Grammy-nominated bassist, composer and singer Kip Winger is broadening his horizons even further with the new musical, Get Jack.
While Winger is best known for the 1988 anthem "Seventeen" with his eponymous band, he's also a classical composer, teacher and multi-instrumentalist.
Get Jack is designed to reach out to rock fans, as well as fans of traditional musicals. Winger says it's in the mold of contemporary musicals before it.
"This is the early stages," Winger tells Q104.3 New York's "Out of the Box" with Jonathan Clarke. "We are making a concept record. This is how Andrew Lloyd Webber did Jesus Christ Superstar; he made the album first."
As for the plot, Winger says it was the brainchild of his partner Damien Gray, who wanted to write a musical centered around the victims of the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper.
"We call it a musical thriller because it's sung-through, like Les Mes, so it's not a typical musical. It's almost like an opera, but it's kind of falling in-between."
He says the cast includes five lead women singers and three men.
"We really immortalize the women in this. They go back to get vengeance on Jack, and the Devil wants his soul. We're really happy with it."
Winger says Get Jack is already two-and-a-half-years in the making. The music has been arranged for an orchestra and a rock band.
"I'll be doing the orchestra in Prague in January," he says. "It was thrilling for me, because I've written several symphonic works, but now I've added vocals to it, which didn't even dawn on me to be honest with you.
"Like, 'Wait a minute. I've been writing songs.' So writing for singers came totally naturally."
Check out the full interview above!
Get more information about the Get Jack crowdfunding campaign here.
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Enjoy the music video for Winger's classic hit "Seventeen":