• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Best Bets
  • Upcoming Shows
  • All Reviews
  • Bay Area Theatres
  • About Eddie
  • Contact
Theatre Eddys

Theatre Eddys

San Francisco Bay Area Theater Reviews

Allegiance

April 25, 2022 by Eddie Reynolds Leave a Comment

Allegiance

Marc Acito, Jay Kuo & Lorenzo Thione (Book); Jay Kuo (Music & Lyrics)

Palo Alto Players

The Cast of “Allegiance”

With only the clothes on their backs and one tightly clutched suitcase each, shock-faced people stand shoulder-to-shoulder while riding in a cattle car to a location unknown – a destination surrounded by barbed wire in a desolate area reeking of dust and lacking in basic necessities.  As they arrive, families separate as men are sent to the left with women to the right; and all – young and old – are made to strip to their underwear.  The year is 1942; but the location is not Nazi-occupied Europe, nor the people, Jews.  These are American citizens who have lost all property and freedom, now labeled by their government as “4C Aliens” and all considered as potential enemies.  After all, as one soldier tells them, “A Jap is a Jap.”

In the midst of this scene this is almost too difficult to watch, one man sings in a proud, defiant voice: “We are Americans; there is nothing to discuss.  Then who will speak for us?”

The Cast of “Allegiance”

After a chance meeting with famed actor and gay activist George Takei and hearing of his and his family’s experience at such a Japanese internment camp during World War II, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione decided to join forces with Marc Acito to write a musical that speaks loudly and boldly with both heart and humor of this shameful period in American history that affected over 12,000 Japanese American citizens.  Allegiance tells one family’s story as three generations are suddenly uprooted from their comfortable Salinas, California farm and locked up like prisoners in barren, wooden buildings in Heart Mountain, Wyoming.  With a mostly Asian cast of twenty exceptionally talented actors, an orchestra of seven, and a creative team extraordinaire, Palo Alto Players presents a flawlessly executed, musically uplifting, and deeply moving Allegiance that is not-to-be-missed.

For the rest of my review, please continue to Talkin’ Broadway.

Rating: 5-E, MUST-SEE

A TheatreEddys Best Bet Production

Allegiance continues in live performances through May 8, 2022 in production by Palo Alto Players at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.  Tickets are available online at http://paplayers.org .  Virtual, online viewing of a live, filmed performance will be available May 5-May 8.

Photo Credit: Scott Lasky

Rating: 5 E, Best Bet Tags: Palo Alto Players, Musical, MUST SEE, 5 E

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

E-mail Newsletter

Sign up to receive reviews by email

Top 50 Theater Blogs
Eddie is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.

Theatre Eddys Ratings Legend

5 E's - Loved It
A classic, would see it a second time.
4 E's - Really Liked It
Excellent, strong production.
3 E's - Liked It
Good production but something is lacking or not clicking.
2 E's - Just OK
Below average but had at least one interesting component.
1 E - Did Not Like It
Waste of time.

Shows By Rating

  • 5 E (412)
  • 4.5 E (83)
  • 4 E (255)
  • 3.5 E (61)
  • 3 E (112)
  • 2.5 E (7)
  • 2 E (20)
  • 1.5 E (1)
  • 1 E (4)
  • Best Bet (158)
  • Not Rated (38)

Shows By Date

Tags

Musical5 Eworld premiereMUST SEE4 ETheatreWorks Silicon ValleySan Francisco PlayhouseNew Conservatory Theatre CenterPear TheatreBerkeley Repertory Company4.5 EMarin Theatre CompanyAmerican Conservatory TheatrePalo Alto PlayersShotgun PlayersAurora Theatre CompanyThe MarshHillbarn TheatreCity Lights Theater CompanyOregon Shakespeare Festival

Footer

About this site

Theatre Eddys reviews performances throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

About Eddie

Theatre Critic for the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, writing 150+ reviews annually for Theatre Eddys and Talkin' Broadway (San Jose/Silicon Valley). Read More

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2014–2025 Theatre Eddys. Website by Refactorr