STAGE TUBE: First Listen - Jim Kilroy's STORYVILLE THE MUSICAL, Orchestrated by BOOK OF MORMON's Larry Hochman

Storyville the Musical, an historic musical stage production involving race relations in the red-light district of early 20th century New Orleans featuring orchestrations by Tony Award Winner Larry Hochman (Book of Mormon) and performances by Broadway actresses Jannie Jones (The Full Monty), Jessica Tyler Wright (Pump Boys and Dinette), and nationally known Edward M. Barker is set to debut following a Kickstarter campaign for Storyville the Musical. In the videos below, get a preview of the songs and watch the cast recording in the studio!

“Jim Kilroy is a wonderful writer, and Storyville is a beautiful and gripping work of theatre. I was attracted to the score immediately, and upon learning about the subject matter, the characters, the setting, and the history, I became totally intrigued. It has genuine heart and soul, and I look forward to working on its first production,” says Tony award winner, Larry Hochman (The Book of Mormon).

“We return to the birthplace of jazz and bring alive a compelling story of race and class, reflective of that time,” said creator, songwriter and lyricist Jim Kilroy who has spent countless hours researching with prominent New Orleans historian Pamela Arseneaux and attending many exclusive traditional balls that continue today. “I’ve always been fascinated by the vibrant history of Storyville.”

Storyville the Musical is about an 18 year old very light skinned octoroon girl from Natchez, Mississippi, whose journey to New Orleans in 1910 finds her lost in the seedy underworld, struggling with the challenges of diversity and race of the period.

“When our lead character looks around on the train to New Orleans, she realizes that she is just as white as anyone else. She decides to try to pass as white, marry a rich white boy and live happily ever after. She almost succeeds.” Kilroy pointed out.

The production of Storyville the Musical will debut following an essential Kickstarter campaign, an online site that helps artists raise capital for productions and creative ventures. The money will go towards covering some of the production costs. A campaign video, pledge rewards and other details can be found at Kickstarter.com.