George Takei’s Allegiance – Charing Cross Theatre

A fantastic production, heart-warming and fulfilling, grounded in a real historic period. It highlights the strength of the human spirit against all odds and shows how things can bloom even through adversity.

After the success of productions of Allegiance in San Diego and on Broadway it has arrived at the Charing Cross theatre, London.

This musical is the story of Sam Kimura and his family who, like 120,000 other Japanese Americans during World War Two were forced into internment camps. Evicted from their homes and shipped across the country for the crime of being of Japanese descent during a war where Japan was considered the enemy.

You could feel the love of the people involved; George Takei considers it his ‘legacy project’. The characters were inspired from his personal experiences and reflections of the Internment camps where he was taken at age five after the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941.

Written by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione, Allegiance has heart-breaking moments but also through the sadness there are moments of lightness and comedy mainly provided by George Takei. He is making his West End debut reprising the characters of an older Sam Kimura and Ojii-Chan. Throughout these emotional story beats, positivity, and the ides of making it through adversity were conveyed throughout the book and particularly in the song “Gamon.”

The music and lyrics of the beautiful songs in Allegiance are from Jay Kuo, who has brought a diverse catalogue of sounds to this production. Starting with “Whistle on the Wind” which opens the show and introduces us to the family dynamic. The show also boasts powerful and heartfelt ballads like “Higher” and high energy, jazz swing numbers such as “Paradise” and “442 victory swing.”

Telly Leung also reprises his role as Sam Kimura in his west end debut, he was so convincing in showing the inner workings of Sammy’s mind, so we understood his decision making. His voice blew me away especially in “What Makes A Man.” The role of Kei Kimura however was played by Aynrand Ferrer who is new to the role. To me she gave a stand out performance, particularly her ability to convey the many emotional beats her character carries. Her storytelling in the song ‘Higher,’ an insight into a woman who wants to have a life of her own but feels stifled by her responsibilities was magical.

The set design by Mayou Trikerioti was simple but effective, some wooden crates and posts that could be moved to appear as a tree or a barbed wire fence. It transforms the stage into a camp but also into what would be a family home.

Unfortunately, I found it difficult to believe the romance between Sam and Hannah, I don’t think there was enough time spent together. It felt as though they were suddenly in love after one song. I did not feel much chemistry between them. However, that is my only main gripe and I still enjoyed Hannah’s character and her development. On the other hand, I feel the opposite way about the relationship between Kei and Frankie, although it developed quite fast as well, I think it felt more realistic because the actors had more chemistry.

I felt compelled by the story’s throughline about there being honour in believing what you are doing is right. Despite others who are on the same side believing the opposite to you.

I encourage anyone and everyone to come see this wonderful show. I promise that you’ll leave having laughed and cried, full of hope for the future.

Playing until 8th April, https://allegiancemusical.com/

Reviewer: Zara Odetunde

Reviewed: 17th January 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★