Asian American feminism, politics, and pop culture
Just three months after opening on Broadway, “Allegiance” — which tackles Japanese American incarceration with a story inspired by the childhood of actor George Takei — announced it will end its Broadway run with its final performance on February 14, 2016. Late last year, I reviewed “Allegiance” and found it “poignant and timely”.
Continue reading ““Allegiance” To Give Final Broadway Performance in February”
This year marks the 70th year of the closing of the World War II incarceration camps (JACL’s “Power of Words”) that imprisoned thousands of Japanese American civilians under inhumane conditions and threat of violence. Yet, this shameful and racist episode of American history still receives scant attention in our history classrooms. The vast majority of Americans know that our government incarcerated Japanese American families behind barbed wire fences, but know precious little else about it.
Yet, Japanese American incarceration is of particular relevance given today’s political climate. The growing global presence of fundamentalist terrorists – who falsely justify their violence with appropriated references to the Islamic faith, yet who just last week took the lives of hundreds of innocent Muslims and non-Muslims in various parts of the world — has lead to intense Islamophobia. Our world once again stands at a precipice: we find ourselves once more ready to commit the unforgivable sin of failing to distinguish between our enemy’s heinous violence, and their race or faith. We again find ourselves in danger of persecuting our innocent neighbours as an expression of our grief-turned-unforgivably-racist-rage. Already, our politicians suggest with possible sincerity that we round up American Muslims and house them in camps – “for our own protection”.
“Allegiance” — a musical written by Jay Kuo and inspired by the experiences of former Tule Lake incarceree, famed Star Trek actor, and vocal Japanese American community advocate George Takei – opened this month on Broadway in New York City; it had previously opened in San Diego in 2012. “Allegiance” challenges us to learn about the camps not as artifacts of history, but through the lens of the lives torn asunder by them; and for this specific moment in the global War on Terror, this story seems particularly poignant and timely.
Continue reading ““Allegiance” Gives Voice and Life to Japanese American History”
A little more than two years ago, George Takei headlined the original musical “Allegiance” which appeared in San Diego’s Old Globe theatre for a week in September of 2012. “Allegiance” tells the story of a Japanese American family and the love and loss they face during internment and imprisonment in World War II American concentration camps, and is based on stories from Takei’s childhood.
Now, “Allegiance” is announcing that in the wake of its sold-out performances in 2012 in San Diego, the muscial is returning… and this time to Broadway! “Allegiance” will be opening November 8, 2015 on the stage of the Shubert Theatre, with preview performances to start October 6.
I am particularly excited by this news given the current state of Asian Americans in musicals. The “Allegiance” website notes that with its Broadway opening, “Allegiance” will become the first musical with a predominantly Asian American lead cast to play on Broadway since Oscar and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, which was revived for Broadway by noted Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang in 2002. More recently, Broadway has hosted a production of David Henry Hwang’s play “Chinglish”, which also featured a mostly Asian American-led cast.
Continue reading ““Allegiance” will bring musical tale of Japanese American internment to Broadway”