| Branford Marsalis joins all-new Broadway music team for A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 11:29 am EDT 08/23/24 | |
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| "NOW YOU HAS JAZZ!" THREE-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER BRANFORD MARSALIS JOINS ALL-NEW BROADWAY MUSIC TEAM FOR A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL MARSALIS TEAMS UP WITH DARYL WATERS, ZANE MARK, AND DARRYL G. IVEY PREVIEWS BEGIN OCTOBER 16, 2024 OPENING NIGHT NOVEMBER 11, 2024 AT STUDIO 54 Three-time Grammy Award winner and Tony and Emmy Award nominee Branford Marsalis will create all-new musical arrangements and orchestrations for the Broadway production of A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical. Featuring Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Disney's Aladdin , Hamilton) as Louis Armstrong, A Wonderful World will open Monday, November 11, 2024 at Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street). Previews begin October 16, 2024. Tickets are on sale at louisarmstrongmusical.com. Marsalis, a virtuosic saxophonist, is acclaimed for his versatility across jazz and classical music genres, including three Grammy Awards and 18 Grammy nominations. As a composer Marsalis has written scores for screens large and small. His credits include original music composed for Rustin, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. He received an Emmy nomination for composing the music for the History Channel's documentary, Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre. On Broadway, he composed music for The Mountaintop, Children of a Lesser God, and Fences (2010) for which he received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award. Louis Armstrong's innovative musicianship and incredible charisma as trumpeter and vocalist would lead him from the early days of jazz in his native New Orleans to five decades of international stardom. A Wonderful World tells the story of Armstrong's blazing musical career and features beloved songs he recorded and made popular, including "What a Wonderful World" and "When You're Smiling," among many other favorites. "Louis Armstrong was a force of nature," Marsalis commented. "We both grew up in New Orleans, where music is an integral part of life and infuses your soul, just as the spirit of Louis infuses all the songs in A Wonderful World. It's an honor to help bring his sound and style to the stage in this production." The new powerhouse music team for A Wonderful World also features music supervision, vocal and incidental arrangements, and additional orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters (Broadway: Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk; Memphis (Tony Award); Shuffle Along...; New York, New York), dance music arrangements by Tony Award nominee Zane Mark (Broadway: Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk; The Full Monty; Motown the Musical; The Cher Show), and music direction by Darryl G. Ivey (Broadway: Shuffle Along...; National Tour: The Wiz, Ain't Too Proud). Grammy and Emmy Award winner David Lai (Broadway: Spamalot, Sweeney Todd, Hadestown) is Music Contractor for the production. With a book by Aurin Squire ("This Is Us," "The Good Fight") and featuring songs made famous by Louis Armstrong, A Wonderful World is co-conceived by Andrew Delaplaine and Drama Desk Award winner and Tony Award nominee Christopher Renshaw (The King and I, Taboo), who also directs the production. A Wonderful World is produced by Thomas E. Rodgers, Jr., Renee Delaplaine Rodgers, Martian Entertainment (Carl D. White and Gregory Rae), Vanessa Williams, Liz Curtis, and Remmel T. Dickinson. As previously announced, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart will recreate his critically acclaimed performance as Louis Armstrong. Last fall, Iglehart starred in the pre-Broadway production of A Wonderful World in New Orleans and Chicago, where he won rave reviews. The Chicago Tribune called him "just fabulous! - a knockout Louis Armstrong." The Chicago Sun-Times cheered, "James Monroe Iglehart gives a phenomenal, dynamic and vivacious lead performance as the wondrous Louis Armstrong." Playing the roles of Armstrong's four wives, who each had a unique impact upon his life, will be Darlesia Cearcy (Broadway: How to Dance in Ohio, Once on This Island) as Lucille Wilson, Dionne Figgins (Broadway: Memphis, Motown the Musical) as Daisy Parker, Kim Exum (Broadway: The Book of Mormon) as Alpha Smith, and Jennie Harney-Fleming (Broadway: The Color Purple, Hamilton) as Lil Hardin. The 26-member cast also features Trista Dollison (Broadway: Oklahoma!, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as standby for the roles of Daisy Parker, Lil Hardin, Alpha Smith and Lucille Wilson; DeWitt Fleming Jr. (TV: "Boardwalk Empire," Encores!: The Tap Dance Kid) as Lincoln Perry; Jason Thomas Forbach (Broadway: Into the Woods, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables) as Crooner & Others; Gavin Gregory (Broadway: The Color Purple, The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess) as King Joe Oliver; and Jimmy Smagula (Broadway: Spamalot (revival); TV: "Blue Bloods," "Black Monday") as Joe Glaser. Award-winning Broadway actor James T. Lane (Broadway: Chicago, Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line) will play Armstrong at certain performances. The ensemble features Brandon Louis Armstrong (National Tour: Hamilton), Wesley J. Barnes (National Tour: Mean Girls, Jesus Christ Superstar), Willie Clyde Beaton II (Regional: 42nd Street, Beautiful), Ronnie S. Bowman, Jr. (Broadway: The Music Man, The Who's Tommy), Eean S. Cochran (Public Theater: The Harder They Come), Kate Louissaint (Regional: Beautiful), Matt Magnusson (Off-Broadway: Hound Dog), Jodeci Milhouse (Encores!: Pal Joey), Alysha Morgan (Public Theater: The Harder They Come), Khadijah Rolle (Regional: Sister Act, Memphis the Musical), Tally Sessions (Broadway: Company, School of Rock), Brett Sturgis (Broadway: On Your Feet!, Aida), Renell Taylor (Regional: Newsies, Chicago), Meridien Terrell (National Tour: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), and Dori Waymer (Regional: The Color Purple). RL Campbell (Bring It On) will serve as Production Stage Manager, Jen Ash as Stage Manager and Alex Luong as Assistant Stage Manager. Casting is by Arc Casting, Duncan Stewart, CSA, Patrick Maravilla, CSA. Full creative team for A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical will be announced soon. A Wonderful World is being presented in association with Roundabout Theatre Company and is included in Roundabout's subscription packages. Miami New Drama (Artistic Director Michel Hausmann; Managing Director Nicholas Richberg) presented the World Premiere production of A Wonderful World on December 11, 2021 at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach, FL. # # # BIOGRAPHIES JAMES MONROE IGLEHART (Louis Armstrong) is a multi-award-winning actor from stage and screen. You may have seen James on Broadway in such shows as Spamalot as King Arthur, in Hamilton in the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Chicago as Billy Flynn, and the Broadway hit freestyle love supreme. He is best known for his Tony Award®-winning performance as Genie in the Broadway hit Disney's Aladdin. He has also been seen on TV in the Netflix series "Maniac" (recurring), "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (recurring), "Gotham," "Elementary," "Law & Order: SVU," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," and the Disney+ movie Disenchanted. He has had two sold out runs at 54 Below and Carnegie Hall as well as concerts around the country. He has had the pleasure to lend his voice to many animated characters including Lance Strongbow in Disney's Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures, Taurus Bulba in Disney's DuckTales, "Vampirina," "Elena of Avalor," "Helluva Boss," "Blues Clues," "Sesame Street," and two upcoming programs for Disney, "Super Kitties" & "Kiff." He is a self-proclaimed animation, comic book and pro wrestling nerd. James has also written three comic book stories for Marvel Comics and is one of the co-hosts of the Marvel Comic podcast This Week In Marvel on SirusXM and wherever you listen to podcasts. When he's not on stage he's usually watching pro wrestling or Disney+ while just chilling out with his wife of over 20 years, Dawn. AURIN SQUIRE (Book) is a playwright, reporter, and television writer whose plays have been produced around the world. Awards include the Helen Merrill Award, Seattle Public Theatre's Emerald Prize, and National Black Theatre's "I Am Soul" fellowship. Squire was a writer on Miami New Drama's 7 Deadly Sins, which won a Drama League Award. A co-executive producer on "The Good Fight" and "Evil," he has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, a BlackReel Award, and a WGA Award for his work on "This is Us." A New Dramatists resident playwright and member of the Dramatists Guild, he graduated from The Juilliard School and Northwestern University. CHRISTOPHER RENSHAW (Co-Conceiver/Director). Tony Award nominee Christopher Renshaw has directed theater and operas all over the world from the Sydney Opera House to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. He has directed plays and musicals in London's West End and on Broadway, most notably the Tony Award-winning revival of The King and I. Additional productions include Taboo with Boy George, We Will Rock You, Zorro, and Carmen La Cubana. BRANFORD MARSALIS (Arrangements & Orchestrations), NEA Jazz Master, renowned Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, and Tony Award nominee, is one of the most revered musicians in the world. Marsalis made his Broadway debut in 2010 as the composer of original music for the Tony Award-winning revival of August Wilson's Fences (Tony nomination, Best Original Score; Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Music in a Play). Other Broadway: The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, Children of a Lesser God, starring Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff. Film and Television: Rustin starring Colman Domingo (dir. George C. Wolfe), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman (dir. George C. Wolfe), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, staring Oprah Winfrey (dir. George C. Wolfe), Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues, and the History Channel's Tulsa Burning: the 1921 Race Massacre (EMMY nomination, Original Dramatic Score). Marsalis leads the highly acclaimed Branford Marsalis Quartet and performs as a featured soloist with such esteemed orchestras as the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, and the Chicago, Detroit, North Carolina, and Düsseldorf Symphonies. DARYL WATERS (Music Supervisor, Vocal Arranger & Additional Orchestrations) received Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations for Memphis. Other Broadway credits include music supervision, orchestrations or arrangements for Water for Elephants, New York, New York (Tony, Drama Desk nominations, Best Orchestrations), The Cher Show (Drama Desk nomination, Outstanding Orchestrations); Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (Tony nomination, Best Orchestrations); Holler If Ya Hear Me; Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk; and Street Corner Symphony. He was the music supervisor and conductor for After Midnight and dance music arranger for The Color Purple and Jelly's Last Jam. His composing credits include Noise/Funk (Tony nomination, Best Original Score) and Drowning Crow. Mr. Waters is a proud founding member of MUSE (Musicians United for Social Equity), an organization that promotes diversity in the music departments of theatrical productions. ZANE MARK (Dance Music Arranger) is a composer, orchestrator, and arranger with credits that include his co-writing Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, for which he received Tony and Grammy Award nominations. Some of his other Broadway credits include Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical, The Cher Show, Holler If Ya Hear Me, Motown, Pippin, Leap of Faith, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Never Gonna Dance, and The Full Monty. His Off-Broadway credits include Smart People, Harlem Song, The Brother/Sister Plays, and Radiant Baby. DARRYL G. IVEY (Music Director). Originally from Hampton, Virginia, Darryl G. Ivey is now based in New York City. He has been heavily involved in the fields of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Pop and Musical Theatre since 1986. After private musical study with jazz pianists Jaki Byard (protégé of Charles Mingus), Billy Taylor (protégé of Art Tatum) and saxophonist-composer Frank Foster (longtime Musical Director of the Count Basie Orchestra), Ivey served as Musical Director, at the tender age of 23, for Australia's 1st National Tour of the Tony Award winning hit Ain't Misbehavin', featuring the music of the great Thomas P. "Fats" Waller. Following a successful tour in Australia, he continued to work with Ain't Misbehavin' throughout the United States as well as in Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. Darryl was particularly honored to musically direct Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, directed by Lonny Price, at the Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT. On Broadway, he served as Associate Conductor for Cameron Mackintosh's production of Five Guys Named Moe, and Shuffle Along, directed by George Wolfe. Darryl's talents have been called upon to serve a wide variety of artists, namely: Melba Moore, Cab Calloway, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Maurice Hines, Jennifer Holliday, Vanessa Rubin, Carla Cook, and former TV talk show host Rosie O'Donnell. In the field of arranging and orchestrating, Darryl is particularly honored to have re-arranged and re-orchestrated the scores for Jelly's Last Jam for the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and Guys & Dolls for the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota. DAVID LAI (Music Contractor). Broadway: Spamalot, Sweeney Todd, Camelot, Bad Cinderella, Hadestown, My Fair Lady, Come From Away, The King & I, Cats, King Kong, South Pacific, Evita, Mary Poppins, Bonnie and Clyde, Jesus Christ Superstar, Riverdance. MD/Conductor Broadway Phantom (6,000 performances). Management: Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Renée Fleming, YEBBA, 2CELLOS, Jordan Donica. Producer: Multiple Grammy winner, ten Grammy nominated albums, Emmy winner. Recordings: twenty cast albums, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Plácido Domingo, Lang Lang, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth. ANDREW DELAPLAINE (Co-Conceiver) was a journalist and novelist with over 300 books to his credit including the series: "Midnight Mass - Amos Freeman," "The Keystone File - A Jack Houston St. Clair Thriller," "Santopia," and "Sherlock Holmes IV." He has also written many travel guides and several screenplays, winning the Milan International Film Festival award for Best Original Screenplay for Meeting Spencer, starring Jeffrey Tambor and directed over a dozen movies including Life's a Drag (When You Are A Man in a Dress). He has written and directed three features (one doc, two narrative features), and won several awards for his film work. Delaplaine grew up in South Carolina and resided in New York City and South Beach for much of his life. THOMAS E. RODGERS, JR. (Producer). Tom, otherwise known as TR, was born in Rye, New York in 1953. TR's first job was an usher at none other than Radio City Music Hall. TR was a teen when he moved to Miami Beach and Miami has been his home since. Through the years, TR has had a catering business that after Hurricane Andrew served 4000 people a day. TR was also a part creator and producer for the children's TV series "Jelly Bean Jungle." TR has a love of Louis Armstrong and through this love A Wonderful World was born. He shared this vision with his brother-in-law Andrew Delaplaine and the rest is where we are today. RENEE DELAPLAINE RODGERS (Producer) is not only a long-time fixture on South Beach, but she also helped to create the cultural, dining, and entertainment mecca that it is today. In the late 80's, Renee, along with her brother Andrew Delaplaine, opened Scratch, one of a few restaurants in what was then a run-down and depressed area of Miami Beach. Adjacent to Scratch, they then launched an Equity Theater as well as a black-box nightclub called Backscratch. Having found great success in the now revitalized area, they then opened the legendary Warsaw Ballroom which quickly became one of the most outrageous and popular gay dance nightclubs of the era - ushering in a vibrant, new dance and music scene in Miami Beach. Needing more to do, Renee then launched a Champagne brand with Andrew and Sophie, as they had to have something to toast with! Additionally, they opened two newspapers, The Wire and Antenna. Renee is also a writer and illustrator of several books. MARTIAN ENTERTAINMENT (Producer/General Manager) is a Tony Award-winning firm owned by Carl D. White and Gregory Rae. Credits include The Play That Goes Wrong, The Normal Heart (Tony Award), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award), The Cottage, The Temperamentals, Bare, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Lightning Thief, the new musical Loch Ness and the new musical The Ballad of Henry Box Brown. MartianEntertainment.com. CARL D. WHITE (Producer/General Manager) opened his first production company at the age of 18, founded Martian Entertainment at 27, is 55 – and has finally abandoned the idea of a fallback career. Carl dedicates his work on A Wonderful World in loving memory to Lauren P. Yates. GREGORY RAE (Producer/General Manager) has worked with Carl White and Martian Entertainment since 2011. He is a proud graduate of Harvey Mudd College. After working in software and political campaigns, he is happy to have landed in theatre. VANESSA WILLIAMS (Producer) is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today, selling millions of records worldwide. Her work in music, film, television, and the Broadway stage has been recognized with four Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, three SAG Award nominations and seven NAACP Image Awards. Her platinum single, "Colors of the Wind," from Disney's "Pocahontas," won the Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Her 2012 autobiography, You Have No Idea, co-written with her mother Helen Williams, was a N.Y. Times Best Seller and she released Bubble Kisses, her first picture book for children, in 2020. Most recently, she starred in the World Premiere of POTUS, Selina Fillinger's Broadway comedy, directed by Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman. She is part of the star-studded panel of judges for RuPaul's Paramount+ competition series, "Queen of the Universe," which will return for a second season. This fall, she will star as Miranda Priestly in the West End premiere of the musical, The Devil Wears Prada. LIZ CURTIS (Producer) began producing theatre with A Time to Sing at the Kennedy Center starring Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams. Choreographer for PBS' "Big, Band Ballroom Bash," Dance With Me (American Choreography Award nomination) starring Williams, partnered with John O'Connell to choreograph "Shall We Dance," starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, as well as The 80th Academy Awards nominated songs from "Enchanted." seven-time US Professional Latin-American Ballroom Dance Champion and World finalist. Liz has produced many hours of dance programming for cable TV and is currently developing a number of theatre, film and TV productions. REMMEL T. DICKINSON (Producer) has been a working theatrical producer for some 15 years with multiple Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations and Awards. His Tonys for The Norman Conquests, Memphis and War Horse are of particular note. Other nominations include Nice Work If You Can Get It, Catch Me If You Can, and in the current season Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club. Regarding A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Mr. Dickinson is delighted to be working again with James Monroe Iglehart, a good friend on Broadway since his important featured role in Memphis. ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY (Todd Haimes, President/CEO, in memoriam; Scott Ellis, Interim Artistic Director) celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatregoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history. Founded in 1965, Roundabout presents this work on its five stages and across the country through national tours. Since moving to Broadway more than 25 years ago, Roundabout productions have received 232 Tony nominations, 222 Drama Desk nominations and 257 Outer Critics Circle nominations. More information on Roundabout's mission, history and variety of programs can be found at roundabouttheatre.org. PRODUCTION ASSETS PRODUCTION INFORMATION A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical Featuring James Monroe Iglehart as Louis Armstrong Book by Aurin Squire Conceived by Andrew Delaplaine and Christopher Renshaw Music Supervision, Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements and Additional Orchestrations by Daryl Waters Orchestrations & Arrangements by Branford Marsalis Directed by Christopher Renshaw Previews: October 16, 2024 Opening Night: November 11, 2024 Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street) WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA Website: louisarmstrongmusical.com Instagram: instagram.com/awonderfulworldbway Facebook: facebook.com/awonderfulworldbway X: https://x.com/awonderfulwbway |
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