PicksInSix Review: A Wonderful World - Broadway in Chicago - Cadillac Palace
“Wonderful World” Has Saints Marching In!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
The new Broadway bound musical “A Wonderful World” conceived by Christopher Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine starring James Monroe Iglehart in a commanding performance as the immortal jazz icon Louis Armstrong is playing now in a limited engagement at the Cadillac Palace through October 29.
As told through the eyes of his four wives–an ever-present Greek chorus of exceptionally powerful vocalists and gifted performers—who anchor the critical turning points of Armstrong’s career, Aurin Squire’s book follows a linear arc from the turn of the 20th century to the early 70s infused with feature performances and explosive, picture perfect, dance routines.
Director Renshaw and choreographer Ricky Tripp have amassed a stellar ensemble who move in and out of the best of Armstrong’s musical legacy on a stunning, scenic landscape created by Adam Roch and Steven Royal that, with Toni-Leslie James’s eye-popping period costumes, provide for truly majestic transitions from the gritty, speakeasys and jazz clubs of the 20s and 30s to a stylized Hollywood soundstage. It’s a visual feast!
At the center of the story—and the major challenge that separates “A Wonderful World” from other musical biographies about entertainers—is Armstrong’s sheer versatility and talent as an innovator and improvisor. The internationally beloved Black performer, musician, composer and singer had a larger-than-life stage presence all his own. Offstage, the pitfalls of Armstrong’s career and his personal, and very public, stand against racial inequality make him a far more complex personality. Iglehart, whose Broadway credits include a Tony Award as the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin,” brilliantly captures the whole man—Armstrong’s charismatic smile, ebullient energy and the rich, raspy, signature quality of his vocals—in a wide-ranging and fascinating portrayal of a confident, gregarious personality filled with abundant amounts of passion for making music and for making whoopee.
The women—all saints marching into Armstrong’s life with captivating performances by Daisy Parker (Khalifa White), Lil Hardin (Jennie Harney-Fleming) and Alpha Smith (Brennyn Lark) and Lucille Wilson (Ta'Rea Campbell)—hitch their wagons to the charming star hoping to make their dreams come true. That is until they realize that Armstrong’s insatiable desire to perform and the freedom that a life on the road offers works contrary to his dream to settle down in a home with a family of his own.
Even though that storyline wrestles a bit with the kind of dramatic thrust necessary to fully connect with all the characters, it always comes back to the music exquisitely arranged and orchestrated by Michael O. Mitchell and Annastasia Victory. And this show is loaded with pulsating dance numbers that place Armstrong at the center of it all in memorable songs like “You Rascal You,” “Heebie Jeebies” and “Black and Blue” and alongside DeWitt Fleming, Jr. in the terrific tap sequence of “When You’re Smiling.” But it is Iglehart’s performance of Armstrong’s last and most enduring classic “What A Wonderful World” that you will want to be humming on the way home.
PHOTO|Jeremy Daniel
A WONDERFUL WORLD
A New Musical
About The Life and Loves
of Louis Armstrong
BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Cadillac Palace
151 West Randolph
through October 29
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