Darkness and Light in George Takei’s Life

Choreographers

Songwriters

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Inspired by actor George Takei’s life, Allegiance is distinguished not only by the caché of its famous source, but also the gravitas of its subject matter: The musical tells the tale of Takei’s experience as a Japanese American during WWII, including the horrible reality of internment camps and his family’s fate during the political whirlpool driven by war.

Hoping to capture both the darkness and the light in his past, the creative team has been fixated on mastering the tonal balance, and dance, as created by choreographer Andrew Palermo, has served as a powerful tool in doing so.

“It’s a story of gaman, the Japanese word that means to persevere,” Palermo says. “This family got through being interned with their heads held high, and ultimately, it’s a story about finding inspiration in dark places. So, this show has huge high moments: a big swing number, a baseball number, and so on. We have our eye on a constant tug of war between the weighty story and having the audience leave the theatre feeling uplifted. It’s both, and the dance serves as an escape in many places.”

Many drafts later (“I’d say this is version D or even E!” Palermo says), Allegiance is bursting with diverse movement that expresses the full range of Takei’s experience. There are huge numbers that recall musical theatre classics, but there are also gestural, angular, modern elements that portray the camp inmates and the figurative storminess of the time.

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“I’m not a purist,” says Palermo of the wide-ranging styles of his choreography. “If something is set in an era, I’ll do what I have to do to be authentic, but I want to make sure it’s my voice and appeals to a current audience. So when there were times to push the boundaries and do something a little more interpretive and a little less 40s, I immediately started to infuse my own voice in those places. There’s a number in the show called ‘Do Not Fight the Storm,’ about what happened right after Pearl Harbor: the terror and confusion as Japanese-Americans started being sent to the camps. There, I was able to infuse interpretive, stylized, and heightened movement because it’s reflecting characters’ inner battles as much as the physical situation.”

To depict the dust storms that arise in the California heat – and also reflect the emotional chaos of the times – Palermo created an “add-on piece,” a modern dance concept that builds gestures on each other, one at a time, always returning to the first movements before adding another.

He continues, “Now the show has the full spectrum of colors. Going in, I was worried about the idea of including so many styles: Will this feel like a kitchen sink? But it seems the audiences can see the throughline. I look for movement that comes from the core. It doesn’t start with your hands; it starts with your gut, the emotional and physical center. And this show resides in that same place. “

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TDF MEMBERS: At press time, TDF is offering discounted tickets to Allegiance. Click here to see all our available shows.

Lauren Kay regularly writes about dance for TDF Stages.

Photo of George Takei, taken from the Old Globe production, by Henry DiRocco. Middle photo by Matthew Murphy.

LAUREN KAY