The 16-strong cast of George Takei’s Allegiance has been revealed. ‘George Takei’s Allegiance’ will get its UK premiere at Charing Cross Theatre for 13 weeks from Saturday 7 January to Saturday 8 April, 2023.
This newly reconceived UK production of ‘George Takei’s Allegiance’ has a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione with music and lyrics by Jay Kuo.
Starring alongside the previously announced legendary TV and film star George Takei and Broadway and TV star Telly Leung is Aynrand Ferrer, who has just played the alternate Kim in ‘Miss Saigon’ in Vienna. All three are making their London stage debuts.
The multi-national cast also features Iroy Abesamis, Mark Anderson, Masashi Fujimoto, Megan Gardiner, Raiko Gohara, Eu Jin Hwang, Hana Ichijo, Misa Koide, Patrick Munday, Rachel Jayne Picar, Sario Solomon, Joy Tan, Iverson Yabut.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II, California-born George Takei and his
family were placed behind the barbed-wire enclosures of United States’ internment camps along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans. He spent years of his childhood at Camp Rohwer in the swamps of Arkansas and at wind-swept Camp Tule Lake in northern California. At the end of the war, Takei’s family returned to their native Los Angeles.
Inspired by this difficult chapter of American history and his own true childhood experiences, Takei
developed the Broadway musical Allegiance, an epic story of love and heroism in which he starred alongside Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung in its record-breaking world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 2012. The show won multiple awards and was followed by a Broadway run in 2015-2016.
Now Allegiance gets a new and more intimate production for the UK, conceived specifically for the
Off West End space at Charing Cross Theatre, directed and choreographed by Tara Overfield Wilkinson (director, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ UK tour, associate director/choreographer of ‘Come From Away’ UK).
‘George Takei’s Allegiance’ tells the moving story of Sam Kimura (Takei) as he is transported back nearly six decades to when his younger self (Leung) and his sister Kei (Ferrer) fought to stay
connected to their heritage, their family and themselves after Japanese Americans were wrongfully imprisoned during World War II. A powerful story told with great resonance and intimacy, ‘George Takei’s Allegiance’ explores the ties that bind us, the struggle to persevere and the overwhelming power of forgiveness and, most especially, love.
Creative team:
Book Marc Acito, Jay Kuo & Lorenzo Thione,
Music & Lyrics Jay Kuo,
Director and Choreographer Tara Overfield Wilkinson,
Musical Supervisors and Orchestrations Andrew Hilton and Charlie Ingles,
Set and Costume Designer Mayou Trikerioti,
Lighting Designer Nic Farman,
Sound Designer Chris Whybrow,
Casting Director Sarah Leung CDG,
Musical Director Amy Hsu,
Associate Director Kirsty Malpass,
Associate Choreographer Misa Koide,
Assistant Musical Director Beth Jerem,
Production Management New Wolf Productions,
General Management Something for the Weekend,
Producers Sing Out, Louise! Productions.
