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Allegiance review: George Takei can't save Broadway's mediocre pledge
6 / 10
George Takei, the original Sulu on Star Trek, was one of those interned. The experiences of his family have now inspired Allegiance, an unexceptional though often affecting new Broadway musical. Allegiance should be better served by its book, score and lyrics, most of which tend toward the generic. Stafford Arima's direction does too. Composer and lyricist Jay Kuo and book writers Marc Acito and Lorenzo Thione are striving so hard for stirring nobility that individuality or particular characterization falls by the wayside. The ballads are all sufficiently ballad-y, but none of the melodies linger once the curtain has fallen and the lyrics pile on platitude and cliché.
