You think you know Louis Armstrong. You’ve heard the gravelly voice, seen the handkerchief, and probably hummed along to that iconic song at a wedding or two. But the What a Wonderful World musical—officially titled A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical—is trying to do something much more complicated than just a jukebox tribute. It’s a messy, loud, vibrant look at a man who was often dismissed as a "smiling" entertainer while he was actually navigating the brutal realities of Jim Crow America.
Honesty matters here. Most people walking into a theater expect a lighthearted romp through jazz history. They get some of that, sure. But they also get a deep look at the four women who shaped him and the heavy cost of becoming a global icon.
The structure that makes the What a Wonderful World musical unique
Forget the standard chronological "and then I wrote this" Broadway trope. This show is built around the four wives of Louis Armstrong: Daisy Parker, Lil Hardin, Alpha Smith, and Lucille Wilson. Each woman represents a different era of his life and a different city—New Orleans, Chicago, Hollywood, and New York. It's a clever way to slice up a massive legacy.
Daisy was the tough-as-nails New Orleans teen. Lil Hardin was the one who basically forced him to become a star in Chicago; she was a classically trained pianist who saw his genius before he did. Alpha wanted the glitz of the limelight, and Lucille was the one who finally gave him a home in Queens. By filtering Louis through their eyes, we see a flawed human instead of a bronze statue. It’s a choice that avoids the "Great Man" myth and focuses on the collaborative nature of jazz and, frankly, survival.
Why James Monroe Iglehart is the engine room
You can't talk about the What a Wonderful World musical without talking about James Monroe Iglehart. The man won a Tony for playing the Genie in Aladdin, but this is a completely different beast. He isn't just doing a "Louis impression." He captures that specific, rhythmic way of speaking and the physical toll of playing the trumpet for fifty years.
He manages to balance the "Pops" persona—the wide grin that some critics in the 1960s called "Uncle Tomming"—with the internal fire of a man who was secretly funding civil rights activists. It’s a heavy lift. The show doesn't shy away from the fact that Armstrong was often caught between the black community that birthed his art and the white audiences that paid for his life.
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The music: More than just the hits
Obviously, "What a Wonderful World" is the emotional anchor. But the show digs into the early Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings that actually changed how music works. Before Louis, jazz was mostly about the ensemble. He turned it into a soloist's art form.
- Heebie Jeebies: This is where the show captures the "accident" of scat singing.
- Black and Blue: This is arguably the most important moment in the production. It’s a protest song. When Iglehart sings "What did I do to be so black and blue?", the theater goes still. It’s a reminder that Armstrong’s joy was a choice, not a lack of awareness.
- Basin Street Blues: A tribute to the New Orleans roots that he could never truly leave behind, no matter how famous he got.
The arrangements by Daryl Waters take these 100-year-old songs and make them feel immediate. They don't sound like museum pieces. They sound like the pulse of a city.
Facing the "Uncle Tom" accusations head-on
One of the bravest things about the What a Wonderful World musical is how it addresses the criticism Louis faced later in life. In the late 50s and 60s, younger jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie sometimes looked down on Louis. They thought his stage persona was subservient.
The musical shows the irony of that. While Louis was being criticized for "grinning," he was also calling out President Eisenhower over the Little Rock Nine, using language so blunt it nearly got him blacklisted. The show portrays this tension beautifully. It asks the audience: what do you owe the world when the world treats you like a second-class citizen? It turns out, Louis Armstrong’s smile wasn't a mask of submission; it was a mask of resilience.
The staging and the New Orleans vibe
The set design by Adam Koch and Steven Royal doesn't try to be hyper-realistic. It uses the bones of a jazz club. The lighting is moody, smoky, and shifts drastically as Louis moves from the humid streets of the South to the neon of Hollywood.
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There’s a specific energy to the choreography by Rickey Tripp. It’s not "musical theater jazz"—it’s actual jazz movement. It’s grounded, rhythmic, and feels like it’s coming from the hips rather than the head. When the ensemble gets going, you feel the heat of a 1920s Speakeasy.
What most people get wrong about Louis Armstrong
We tend to sanitize our legends. We turn them into stamps and statues. The What a Wonderful World musical pushes back against the "Disney-fication" of Satchmo.
He was a man who smoked marijuana every day of his life (he called it "gage") and viewed it as a medicine. He had a complicated relationship with the mobsters who ran the clubs he played in. He was married four times and struggled with the concept of being a "family man" while living out of a suitcase for 300 days a year.
By showing his tempers and his mistakes, the musical actually makes his music more impressive. You realize that "What a Wonderful World" wasn't written by a naive optimist. It was written by a man who had seen the worst of humanity—poverty, racism, betrayal—and decided to look at the trees and the skies anyway. That’s a much more powerful message than just "be happy."
The impact of the four-woman narrative
Focusing on the wives isn't just a gimmick. It’s a historical correction.
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- Daisy Parker: Represents the raw, unfiltered New Orleans. Their relationship was volatile, much like the city itself in the early 1900s.
- Lil Hardin: This is the most crucial segment. Without Lil, Louis might have stayed a sideman in King Oliver’s band forever. She gave him the suit, the confidence, and the career path.
- Alpha Smith: Shows the era of Louis the celebrity. The transition from artist to "star."
- Lucille Wilson: The dancer from the Cotton Club who finally anchored him. She bought the house in Corona, Queens, which is now the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
Through these four lenses, the What a Wonderful World musical paints a 3D portrait of a man who was constantly being reshaped by the people who loved him.
Authenticity in the Broadway era
In a world where many musicals feel like they were written by a committee to maximize merchandise sales, this show feels like it has a pulse. It’s not perfect. Sometimes the transition between the four wives feels a bit rushed, especially in the second act where decades start flying by. But the core—the soul of the thing—is undeniable.
Critics have pointed out that the book, written by Christopher Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine, tries to cover a lot of ground. It’s true. It’s an ambitious show. But jazz is ambitious. It’s messy. It’s about taking a simple melody and complicating it until it reflects real life.
Practical steps for experiencing the Armstrong legacy
If you're planning to see the What a Wonderful World musical or just want to dive deeper into why this man changed the world, don't just stop at the theater seat.
- Visit the Louis Armstrong House Museum: Located in Corona, Queens, it’s a time capsule. You can hear tapes Louis recorded of himself talking, eating, and practicing. It’s the most intimate look at a celebrity you’ll ever find.
- Listen to "West End Blues": Before you see the show, listen to the 1928 recording. It’s widely considered the most important three minutes in the history of jazz. The opening trumpet fanfare is the "Big Bang" of modern music.
- Read "Pops" by Terry Teachout: If you want the gritty details the musical hints at, this biography is the gold standard. It uses the private tapes Louis left behind to tell the story in his own words.
- Check the Broadway schedule: The show has had various iterations, starting in New Orleans and Chicago before hitting the big stages in New York. Always check the current casting, as the lead performance is what carries the entire emotional weight of the production.
The real takeaway from the What a Wonderful World musical isn't just a catchy tune you'll hum on the subway ride home. It’s a realization that joy is a form of courage. Louis Armstrong faced a world that was often ugly and decided to play something beautiful anyway. That’s not just show business; it’s a blueprint for living.
Actionable Insight: To truly appreciate the nuances of the musical, listen to the "Hot Fives and Sevens" recordings followed immediately by his later 1960s pop hits. Notice how his phrasing remains consistent even as the world around him changed. When you sit in the theater, watch for how the production mirrors this shift from technical virtuosity to emotional resonance. Understanding that "Satchmo" was a carefully crafted persona allows you to see the actual man hiding in plain sight behind the trumpet.