Interview: George Takei on ALLEGIANCE- 'It's Profoundly Personal to Me'

Allegiance, a new musical inspired by a true-life story, starring Lea Salonga and George Takei, is coming to Broadway, also starring Telly Leung. Previews begin on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 with opening night set for Sunday, November 8, 2015 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). The company is busy getting ready to bring the show to Broadway, and Takei recently chatted with BroadwayWorld about the process. Takei is making his Broadway debut with the project, and he had a lot to say on the subject:

Takei told BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge:

I first came to New York with the aspiration of being on Broadway back in 1960. I've done off- Broadway. I've acted throughout Britain, including Scotland, and all around Los Angeles. More than just getting on Broadway finally at age 78 years old , it's the content of what I am making my Broadway debut in that means the world to me. A story that is profoundly personal to me.

I was a child then so it's really my father's experience. My parent's experience and my mother's too. My mother was a tough lady as well. I was just talking about the word ' 'Gaman'- endure with dignity. Fortitude, perseverance...those are the words that my parents taught us. At that time as a child it was just something that we did. As a child, I was able to adjust to the grotesque abnormality of imprisonment, life behind barbwire, century towers and machine guns pointed at you. For my parents it was a harrowing experience to be stripped of everything and to be telling this story on Broadway, which had been my aspiration is an unimaginable fulfillment of my life.

When we did it in San Diego, to get that spontaneous, immediate standing ovation at the end of the play and every time we stood there in front of that audience, I thought of my parents and I silently expressed my gratitude to them as well as to all those wonderful people applauding there. About ten days ago the marquee went up with my surname, but also my parent's surname and my first name on top of our surname and I had tears welling up. I regretted that my father could not have been there to witness that marquee going up- his surname and essentially his story being advertised over the Longacre Theatre. It was a profoundly moving experience for me.

For as much passion I have of telling this story, I couldn't do it by myself. I was just chatting with Lorenzo [Thione]. It's his amazing brilliance, his unique talents, he's the co writer but he is also a wonderful producer. He's an innovator. Coming up with ideas for this vast production and how things happen out of team work and collaboration. And then there's Lea [Salonga] with her extraordinary talent, and her fantastic following. It's Jay [Kuo] and his amazing musical talent, his fluency in so many musical languages. There is the sound of the 40's, the big band sound, but also there is the melody of Japanese folk tunes and the zazzy Broadway production numbers. I maintain that every period in American musical theatre has been defined by one musical genius. Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim and I think with Allegiance, the beginning of the Jay Kuo period of American musical theatre. All of this coming together that makes this special experience, event, production of Allegiance possible and I feel so blessed and so grateful to all of our colleagues here.

As previously announced, Allegiance has a book by Marc Acito with music and lyrics by Jay Kuo. Helming the production is Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima (London's Ragtime, Off-Broadway's Bare, Carrie, Altar Boyz).

The cast is as follows: George Takei as Sam Kimura/Ojii San; Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura; Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura; Christopheren Nomura as Tatsuo Kimura; Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki; Katie Rose Clarke as Hannah Campbell and Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka. The ensemble will feature Aaron J. Albano, Belinda Allyn, Marcus Choi, Janelle Dote, Dan Horn, Owen Johnston, Darren Lee, Manna Nichols, Autumn Ogawa, Rumi Oyama, Momoko Sugai, Cary Tedder, Elena Wang , Scott Watanabe and Scott Wise.

Allegiance is inspired by Takei's true-life story. Traversing the lush California heartland, the windswept prairies of Wyoming and the battlefields of war-torn Europe, Allegiance tells the multi-generational tale of deep family loyalty, romance, humor, optimism and unparalleled heroism in the face of fear and prejudice against Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Photo Credit: Lia Chang