Last June Montréal’s Monlove Enterprises announced the new stage production that will premiere in November 2015 at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre prior to an anticipated March 2016 Broadway arrival.

Three concert workshops of N—The Queen of Paris will be presented in Montreal at the Gesù Theatre, featuring a cast of 20 Canadian performers, including Elise Cormier, Lulu Hughes, baritone Gino Quilico and Yvan Pedneault.

Ella Louise Allaire and Martin Lord Ferguson will co-direct N—The Queen of Paris — which promises "gaslight glimpses into the backstage world of Parisian theaters, 'Joie de vivre' and courtesans' salons" — and have developed the show's book, music and lyrics.

Joining Allaire and Ferguson on the creative team is set and prop designer Michael Curry (The Lion King).

"I have been immersed in the world of 'Nana' ever since I first read the novel as a student," said Allaire in a statement. "Although the book is set in the Second Empire, when the boulevards, cafés and nightlife of modern Paris were just being born, I felt an instant bond with its figure of a fascinating young street singer determined to rise in the world. Nana to me is in many ways a very modern woman. Martin and I now want to bring her to life as a character who is of our time, and yet remains magically surrounded by the fabulous, legendary Paris of years past." Curry added, "As I allowed myself to consider what the world of N—The Queen of Paris might look like, I was drawn toward the French painting of Zola's own time, which was simply the strongest era of artistic expression the world has ever known. The production design is a contemporary variation that lives in harmony with the sophistication and epic vision of the great Impressionists. Our audiences will be reminded of that period but treated to a new and transformative world of beauty and excitement on our stage."

For more information and a musical preview, visit NTheMusical.com.