 Nell Carter's performance in that musical inspired Eyen and Krieger to craft a musical about a black singing trio, which they workshopped for Joe Papp with Carter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Loretta Devine.The project was shelved in 1978 when Carter took a role in a soap opera.A year later, the project caught the interest of Broadway director-producer Michael Bennett, who asked Eyen to direct a workshop production of "Big Dreams", as the musical was then named, featuring Ralph, Loretta Devine, and gospel singer Jennifer Holliday as Carter's replacement.