THE CAST waits in the hallway of the recording studio. KIKU ENOMOTO’S FACEBOOK
NEW YORK—We are done!
On Dec. 7, the “Allegiance” cast and orchestra headed to the MSR Studios in midtown Manhattan to record the show’s Original Broadway Cast Album! It was a day we all were waiting for and felt so excited to be part of.
(By the way, this date was the 74th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. How interesting that this was when we would record the show. It was a date that we didn’t pick; it was the only date the studio was available.)
For a few of us in the company, this wouldn’t be our first go-around at show music preservation. Telly Leung (Sammy Kimura) had done a couple, as has Michael K. Lee and yours truly.
A few members of our ensemble have had their chances, as well. But for many of the rest, most notably our debutantes
(including George Takei, whose recording session took place the following day), that was their very first one. And I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last.
Our orchestra was called in bright and early at 9 a.m. to lay down a few tracks before the vocalists arrived. Each of the singers had different call times (Telly, the ensemble and I were slated to start at 12:30 p.m.; a few others were there either earlier or later).
For much of the album, the orchestra recorded at the same time as the vocalists, which meant a small margin for error at each recording pass.
Sure, there would be some punching in here and there. We had no time to spend leisurely lingering for hours on one song. That said, this was music we were all used to singing and playing every day. It wouldn’t take very long.
A few days before the session, our music supervisor Lynne Shankel (who shares credit for producing the “Allegiance” cast album with Joel Moss) sent us all an e-mail to tell us how important it is to be warmed up and ready to go the minute we arrive.
Because of how little time we had to record this amount of music, we needed to be totally focused at all times and ready for anything. There was a lot that we needed to accomplish.
We recorded the music out of sequence (I started my day with a song in Act 2, and jumped around through my stuff for the whole day), depending on who was needed with each song.
All the stuff that required the ensemble was done early, except for one solo recorded by Katie Rose Clarke, which was the first vocal to be laid down.
Little by little, once their stuff was preserved, they were released. The last few left standing were the actors who had solos and duets still to record in the evening.
A fun, sweet moment
One fun and sweet moment in the day was when our lead producer, Lorenzo Thione, stepped in for George for the dialogue in the duet, “Ishi Kara Ishi.” I went into the control room and asked, “Can someone be George for me for this?”
After a few moments of silence, the very tall Lorenzo stood up, and calmly headed to the isolation booth to do the scene, reading George’s lines. However, he didn’t sing. I had to manage that on my own.
Despite the high-pressure situation we were under, there was so much humor and laughter shared by everyone.
Our associate director Melanie Lockyer was generously giving neck massages to some of our cast members. Michael brought in his shiatsu massager for the cast to try out and enjoy (it’s amazing).
There was plenty of good-natured ribbing, hugs, and pizza (thanks to our conductor Laura Bergquist’s husband, Joe).
My mom hung out in the green room and chatted with the cast members who were there, too, sharing stories of home. All in all, it was such a wonderful atmosphere, and I had a big smile plastered on my face for the whole day.
And oh, we finished two hours ahead of schedule! A whole album—in just one day!
We cannot wait until January to release this work that we’re all so proud of.
On the day of the session, George posted a brand-new status on his Facebook page, and I thought to quote it here to remind us of why we get up on that stage to tell this story eight shows a week:
“On this day in history, 74 years ago, the Empire of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, killing thousands and plunging us into war. That was a terrible day, including for my family; we, like many others, now looked like the enemy, and for that crime, we spent the next years in two US internment camps.
“Now, on stage, I help tell part of the story that began from that fateful attack, in the hope that we remember the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them. Honor history, honor the fallen and work always toward peace, friends.”
The Original Broadway Cast Recording of “Allegiance” will be available at the Longacre Theatre on Jan. 15, 2016 and will be released in stores and digitally on Jan. 30.