Tag: Musicals

‘Soft Power’: A Powerfully Acted but Underwhelming Spectacle

Actors in a scene of David Henry Hwang's latest production, "Soft Power".

By Guest Contributor: Edward Hong (@CinnabonMonster)

Ever since I wanted to be an actor in high school, I became immediately aware of Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang. To this day, Hwang is arguably the best known Asian-American playwright in the world. Hwang’s plays (most notably, F.O.B. and M. Butterfly) have pioneered the expression of the Asian American identity on stage for the world to see.

To say that Hwang was a playwright I looked up to as an Asian-American actor would be a huge understatement. This guy was everything to me.

Thus, it was a no-brainer that I would go watch his latest work, Soft Power, which premiered on May 3rd at the Ahmanson Theatre. Excitement, intrigue, and fascination all swirled into one, particularly since Soft Power was also a collaboration between Hwang and well-known composer, Jeanine Tesor (Fun Home).

So what’s Soft Power all about?

The following review contains several spoilers about the latest musical production Soft Power. Please read on with care.

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“Allegiance” Gives Voice and Life to Japanese American History

allegiance-outside-poster

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.

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“Allegiance” will bring musical tale of Japanese American internment to Broadway

George Takei will be performing alongside a star-studded cast of Asian American Broadway and TV actors in the upcoming musical, "Allegiance", which tells about life in an internment camp.
George Takei will be performing in the upcoming musical, “Allegiance”, which tells about life in an internment camp.

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.

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