Star Trek's George Takei to Boldly Go to Broadway; Allegiance Sets Great White Way Dates

George Takei will make his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance, reprising his performance from the 2012 world premiere production in San Diego. Performances will begin at a Shubert theater to be announced on October 6. Opening night is set for November 8.

The Star Trek favorite will play Sam Otsuka, a WWII veteran; the show is inspired by his personal experience in Japanese internment camps in the 1940s. Stafford Arima will direct the tuner, which features music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and a book by Marc Acito. 

“I consider this my legacy project,” Takei told The New York Times. “This is the first time that this dark chapter of American history will be done on the Broadway stage.”

Takei is best known for playing Sulu on the original Star Trek TV series and the six movies that followed. He made his professional acting debut on a 1959 episode of the pioneering live television drama series, Playhouse 90. His many additional screen credits include Larry Crowne, The Great Buck Howard, The Red Canvas, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, DC 9/11: Time of Crisis, The Green Berets, Majority of One, Kissinger and Nixon, Prisoners of the Sun aka Blood Oath, Return From the River Kwai, An American Dream, Hawaii Five-0, True Justice, The Big Bang Theory, Community, Heroes, Will & Grace, Malcolm in the Middle, Freddie, Scrubs, Grosse Pointe and The Six Million Dollar Man.

Allegiance is the story of family, love and patriotism set during the Japanese-American internment of World War II. On the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, a meeting with a young journalist forces WWII veteran Sam Otsuka to remember his family’s relocation from their California farm to the Heart Mountain internment camp. As they struggle to adjust to their new home, young Sam and his sister Kei find themselves torn between loyalty to their family and allegiance to their country.

The Old Globe production featured Takei, along with Tony winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. Take a look at Broadway.com’s chat with the cast below!