'Leroy & Lucy' makes world premiere at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre

CHICAGO (WLS) -- "Leroy & Lucy" is a pulsating story unfolding in a world premiere at Steppenwolf.

It is inspired by Blues great Robert Leroy Johnson and the legend that he traded his soul for talent.

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Brittany Bradford told ABC7's Hosea Sanders about playing a mysterious stranger and making magic with music.

"I feel like she is an enigma and she in the plays, she says that she's been everywhere and nowhere, and that is who she is. She's a strange woman in this strange place by herself with a lot of sadness in her and definitely has secrets that she's holding," Bradford said.

Leroy and Lucy meet at the crossroads, connecting with song and spirit.

Bradford's co-star is Tony nominee and Steppenwolf ensemble member Jon Michael Hill.

"The greatest gift that I could have ever asked for," Bradford said. "We immediately just got along, like a house on fire from the first day, and our work ethic is exactly the same. And you don't get that a lot of the time."

Bradford also spoke about draws her to theater.

"For me, what is unique about the theater that's different a little bit than TV and film is that I really feel like this is a sacred space when I go on to the stage that to me it's a bit of a spiritual experience. I just am always so grateful that we get to tell stories, and I remember hearing this quote once that actors and artists in general are the blue collar workers of the soul," Bradford said. "I take that responsibility very seriously that we get to hold up a mirror of humanity, to someone else, so that they can see themselves maybe differently or that they can interact with the world a little differently."

"I think art is, can be a source of entertainment, but it can also be a chance for us to challenge some preconceived notions that we have. And it's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful gift. And I want to be around people who value that and want to want to get into it and get into the muck. And I hope that for people who come and see this, that they just realize the power of live art," she continued.

Bradford is a Julliard graduate, and it has always been her ambition to appear on the Steppenwolf stage.

You can see her in "Leroy & Lucy" through Dec. 15.