Gene Duffy is Broadway bound, and he's looking for help getting there.

Duffy has recently turned his book, "As the Matzo Ball Turns," into a musical, and is seeking financial backing to help stage it and get it up and running and heading for the Great White Way. Duffy recently launched a Kickstarter campaign and hopes to raise $20,000 by May 15 to fulfill his dream.Within just a few hours, he already had several hundred dollars.Duffy's book, written under the pen name Jozef Rothstein, is a somewhat autobiographical sketch of his 10-year pursuit of fame and fortune while living in Los Angeles as he tried to break into show business.During that time, Duffy worked in a Jewish deli, where he encountered hit men, drag queens, ladies of the evening, runaways and celebrities. The book documents his events and interactions, while striving for his big break into what he describes as "not the most scrupulous industry.""The book has fun with it," says Duffy. "If I don't laugh about it, I'll cry myself to sleep."While the book was a bit of a catharsis for Duffy, it's also something of a self-help guide for those seeking a career in front of, or behind, the bright lights. Or perhaps, a little of what not to do."It's the price of fame and pastrami," says Duffy.From book to musicalDuffy says turning his book into a musical seemed like the right thing to do."I think people would sit and watch a show, rather than sit and read a book for six or seven hours. It's the Cliff Notes in a musical."Readers also convinced him that they thought it would make a funny musical."I took other people's advice, plus I've got instincts."Between writing the musical, writing the script, setting up the production company, thinking about logistics, talking to people, going to the studio to record the music, bad weather, finances and working two jobs in order to cover early expenses, such as the recordings, Duffy says the project has taken two years so far."It's a process, but it allows it to breathe. If you're trying to rush and get it done, you don't experience the full thing. I do as I can and chip away at it."He has already penned the script for "As the Matzo Ball Turns The Musical," as well as the lyrics for the songs. He says he created the melodies by plotting them out on his bass guitar."We have a great composer," Duffy says, referring to Danny Demelfi of Hazleton.Duffy sends the raw music to Demelfi, who listens to the CD, then sits down at the piano to add the rest of the notes, turning it into a song.Some of the music can be heard when listening to the video attached to the Kickstarter page, including a song Duffy cowrote with a Philadelphia rapper."He did what he does so well; it's a very focused vision of what he felt my words are trying to say ... very unique."Duffy is hoping to debut "As the Matzo Ball Turns The Musical" in the winter of 2016, but says a lot will depend on if he can fill the Kickstarter goal of $20,000 and get the seed money.He's hoping people will visit the campaign and decide it's something they want to support."Even $1 or $5. No matter how much, it helps."According to Duffy, the entire project must be funded in full before any of the donations are collected, which means if you donate $100 and he doesn't achieve his goal, he doesn't get the money.There are a variety of rewards for donors, from special mentions and handwritten thank-yous, to a private screening of the musical for you and your guests.As the fundraising portion of the project gets underway, Duffy is also focusing on the talent, which he envisions as coming from northeastern Pennsylvania.Anyone interested in pursuing a part in the show, or behind the scenes, is urged to contact Duffy. A description of some of the show's needs is on the Kickstarter page, as well as at asthematzoballturnsthemusical.com.When the show is ready to open, Duffy is hoping it will be on Broadway, right in his hometown of Jim Thorpe. He is also hoping to showcase it in Hazleton and Tamaqua as well, but his long-term goals are much loftier."We're looking to start locally, and if it catches on, I eventually hope to take it to New York," says Duffy."We have strong goals. We have to see what happens when we get it up and running. We definitely want to put our best foot forward, make the show as good as we can and if we have a strong response, make a break for New York."To help fund "As the Matzo Ball Turns The Musical" go to Kickstarter.com, and under search, type in the title of the show. There you can watch a video about the project as well as an interview with the composer. Links to donate are located on the right-hand side of the page.