@roz said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
Allegiance got mixed reviews because it's a middling show at best. I'M SORRY.
Don't be sorry! That's your opinion. But when I throw Allegiance up against Miss Saigon, there's no comparison -- not for me, anyway. One is an embellished story about Japanese internment camps, and the other is a glorification of white saviors presented in an orientalist, misogynistic way. One has Lea Salonga in a dramatic lead role that holds the plot together, and the other has her as a wilting female stereotype.
I get that there's a lot to be said about THE SPECTACLE in musical theatre, and I agree that Jay Kuo's score is underwhelming. That said, the only reason I can still remember anything I heard in Aladdin is because I've seen the movie many times (and Courtney Reed is just awful as Jasmine, perhaps only because Lea Salonga (did I mention her again?) defined the role).
When Casey Affleck beats out Denzel Washington in Fences for Best Actor, I begin to see how the suspicions arise. When a sexual harasser beats out muthafuckin' Denzel Washington in an iconic role that he DESTROYS and Harvey Weinstein can keep a career, the entertainment biz can kind of shut the fuck up about trying to represent or be fair to minorities. Racism is still alive and well, and, in my opinion, it is up to the critics (the published ones, as opposed to the audience) to frame things in a proper light. Audiences, in the end, write their reviews by showing up or not; however, the critics need to see things with perspective because of their privilege.
Yes, there's some bitterness in me. (I've been turned down three times because I didn't fit into predominantly white shows.)
So, for me, Allegiance isn't just an important story, but also an important stepping stone, if not an iconic one. It is a show, essentially, by Asian Americans about Asian Americans at a time when being Asian American could get you killed. I believe it deserved more than 111 performances, where Miss Saigon got almost 4,100 in London and the best chance for an Asian American in musical theatre to get a role is to hope for a revival of Flower Drum Song. And even if is empirically and musically middling, it deserved better. I mean, Oh! Calcutta! had ten times the number of performances on its initial run.
Anyhow, I can't legitimately argue against your opinion. I respect it. But I want to leave this article for your consideration, and hope that maybe you'll change your mind about it.