Matt Bailey chats with pop culture icon George Takei about the real-life story behind the musical Allegiance
I am thrilled to welcome a true pop culture icon. George Takei is a Star Trek legend, social media superstar, and has guest starred on just about every television show imaginable.
In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut with Allegiance, a musical based off of his experience as a child in a Japanese internment camp at the height of World War II. 62 percent of the 120,000 people in these camps were American citizens, Takei and his family among them. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered the round-up of all Japanese people living in the U.S. shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Now, the musical Allegiance is available as a limited-edition Two-DVD box set. The first disc features a performance of the show on Broadway. The second features at documentary of the journey that Takei and his creative team took to get to this powerful story to the Great White Way. You can pick up your copy at allegiancemusical.com
Takei also has a graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy, which is aimed at helping young people understand the injustice that Japanese citizens faced during the war. The novel will be re-released soon in a special hard-back edition with a new cover. Click here to start reading!
In this emotionally impactful Interview, Takei details stories from his time in the camps. Some tales are undeniably horrific, while he calls others what he called “warm” memories from a truly Ugly time in American history. Takei has dedicated his life to making sure such dark history never repeats itself.
Stay tuned after the interview to hear a behind-the-scenes story from this chat with George Takei. Here’s a hint: I missed out on capturing a Star Trek line that left me reeling after the interview!
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