Louis Armstrong is the latest music legend to have his life story told in a Broadway bio musical.
The Grammy-winning trumpeter and vocalist — who was known as the King of Jazz over the course of his five decades in the spotlight before his death in 1971 at the age of 69 — comes to life again in A Wonderful World, the new musical which opens on Monday, Nov. 11 at Studio 54 in New York City.
PEOPLE can exclusively debut a trailer for the production, which features Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart stepping into the famed star’s shoes.
The footage begins with Iglehart blowing on a trumpet before channeling Armstrong’s signature growl to sing the musical’s title song. Clips are then shown of various moments throughout the show, including including what appears to be a high-energy dance number set to Armstrong’s 1955 hit, “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You].”
Courtesy of A Wonderful World
Glimpses at some of Armstrong’s romances throughout his life are shown, too. The New Orleans native had four wives — Lucille Wilson, Lil Hardin, Alpha Smith and Daisy Parker — who are portrayed on staged by Darlesia Cearcy (How to Dance in Ohio,), Jennie Harney-Fleming (The Color Purple), Kim Exum (The Book of Mormon) and Dionne Figgins (Memphis) respectively.
Other actors among the 26-member cast includes Trista Dollison (a standby for the roles of Daisy Parker, Lil Hardin, Alpha Smith and Lucille Wilson), DeWitt Fleming Jr. (as Lincoln Perry), Jason Thomas Forbach (as Crooner and others), Gavin Gregory (as King Joe Oliver), and Jimmy Smagula (as Joe Glaser). The ensemble features Brandon Louis Armstrong, Wesley J. Barnes, Willie Clyde Beaton II, Ronnie S. Bowman, Jr., Eean S. Cochran, Kate Louissaint, Matt Magnusson, Jodeci Milhouse, Alysha Morgan, Khadijah Rolle, Tally Sessions, Brett Sturgis, Renell Taylor, Meridien Terrell, and Dori Waymer.
Award-winning Broadway vet James T. Lane (Chicago, Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line) plays Armstrong at certain performances.
Jeremy Daniel
A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical features a book by Aurin Squire and a score made up of several songs Armstrong made famous, including “Hello, Dolly!” — the title track to the 1969 Barbra Streisand-led film adaptation of the musical that Armstrong sang on screen.
Iglehart, who won a Tony Award for portraying the Genie in Broadway’s Aladdin, looks unrecognizable in as Armstrong, transforming into the beloved performer. But he doesn’t just star in the musical; he also co-directs it alongside Christian Sajous. Tony Award nominee Christopher Renshaw is credited as the main director.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Jeremy Daniel
Back in October, Iglehart opened up to PEOPLE about stepping into the co-director role for the Broadway transfer, after leading the show in its pre-Broadway runs in New Orleans and Chicago.
“I wasn’t really thinking about directing it, but once we got to work on the show, when we were out of town, I had a lot of opinions,” Iglehart recalled. “And they were like, ‘Okay, you have a lot of opinions but your opinions are pretty good. You seem to have a knack for putting things together. What do you think? Would you be interested in joining the creative team?’ ”
“It’s been a really fun time,” he said, of the process. “I love the creation of new musicals or new shows. There is something about getting the words on the page, taking it all apart and then putting it all back together and going. ‘Okay, let’s see what we have.’ There’s something really magical about that.”
Tickets for A Wonderful World are now on sale.
Read the full article here
