GMT sfsusan said:

Jan 16, 2023 4:01:25 GMT sukhavati said:

... part of the thinking behind the internment order was for the safety of the Japanese Americans.

Then why were the guards watching inwards instead of outwards?

That thinking was part of the rationalization, but not really a reason.

Jan 16, 2023 4:01:25 GMT sukhavati said:

I read of a couple of cases that took place on 7 December '42, where a crashed Japanese pilot convinced a pair of workers on a private Hawaiian island plantation to use small arms to attack others on the estate, as well as another plantation worker who used the machine gun on a crashed Zero to fire at others on that farm.

I think you're talking about the Ni'ihau incident. Apparently, a crashed Japanese pilot convinced three residents of Japanese descent to help him escape after he was captured. In the escape he was killed, one Hawaiian resident was wounded and one of the people helping him committed suicide. I suppose that could be made to seem like an armed attack on a peaceful farm. And it was definitely used to claim that the Japanese in Hawaii couldn't be trusted. Ironically, it wasn't considered enough proof to incarcerate them... perhaps because they were too large a part of the Hawaiian workforce.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau_incident

Jan 16, 2023 4:01:25 GMT sukhavati said:

how else did they convince kamikaze pilots to go on suicide missions?

The motivations of Japanese military personnel are irrelevant to civilian Japanese living in America, let alone American citizens of Japanese descent.

And yes, violence powered by ignorance and 'justified' by patriotism/nationalism/religious fervor is a huge danger, everywhere.Just to clarify, I was passing along what was said by a retired Brigadier General. The man was elderly in the 1990s when he mentioned that to my husband, and I can't speak to how his wartime experience affected his belief in accepting what he relayed in the reasons for imprisoning US citizens of Japanese descent. We were young newlyweds at the time and had been brought up to respect our elders and not question their motivation or beliefs. Having said that, personally I find it appalling for a government or individual to target any group of people because of their ethnicity or nationality. The same mindset is still in effect in governments, whether you're looking at Latin American migrants trying to reach North America, or migrants from Eastern Europe and the Middle East trying to get to the UK.

[sfsusan]

Jan 18, 2023 0:32:14 GMT sukhavati said:

Just to clarify, I was passing along what was said by a retired Brigadier General. The man was elderly in the 1990s when he mentioned that to my husband, and I can't speak to how his wartime experience affected his belief in accepting what he relayed in the reasons for imprisoning US citizens of Japanese descent.

Yes, my mother-in-law justified the incarceration to me in the 1980s... "you don't understand, we were afraid". Fear is almost always behind brutality.

Ironically, her son-in-law's sister-in-law was a child in the camps just as George Takei was. And the sister-in-law's mother never did forgive the white Americans for what they did. (Their neighbor was entrusted with their home, business and possessions when they left for the camp. They came back to find he had sold everything and they were destitute.)

[anthony40]

Not too sure if I'll get round to seeing this but I'm pleased that it's being received so well.

[Dave B]

Right, I saw this on Tuesday. Press night which mean that the cast were mingling in the bar after rather than signing so I'm somewhat gutted (read: hugely gutted) to have not got my programme signed.

This succeeds quite simply because of Takei. It's a round of applause as he comes onto stage and it's his warmth and his drive to tell this story which just propel it forward. He seems to inhabit everything that comes across from his social media and campaigning, warm and friendly and funny and dedicated to making the story of internment in the USA his legacy.

He is quite captivating and while still not the finest actor, he owns the stage here. The rest of the cast are great, Leung is great and oozes charisma, Ferrer (as his sister) is also great and reaches high with her singing. Munday is great, and gets to shine as the show goes on. There is a huge contrast with Mark Anderson who is OTT as a prison guard but then nearly steals the show with a big band number from the balcony, a double take to realise they were the same person!

The songs... well there are songs but they don't really stick. The music is good, fills CCT nicely and combines really well with some imagery (Hiroshima in particular).

On its own and without Takei it's probably a two star piece, well meaning but corny and predicable. With Takei and with it being something he's so passionate about and sitting there knowing that despite the corniness and the presentation, this happened to him as a child is immensely powerful. He's not a good enough actor (said with love and respect!) to have been faking the clear pleasure and pride he takes in this at curtain call and as he comes out to meet the crowds. It's where a single person makes the show transcend and turns it into something really quite special. Strong 4 stars.