‘Allegiance’ reflects actor George Takei’s early experiences

| January 25, 2018 | 0 Comments

GEORGE TAKEI 

The Los Angeles premiere of “Allegiance,” the Broadway musical inspired by Hancock Park resident George Takei’s childhood experience, is coming to Little Tokyo.

East West Players (EWP) will present the musical production at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s Aratani Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., in Little Tokyo. The musical will run from Wed., Feb. 28 to Sun., April 1, with preview shows available Wed., Feb. 21 through Sun., Feb. 25.

The show’s original run on Broadway in 2015 to 2016 was well received. Video of that production has had multiple showings in movie theaters since. This is the first live theater revival since the original Broadway presentation.

George Takei, known for his founding role as Mr. Sulu in the television series “Star Trek,” will reprise the roles of Sam Kimura and Ojii-Chan, which he originated in the Broadway production. He will be joined by Broadway cast members Elena Wang as Kei Kimura, Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka, Scott Watanabe as Tatsuo Kimura, and Janelle Dote as Hanako.

“Allegiance” tells the story of the Kimura family, whose lives are upended when they and 120,000 other Japanese Americans are forced to leave their homes following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. While Sam Kimura seeks to prove his patriotism by fighting in the war, his sister, Kei, protests the government’s treatment of her people.

Music and lyrics are by Jay Kuo, and the book is by Mark Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione. EWP’s producing artistic director Snehal Desai will direct this new production, with Marc Macalintal as music director and Rumi Oyama as choreographer. Tickets start at $25. Visit allegiancemusical.com.

Tags: , ,

Category: Entertainment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *