For nearly 30 years, world-renowned jazz musician Louis Armstrong and his wife, Lucille, lived quietly in a small, two-story house in Corona, Queens. His professional life featured performances for audiences across the country and internationally, but he was happy to return to his quaint Queens home and spend quiet time away from the demands of the music business.
For Armstrong, his downtime included walking with his little Boston Terrier, General, and spending time with neighborhood children — introducing them to music and his infectious personality. However, most of the kids were unaware of the immense fame of the musician portrayed on Broadway in “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Story” at Studio 54.
Tony award-winning actor James Monroe Iglehart, known for his roles in “Aladdin” and “Hamilton” on Broadway, firmly captures the exuberance and warmth of Armstrong and takes the audience through the famed musician’s life. He’s aided by powerful co-stars and the talented cast and ensemble of the jukebox biography musical.
The show is set to close on Feb. 23 after 151 performances.
In his Broadway debut, book writer Aurin Squire maps the life story of Armstrong — from a childhood of poverty in New Orleans to his lasting passion for the trumpet and his amazing rise to fame — through the musician’s four wives.
Armstrong’s wives — the connecting threads of “A Wonderful Life” — are played by Darlesia Cearcy (“How to Dance in Ohio,” “The Book of Mormon”) as Lucille Wilson, Kim Exum (“The Book of Mormon”) as Alpha Smith, Dionne Figgins (“Memphis, Motown: The Musical”) as Daisy Parker, and Jennie Harney-Fleming (“The Color Purple,” “Hamilton”) as Lil Hardin.
Directed by Christopher Renshaw, the show features lively musical staging and choreography by Rickey Tripp. The key component of music in “A Wonderful World” is supported by Grammy award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis, who composed the arrangements for the production.
There are plenty of familiar songs, including Armstrong’s iconic “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue,” the Grammy award-winning “Hello, Dolly!,” and “What A Wonderful World.”
Behind the scenes, support for “A Wonderful World” started out strong, and has gotten stronger. Among the musical’s producers is singer and actress Vanessa Willliams, who is no stranger to Broadway. Her acting credits include the play “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” in 2022, the “After Midnight” musical revue from 2013 to 2014, “The Trip to Bountiful” in 2013, and “Sondheim on Sondheim” in 2010.
Late last year, Williams and the musical’s producing team were bolstered by the addition of film and television producer Tonya Lewis Lee, businessman Mathew Knowles, and financial services executive Les Coney.
Meanwhile, not far from Manhattan’s bustling theater district stands the Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34-56 107th St. in — the Corona, the house that Armstrong called home. Armstrong and his wife Lucille lived in the house from 1943 until Armstrong’s death in 1971. Before Lucille died in 1983, she willed the house and its contents to the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and the house to the City of New York.
The foundation’s activities include providing support for the Louis Armstrong House Museum. The house was designated a New York City Landmark in 1988 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Visitors can tour the couple’s home.
Across the street from the museum house is the Louis Armstrong Center at 34-49 107th St. It houses a 60,000-piece archive of Armstrong memorabilia and a 75-seat theater space for educational events, lectures, performances, and films. Archived items include the Louis Armstrong Collection of 1,600 recordings and 650 home recorded reel-to-reel tapes, letters and manuscripts, plus five trumpets and dozens of awards and plaques.
The center’s Satchmo Collection is made up of donated materials, the Institutional History Collection follows the history of the Armstrong House, and the Armstrong archives features videos of musical performances, photographs and newspaper and magazine coverage.
For more information about the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Louis Armstrong Center, visit louisarmstronghouse.org.
