Hoagy Carmichael musical Stardust Road to premiere at St James

Stardust Road, a musical celebrating American composer Hoagy Carmichael, will premiere at the St James Theatre later this year.

Carmichael, who died in 1981, wrote songs including "Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind", "The Nearness of You" and "Heart and Soul".

The show is directed by Susan H Schulman, whose Broadway credits include The Secret Garden and The Sound of Music.

Schulman described Stardust Road as "a musical journey that begins in a young place up a lazy river and grows more sophisticated, more urban and urbane".

She added: "It's a journey from innocence to experience, from youth to maturity, from farm to the city and it is travelled with Hoagy Carmichael's masterful musical score as our constant guide and companion."

Stardust Road, which runs at the St James from 30 October to 21 November 2015 (previews from 27 October), is produced by Hoagy B Carmichael, the composer's son, with Robert Mackintosh and Hilary A Williams.

Carmichael said: "Dad's ability to find the tempo of America was his God-given talent. He rarely wrote songs for a movie, or an artist. He usually had them lying in the trunk, often waiting for a call from a director, or the right singer or, in many cases, his opportunity to sing and play them himelf in movies or stage appearances. Stardust Road has the luxury to reach into this unusual song catalogue."