George Takei has had many incarnations, from cult status as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, to becoming an unlikely social media celebrity in his 70s with his often humorous, sometimes political, always engaging Facebookposts.
Recently he has taken on what could be considered one of his most important roles yet with the broadway musical, Allegiance.
Hornblower was honored to have the cast of Allegiance aboard the Hornblower Hybrid to celebrate their opening night. It was a star-studded opening and a well-deserved breather after fans heaped praise upon the production. The cast finally had the chance to kick back and enjoy the sights of New York Harbor as they cruised past the Statue of Liberty with a successful opening night behind them
Allegiance is inspired by the true life experience of Takei who spent time as a child in a Japanese American internment camp. It follows the story of the Kimura family who are uprooted from their home in California to a camp in Wyoming. While in the camp, Sam Kimura (played by Glee’s Telly Leung) decides to enlist in the military in order to show his loyalty to the United States. Meanwhile his sister, Kei, (Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga — Miss Saigon) takes to protesting the draft with the camp’s activist and troublemaker, Frankie.
Takei plays both the elderly Sam, looking back on the past, as well as Ojii-San (the grandfather in Japanese.) Takei has received praise for his performance and is surrounded by a talented cast. Lea Salonga is described as having an amazing voice that just has to be experienced; the Hollywood Reporter said, ““Lea Salonga is exquisite and Stirring.”
The production takes to the challenge of combining what can be a sombre, difficult, issue and skillfully weaving in the personal stories of the characters while entertaining with music.
But don’t just take our word for it, here’s some of what those in the know have said:
“An important show with a phenomenal cast, it deserves to be seen” – Entertainment Weekly
“Poignant and defiantly moving. It will ge a grip on your heartstrings.” – USAToday
“An important show with a phenomenal cast, it deserves to be seen!”
Allegiance is playing now at the Longacre Theater on Broadway. See the Allegiance website to book tickets and for more information.
See more photos from opening night here.