ALLEGIANCE Stars George Takei, Lea Salonga and More Set for THEATER TALK Today

An all-new THEATER TALK presents the compelling backstory of a dramatic new Broadway musical - one that seemingly defies musical treatment. Talking about the show ALLEGIANCE - the story of a Japanese-American family's internment by the U.S. government during World War II, as well as the show's six-and-a-half-year journey to the Longacre Theatre, are its stars George Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung and director Stafford Arima.

Although Takei's mother was born in Sacramento, his father in San Francisco, and their children in Los Angeles, the family was interned during the war for "national security" - "because we looked like those people who bombed Pearl Harbor," says Takei. Everything was taken away - "our business, our home, our freedom." Director Arima was drawn to the material because his father, grandmother, aunts and uncles all experienced the same internment in Canada.

Why a musical? Arima answers, "A musical allows a character to communicate in a different manner; it elevates the drama." Leung, (who portrays Sam Kamura, a young man who although interned, patriotically enlists to fight for the U.S. military) explains that music lets the characters express emotions not always spoken in Asian families. "Above all," says Takei, "It was love and laughter that made it possible to endure what we did with dignity, fortitude and pride."

Co-hosted by Susan Haskins and Jesse Green of New York Magazine (Michael Riedel was away), this latest edition of THEATER TALK premieres in the New York metropolitan area today, November 6 (2015) at 1:30 AM (early Saturday morning) and repeats on Sunday 11/8 at 11:30 AM on Thirteen/PBS (new time); on CUNY TV* Saturday 11/7 at 8:30 PM, Sunday 11/8 at 12:30 PM, and Monday 11/9 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM; and on WLIW/21 on Monday 11/9 at 5:30 PM (new time) - a total of 8 showings weekly.

THEATER TALK is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan, and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The CUNY TV Foundation, and The Friends of THEATER TALK.

Pictured: From the new Broadway musical ALLEGIANCE -- George Takei and Lea Salonga; Telly Leung and director Stafford Arima (Images courtesy Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV)