Openly gay actor George Takei will take to the stage on Friday, September 7 for the world premiere of Allegiance- A New American Musical at the Old Globe in San Diego.
Allegiance is an “epic story of love, war and heroism set during the Japanese American internment of World War II.” The narrative follows a family that is displaced from their home in California after the attack on Pearl Harbor and confined in the Heart Mountain internment camp in the wastelands of Wyoming, unsure if they will ever be able to return. The play was written by Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione. Shedding light on this difficult time for America, the performance coincides with the 70th anniversary of the implementation of the internment camps.
Kuo and Thione developed the idea for the play after two coincidental run-ins with George Takei at a couple of shows in New York City. It was during the intermission of their second encounter at the Broadway show, In the Heights, that Takei shared with them his personal story of how his family was placed in the Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas during the war.
Takei already has a great track record of using his projects and celebrity to advocate on behalf of human rights. Recently, Takei marched at NYC Pride with GLAAD and Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted as leader of her son's Boy Scouts troop earlier this year because she is gay. Tweet @GeorgeTakei to wish him well for the show and click here to get your tickets.
