One of the world’s most acclaimed and influential jazz vocalists and trumpeters, New Orleans native Louis Armstrong (1901-71) had a Grammy Award-winning career that spanned five decades of international fame and left an enduring legacy in music, while overcoming the poverty of his childhood and the racism he faced as a Black man. The
distinctly talented and charismatic icon is now the subject of A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, co-conceived by Christopher Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine, with a book by Aurin Squire, and music made famous by the legendary star, making its Broadway debut at Studio 54.
The vibrant two-act bio-musical is presented as scenes from the narrative of his life, much of it spent on the road touring (and philandering), beginning with a prologue in the 1970s, then tracing his journey, and his four marriages, through four chapters, from his modest beginnings in New Orleans in the 1910s, to his rise to fame in Chicago in the 1920s, success in Hollywood in the ‘30s, and then reaching the heights of eternal stardom, and marital stability, in New York from the ‘40s to his death in 1971.
Of course, it wouldn’t be “The Louis Armstrong Musical” without sensational performances of 30 of his classic hits (including such standards as “Up a Lazy River,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “A Kiss To Build a Dream On,” “Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In,” “When You’re Smiling,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Hello, Dolly!,” and the titular “What a Wonderful World”), featuring blockbuster vocals, powerhouse trumpet solos, high-energy dance, and a terrific nine-piece orchestra (with Darryl G. Ivey serving as music director and conductor) capturing the jazz stylings of Satchmo and his era (arrangements and orchestrations by Branford Marsalis).
James Monroe Iglehart, who also co-directs with Christopher Renshaw and Christina Sajous, turns in a phenomenal, award-worthy, spot-on portrayal of Armstrong, flawlessly embodying his unmistakable gravelly voice, skilled cornet and trumpet playing, improvised scatting, dance moves, and signature mannerisms, and bringing an understanding of his character and the emotions he felt when he was confronted with discrimination and threats from the mob, making momentous decisions in his career and his personal life, being appointed an international cultural ambassador for the US State Department during a time of rampant racism in our country (he performs an explosive rewording of the “Star Spangled Banner” to let out his anger), and expressing his paramount love of music and the importance of smiling.
Along with reenactments of the key episodes that defined him are segments of him breaking the fourth wall, directly addressing the audience, making comments and observations, and inviting us to join in on some of his most beloved songs. (The enthusiastic participation on the night I attended speaks to the universal love and awareness of his work; everyone in the full house knew all the lyrics and melodies to sing along).
A top-notch featured cast contributes immeasurably to the story and songs, with commanding vocals and characterizations of Armstrong’s four consecutive wives by the outstanding Dionne Figgins as Daisy Parker, Jennie Harney-Fleming as Lil Hardin, Kim Exum as Alpha Smith, and Darlesia Cearcy as Lucille Wilson, each with a different background, personality, and situation, individual impact on his meteoric rise, and reaction to his infidelity in confrontations with him and the others, and all with passionate musical solos, duets, and group numbers that blow the roof off.
Other knockout performances are turned in by Gavin Gregory as King Joe Oliver, a masterful trumpeter and band leader who plays with Armstrong, advises him about the “two Ws” (white men, and women), then later suffers a dramatic change of circumstances, and DeWitt Fleming Jr. as Lincoln Perry (known by the stage name Stepin Fetchit, the first Black actor to earn $1 million and to receive featured screen credit in a film), whose conversations with Armstrong about his Vaudevillian stereotype are revealing and whose self-choreographed tap-dance routines are jaw-dropping – as are the acting, singing, playing, and dancing of the entire stellar company (with choreography and musical staging by Rickey Tripp that replicate the authentic styles of the time).
A stunning artistic design sets the stage for the locations and decades, with a changing multi-level set and video projections by Adam Koch and Steven Royal, shifts in lighting by Cory Pattak, clear sound by Kai Harada, and a dazzling array of period-style costumes (including Satchmo’s familiar white handkerchief) by Toni-Leslie James, hair and wigs by Matthew Armentrout, and make-up by Kali Taylor that transport us to the “wonderful world” of Louis Armstrong. Don’t miss being a part of it at Studio 54.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 35 minutes, including intermission.
A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical plays through Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $69-308, including fees), go online.