Louis Armstrong is the latest music legend to see his story adapted into a musical — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look!
The jazz musician will blow his beloved trumpet again Wonderful World, a new musical about the life and loves of Louis Armstrong, now playing at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans through October 8.
James Monroe Iglehart, who won a Tony Award for playing the ghost on Broadway Aladdin, plays Armstrong. The actor in the role looks unrecognizable, turning into a favorite performer.
James Monroe Iglehart in ‘A Wonderful World’.
Jeremy Daniel
Beautiful world tells Armstrong’s story through the lens of the women in his life as they narrate the musical.
Iglehart is joined by Ta’Rea Campbell (Lion King, The Book of Mormon) as Lucille Wilson, Jennie Harney-Fleming (Purple, Hamilton) as Lil Hardin, Brennyn Lark (Six, Les Miserables) as Alpha Smith and Khalifa White (Caroline, or The Change, Little shop of horrors) as Daisy Parker.
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Jennie Harney-Fleming and James Monroe Iglehart in ‘A Wonderful World’.
Jeremy Daniel
Armstrong was considered one of the most influential figures in jazz because he shifted the focus of music from collective improvisation to solo performance. The multi-talented artist played the trumpet, composed, sang and acted during his five-decade career.
The New Orleans native received three Grammy nominations, including a win for his vocal performance Hello Dolly! 1964. His best-known songs include that title track as well as “La Vie en Rose,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “When You’re Smiling,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and of course, “What a Wonderful World.”
He died of a heart attack in his sleep on July 6, 1971, just a month before his 70th birthday.
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Louis Armstrong.
David Redfern/Redferns
Conceived by novelist Andrew Delaplaine, as well as Drama Desk Award winner and Tony Award nominee Christopher Renshaw (who also directs), Beautiful world features songs recorded and popularized by Armstrong. Aurin the Squire (This is us, good fight, Evil) wrote the book of the show.
The wife and husband team of Annastasia Victory (Caroline, or The Change, Once on this island) and Michael O. Mitchell (MJ the musical, Motown the Musical) provides musical supervision as well as direction, arrangements, orchestration and musical direction. The choreography is by Rickey Tripp, while DeWitt Fleming, Jr. gives a special choreography for tap dance.
The musical’s producers include actress, singer and Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams.
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The cast of ‘A Wonderful World’.
Jeremy Daniel
The cast also includes DeWitt Fleming as Lincoln Perry, Gavin Gregory as Joe “King” Oliver, Matthew Greenwood as Johnny Collins, Lindsey Corey as Ensemble/Rachel the Reporter and Matt Wolpe as Joe Glaser. Other members of the company include Ronnie Bowman, Eean Cochran, Jamal Christopher Douglas, Alexandra Frohlinger, Afra Hines, Alan Kelly, Ashley McManus, Aurelia Michael, Alysha Morgan, Jarran Muse, Aaron Michael Ray, Khadijah Rolle, Dave Schoonover, Brett Sturgis, Renell Taylor and Dori Waymer.
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Charting Armstrong’s own musical path to fame, Beautiful world will head from New Orleans to the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago, where they will play from October 11th to October 29th. Broadway dates are expected to follow. For more information, visit louisarmstrongmusical.com.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education