Georgia-born theater actress Montego Glover is dazzling audiences eight times a week in 'Memphis,' the new hit Broadway musical about an interracial love affair set in the tumultuous 1950s.

And even with a controversial subject matter -- like Broadway's former favorite 'Hairspray,' -- 'Memphis' has become the hottest ticket in town since opening last fall.

"Growing up in this country as an African American, racism, segregation and discrimination are part of the country's history, and this piece, in particular, is a vital snapshot of that time in our history's race relations," Glover shared with BV Newswire about the acclaimed show, which features music by Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan and Joe DiPietro.

"It gives us a chance to look back on that time and see where we are now," she added. "So many gains and improvements have been made, but we are still working on it."

"'Memphis' has a way of telling and teaching us and entertaining us with our history, but it also gives us some strong fundamental points to continue to work and think on," Glover continued.

Glover stars as Felicia Ferrell, a young black blues singer who falls for a white radio DJ named Huey Calhoun.

The petite, vocal powerhouse and her co-star, Chad Kimball, have been on the long road to The Great White Way since first launching the show at the now-defunct North Shore Music Theatre in Massachusetts back in 2003.

"The thing about Felicia is she and I have quite a bit in common," Glover stated. "We are both young African American women who were born and raised in the South. I [was raised in] Chattanooga, Tennessee, and we both live in the realm of music. We are both artistic types, ambitious and reaching for something that is truly personal to us. I identified with her right away."

Her journey to the Big Apple was anything but easy. From voicing Charmin toilet paper commercials and 'Star Trek' video game characters to a three-year stint at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., Glover worked hard before her star turn in 'Memphis.'

The Florida State University grad got her New York theater start in the highly successful Oprah Winfrey-produced musical 'The Color Purple.'

"I joined the company as both the understudy for Celie and Nettie, and then I took over the role of Celie some days for Fantasia [Barrino], and later I took over the role of Nettie as well," she shared. "It's so great that they are sisters, and I got to live in the worlds of both of them."

"What was really tremendous about 'The Color Purple' is it is a beautiful piece of literature," Glover added. "It is a glorious novel ,and the musical was so rich and had so much heart put into it. It was also my first Broadway show. It meant a lot to me to be in the company of these people and in this work."

Unlike many of the captivating songstresses on Broadway, such as Tony Award winner Heather Headley of 'AIDA' or 'The Color Purple's Elisabeth Withers, Glover has no aspirations to venture into the music industry to record an album.

"It's never been a dream of mine to be a recording artist, and [it has] never [been] at the forefront of my career," she explained. "It's a part of working in musical theater, but no I have not really thought about recording an album."

Right now, she is just enjoying seeing her image outside of New York's Shubert Theatre.

"I love being an actress," she beamed. "What's really great is having women and men tell me how exciting it is to see my face on the side of the building. It sends a message to people like me, and not like me, that we are wonderful and we belong and there is a place for us."

'Memphis' is currently playing at the Shubert Theatre in New York City.