Lea Salonga returns to Broadway with ‘Allegiance’

NEW YORK – In just a few weeks, Lea Salonga is returning to Broadway in a new musical with “Star Trek” star George Takei called “Allegiance.”

Allegiance is a true to life story of Takei and his family’s extra-ordinary journey as japanese immigrants wrongfully imprisoned in an internment camp in America.

Takei who plays “Sam Kimura” said, “It’s really the story of my parents and how they were challenged by the injustices of that period, so this is my tribute, my thank you to my parents.”

“It really comes from a place of pain and sorrow but there’s also a lot of humor,” Salonga who plays “Kei Kimura” said, “We see the Japanese American communities’ resilience… despite how things were just going against them.”

Kei, “Sam Kimura’s” sister is striving to save their family from a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II.

The young Sam is played by Glee and Godspell star – Telly Leung.

“Just because they look like the people that bombed Pearl Harbor, immediately they were labelled possibly traitors, as threats to national security – there’s a line in the show that says a Jap is a Jap even,” said Salonga.

Although set in the 1940’s, Takei says the story of Allegiance rings true in today’s world.

“Now we’re into a presidential campaign,” Talkei said, “Mr. Donald Trump has characterized Mexican immigrants with a broad brush, criminals, rapists, drug dealers – it’s that kind of mentality to see an ethnic group as one big stereotype, rather than as individuals.”

Unlike some Broadway spectacles, this show has no lavish chandelier (Phantom of the Opera) or helicopter scenes (Miss Saigon) but Allegiance is banking on the powerful and emotional story told through the voices of Leung, Takei and Salonga.

“One thing that I love about this show is that all of us are being pulled from here first (points to chest),” Salonga said, “It’s not this (points to head), it’s really that (points to heart) and at the end of the day people sing and dance on Broadway because talking is not just enough so everybody breaks out into songs because the emotions are just too big, and its amazing and it’s awesome and I love doing it.”

Allegiance previews at the Longacre Theater beginning October 6 and opens on November 8.

You may contact Don Tagala at don_tagala@abs-cbn.com