By Fern Siegel (posted 11-23-24)

Louis Armstrong is a jazz legend. His musical innovations and trumpet solos are extraordinary. His life captured some of the most colorful elements of the 20th century — and he deserves the aptly named A Wonderful World – The Louis Armstrong Musical, now on Broadway at Studio 54.

Starring James Monroe Iglehart as the gravely-voiced Satchmo, the show pays tribute to his legacy, while boasting strong acting, singing, dancing — and of course, Armstrong’s enduring musicality. Building the bio-musical around his four wives is an easy way to record his private and professional life. Together, they showcase songs such as “Avalon,” “Black and Blue” “Big Butter and Egg Man” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing.”

Born into a poor New Orleans neighborhood in 1901, he lived a rough existence, aided by a Jewish family, the Karnoffskys, who fed and nurtured his musical aims. It was also in New Orleans he met his first wife Daisy (Dionne Figgins), a prostitute he often frequented.

But when he left to accept a Chicago gig with King Oliver, he hooked up with Lil Hardin (Jennie Harney-Fleming), an accomplished musician and Armstrong manager-collaborator. Then Hollywood called, and he exited with wife No. 3 Alpha (Kim Exum). It was only with Cotton Club dancer Lucille (Darlesia Cearcy), his fourth spouse, that he experienced a long marriage.

The actresses, all distinct in personality, are excellent, though their characters aren’t always fleshed out. Through them, we meet a philandering but gifted man whose first passion was always his music.

Coupled with Rickey Tripp’s sexy choreography and Toni-Leslie James’ gorgeous costumes, the show is a toe-tapping explosion of sight and sound. The point of view is general, rather than personal. It compresses Armstrong’s trajectory — from playing on Mississippi riverboats to an alliance with King Oliver in Chicago, Hollywood films to his years touring. As Wonderful World notes, jazz is inextricably linked with gangsters and mob-connected managers, the dark side of art and commerce.

But behind Armstrong’s familiar kilowatt smile was pain. He coped with racism, often earning less than he deserved. Plus, he endured the scorn of younger black musicians, who thought he should have been more political. When he did speak up for the Little Rock Nine in 1957, his career took a serious hit.

Aurin Squire’s script reveals a talented man and the complicated world he inhabited, aided by Iglehart’s compelling performance. Co-directed by Christopher Renshaw, Inglehart and Christina Sajous, “A Wonderful World,” is a solid jukebox musical with a first-rate ensemble cast. A quick-hit of Armstrong’s life, Wonderful World is a salute to the glory of swing.