Given the history of Star Trek singing careers, the idea of George Takei starring in a Broadway musical is something fans of the 78-year-old icon might regard suspiciously. From William Shatner's Shakespearean spoken word to Leonard Nimoy's Hobbit song to Nichelle Nichols singing gospel, it's been a mixed bag.
But with his performance in the Broadway musical Allegiance, currently in previews at the Longacre Theater, Takei boldly goes where no Trek actor has gone before -- into a genuinely impressive musical endeavor.
A two-act play running two and a half hours (including intermission), Allegiance tells the story of a Japanese-American family thrown into an internment camp when the U.S. enters World War II. Allegiance is partly inspired by Takei's experiences in internment camps as a child, but it's not autobiographical. Takei was five when incarcerated, while lead character Sammy Kimura -- played by the very likable Telly Leung, who Glee fans might recognize as one of the Warblers -- is a young man eager to join the war.