The Louis Armstrong Musical is playing at Studio 54 on Broadway until February 23rd. Armstrong (1901-1971) lived a life that overflowed with hardships but also met with a lot of luck.
He was a self-taught exponent of American jazz, a nightclub performer and familiar face on TV and in movies. “Satchmo,” (also “Satch” and “Pops”) as he was affectionately known, made his trumpet soar at home and abroad. Many admirers, including the great James Agee, have described him as a musical genius. So, here’s the question: How do you make a two-act musical that does justice to all that talent?
Originally, the idea was to focus on Armstrong’s four wives, but when Andrew Delaplaine died in 2023, A Wonderful World got a rewrite with a new book by Auren Squire and a collaborator, Renee Delaplaine Rodgers, and the focus shifted to Armstrong himself.
One of the show’s producers found just the right man to play Armstrong: James Monroe Iglehart, best remembered for his Tony-winning performance as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin. Iglehart captures Armstrong’s physicality, his wide smile and his rolling eyes when he hits that note just right. He even lowers his natural baritone a few decibels to capture his signature gravelly sound, especially in three of his most popular songs – “Kiss of Fire,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek,” three of the 18 songs in his nightly repertory.
The singers/actresses who play his four wives were all first class and have solos or duo musical numbers. First is Daisy Parker (Dionne Figgins) a local prostitute who becomes Armstrong’s first wife. The second is “Lil” (Jennie Harney-Fleming), a Chicago-based jazz expert. Next was a Hollywood beauty movie star, Alpha Smith (Kim Exum), and the last, Lucille Wilson, the clever one who rescues him when trouble comes calling – played by the superb Darlesia Cearcy. From the poverty row of New Orleans to the high society of Ol’ Blue Eyes, Armstrong saw it all firsthand.
It was quite an entertaining ride, as it is for the audience at Studio 54.
See A Wonderful World — The Louis Armstrong Musical at Studio 54, located at 254 West 54th Street. Visit louisarmstrongmusical.com for more information.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel
