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First Look at George Takei's Broadway Debut! Will William Shatner Show Up on Opening Night?

Allegiance opens in the fall

By Marc Malkin Jun 19, 2015 1:10 PMTags

It may have taken some time, but George Takei is finally going to be making his Broadway debut.

The 78-year-old actor stars in the upcoming musical Allegiance, a musical inspired by his real-life childhood when he and his family were among the Japanese-Americans who were sent to U.S. internment camps during World War II.

"We saw the marquee go up about 10 days ago," Takei tells me. "What a thrill! It's been my aspiration throughout my life."

And only E! News has the exclusive sneak peek at the first TV ad for the musical, which also stars Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. Previews begin Oct. 6 followed by the official opening on Nov. 8.

Courtesy: Luke Fontana

Takei may be most known for his television work on Star Trek, but he actually has bachelor's and master's degrees in theater arts from UCLA and has performed on stage in Europe and Los Angeles and on Off Broadway.

"It's so important to tell this story," Takei said of the internment camps. "It's so little known and so vital to the understanding of the United States. It's an egregious violation of the United States Constitution."

When he was a teenager, Takei asked his father why he wasn't more outraged by the injustice. "He explained to me that our democracy is a people's democracy and it can be as great as the people can be but it's also as fallible as people are," the actor said.

Takei recently revealed to The New York Times Magazine that he's invited William Shatner to opening night of Allegiance—even though the two have had a very public squabble over Shatner's claim that Takei didn't invited him to his wedding. Takei maintains that he did.

"The invitation was sent about 10 days ago and we have yet to hear from him," Takei tells me. "We shall see, but it's going to be a win-win either way. I'd like him to be there."

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