A WONDERFUL WORLD

[hak5]

Posted: 10/8/23 at 7:11pm

saw this here in New Orleans a few days ago.  Was a good production.  what is the timeframe of when it will open on Broadway ?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/8/23 at 7:24pm

It plays Chicago next but there's no timeframe beyond that.

The following will dictate its next steps:

1) Stellar reviews
2) Raising the Broadway capitalization
3) a Broadway landlord actually wants to give it a house
4) Depending on how 1 and 2 pan out, that could necessitate some additional workshops and backers auditions

That could all take a few years, or it could happen as soon as this spring. Or maybe it would tour instead of trying to come to Broadway.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 10/8/23 at 9:57pm

An article on the production in People said that Broadway dates are expected to be announced after its run in Chicago.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 2:07am

 

 

I caught the matinee.  The Saenger Theatre  in New Orleans is gorgeous and worth the price of admission.

As for It's a Wonderful World..I have to say the cast is very talented and works so hard. There's oodles of choreography  and being a former dancer, I tend not to kvetch about to much dancing but I found found myself saying enough already as  some of the choregraphy seemed repetiviely happy and at odds with the dreary "drag Louis through the mud" material. The talented chorus sells it llke they are in a hit going to Broadway.  But why is everyone one so happy if our beloved Louis Armsttong is being dragged through the mud. 

The problem is Louis Armtrong is such a beloved soulful performer. He is almost a saint.  So do I really need to hear about his four wives who all divorced him because he was cheating on them? And how the last one stayed in their longer than anyone expected.   Is this how a musical about a  beloved star  is to trash  him with four wives and adultry?? True or not...  I don't want  nor I need to know that. This is not "Six" Armstrong is not Herry the 8th!

That being said, the  four actresses playing their four wives (Ta;Rea Cample, Jennier Harney  Flemming, Brennyn Lark, and Kalifa Whiate do what they can and shine like stars as they drag poor Louis throug the dirt. Although in some ways they all seemed like the same women. Perhaps some more differentiation between the four wives is called for. 

So a pleasant musical which neither honors the memory of Louis Armtrong nor tells us anything we really want or need to know (like his private life) does not make for a satisfying or entertaining evening of theatre.

Thi is a shame cause there is a wonderul Louis Armtrong story which should be told instead .  He was adopted by Jewish parents who encouraged him to play an intrument and he grew up to be the beloved Louis Armstrong Not that's the musical I would want to see.

As Louis Armstrong, James Monroe Iglehart certainly captures the shell of Louis Armstrong; the voice,  some of the mannerisms, the smile but I never found myself believing once that the actor was  really Louis Armstrong. It's like something was missing:   and I'm not sure what;  a heart a soul , suitable material?

Or perhaps dragging up Louis Armstrong's secret dirt and having his story dragged through the mud.. perhaps Iglehart was not able to take it out of the guttter that this book and plot of this musical are. You've convinced me. Louis Armstroing may have been an adulterer...   but how does it help anyone to know this? Especiallly  when we have pleasant Louis Armstriong cheerful tunes throghout the evening.  And the chorus works so hard to make you smile eventhought he materail  doen't.  It's almost if the light hearted dancing is at war with the multi wived adulterer that this musical makes him be? Maybe that's why the dancing seemed repetitive. Maybe it was just at war with the serious toned  trash tell all book.

If you're going to write a musical about Louis Armstrong, I want to hear the good stuff and not to drag this American Treasure though the muck. Who does it serve to exploit his private life as a misguided Broadway Musical?

The audience of course gave it a standing ovation. If that means anything anymore.  A wonderul world was not so wonderful. And a certain beloved entertainer maybe turning in his grave. A shame.

Updated On: 10/9/23 at 02:07 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 4:14am

You can't please everyone! I don't say that to drag you, but MJ does "the good parts" version and people get mad at it, for its "niceness". 

Do I care about his infidelities? No, not really.... but I don't care about bio-musicals, I find them formulaic and boring. 

 

 

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 10:05am

the new Amazing Grace?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 10:45am

I won't see the show until it comes to NYC, but in theory the darker and lesser-known aspects of Armstrong's life seem like a smart move for a stage musical (play with music?)...but maybe that idea isn't properly executed here.

Armstrong is far from the only "beloved" artist who's had a complex personal life. The Black community accused him of being an Uncle Tom and promoter of negative stereotypes in order to reach the widest (whitest) audience; he had a white manager entwined with the mob; he got stoned with the best of em; the sexual impropriety you cite; and he was constantly dealing with racism, having been born in the South at the turn of the century.

Show us a human, not a saint or a demigod. If you want a show to smooth out the wrinkles of his life, maybe you'd prefer a cruise ship show.

Good interview with the late Terry Teachout (biographer/critic/playwright) and John Douglas Thompson on "Satchmo at The Waldorf," a different stage work about his life.

Updated On: 10/9/23 at 10:45 AM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 12:04pm

I wasn't going to jump into this thread, but I saw a NYC rehearsal run-thru with this current cast and had a complete opposite reaction than goldenboy up above. I think it is an uncommonly smart example of its genre, largely thanks to its book writer Aurin Squire and some very crafty uses of the Armstrong catalog. It does deal with a lot of the aspects Ermengarde mentions, including Armstrong's Civil Rights efforts, the Black community backlash against him, the gangster connections of his agents, code switching, infidelity, and Armstrong's prodigious pot use, but also Armstrong's musical innovations and achievements, and the immeasurable charm that he possessed, which James Monroe Iglehart really captures. Per Squire, a lot of it was crafted from Armstrong's own writings, including his two memoirs and extensive notes. Far from dragging Armstrong "through the mud," it's a complex portrait of a complex man. The work of the actresses playing the four wives I also thought was individualistic and distinctive, as well as the choice to tell Armstrong's story through their eyes. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 12:12pm

I wonder how a Chicago run is going to work with Iglehart immediately bouncing over to Spamalot from this show.

I don't think they are going to replace him if it is still a pre-Broadway run. Maybe he will bop out of Spamalot in January.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 1:00pm

I'll be reporting back from Chicago next week. I know nothing about the show or the character, so I'm excited to see it. 

As for the "dragging someone through the mud" comment...  Wouldn't you say Hamilton did the same? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/9/23 at 2:29pm

quizking101 said: "I wonder how a Chicago run is going to work with Iglehart immediately bouncing over to Spamalot from this show.

I don't think they are going to replace him if it is still a pre-Broadway run. Maybe he will bop out of Spamalot in January."

I’m guessing he has an out from Spamalot to jump over to WONDERFUL WORLD in the event that it does come to NYC. I figured he might be skipping all or part of the final week of WW in Chicago, but maybe not. 

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 10/13/23 at 1:16am

I caught the first show in Chicago tonight and oof. I’ll echo the previous comment that the cast is working incredibly hard and Iglehart is well cast as Armstrong. But even for a bio-musical, boy is the book shockingly thin. The conceit of having his wives tell the story is an interesting one - if only the show bothered to do any actual character development with them during their quarter of the story (his final wife gets some good moments, but when that’s the best you can say about our narrators, well… )

The book itself seems to be trying to find threads to tie the different parts of Armstrong’s story to each of the wives. The strongest comes from several instances of racial violence he encounters which sets him on different paths with different wives. But on the whole, the story is very much “This happened. Then this happened. Then he left this wife for another wife. Then this happened.” And there isn’t even a real musical thread of sorts to tie things together.

I honestly had no idea that time passed from The Great Depression to the Little Rock Integration in 1957 until they mentioned each of those moments. And when they said he and his final wife had been married for 28 years, I was flummoxed because there was zero indication that so much time had passed.

The song choices were odd as well. I did chuckle that they had Armstrong sing only the words “Hello, Dolly” to avoid having to try and get the rights to that one. But out of the major songs people would know from him, there weren’t many that were easily recognized. And he doesn’t even get to sing When the Saint Go Marching In.

But it’s the lack of any character development that really sunk the show for me. The wives, as I said, are practically blank slates. But even Armstrong doesn’t really get much shading as a character. We see things happen to him, but rarely see him making choices or doing things. A woman sitting behind me said at intermission that she was disappointed Iglehart wasn’t on that night. When I told her that he was, her exact words were “But he has charisma. Louis Armstrong in this has no charisma.” 
 

There’s a great tap number when Iglehart gets to show off some charisma, but that woman was right. The show is wasting its greatest asset.

I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much (I have much higher expectations for Boop next month), but I thought it would be in much better shape than this. It really needs to figure out what story it’s telling - the wives relationship with Louis, Louis’s story, or something else.

Most folks around me had similar takes and were disappointed (and there were a number of intermission walk outs from the already pretty sparse balcony where I was). This one needs a lot of work.

Updated On: 10/13/23 at 01:16 AM

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 10/13/23 at 8:47am

The greatest moments of A WONDERFUL WORLD are the 3 duets. 

The first duet - I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE, BABY - is shared between Armstrong and his first wife Daisy Parker in New Orleans, each holding a beautiful, white-patterned umbrella. The tune appears frequently in the show.

Act One closes with AFTER YOU'VE GONE. Daisy Parker joins second wife Lil Hardin in a great vocal arrangement, while Armstrong appears in the background heading to Hollywood with his third wife Alpha Smith.

Sidebar: it's never a problem knowing which of the 4 wives was on stage, either singularly or as a full foursome.

The third duet is near the top of Act Two, when Armstrong fails in his attempt to tap dance. WHEN YOU’RE SMILING is performed by Armstrong and Lincoln Perry.

Though the Playbill does not list the order of musical numbers, there are 18 song credits listed deep inside.

(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue

A Song Was Born

After You've Gone

All That Meat and Potatoes

Avalon

Basin Street Blues

Body and Soul

Do You Know What It Means to miss New Orleans

Don't Play Me Cheap

Everybody Loves My Baby

Heebie Jeebies

I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby

I Want a Big Butter and Egg Man

I'm Crazy Bout My Baby

I've Got A Heart Full of Rhythm

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

King of the Zulus

Laughing Louie

The title song A WONDERFUL WORLD appears briefly at the top of the show as a subtle gospel at Armstrong's coffin, as the four dressed-in-black wives mourn his demise.

When the tune is rolled out again at the end of Act Two, the tender opening sung by Armstrong is marred by a LOUD fog machine. So annoying.

The set has a too busy look to it. Much is crammed on stage in every direction! - both vertically and horizontally, yet I liked the regal proscenium. The static set is on stage the full performance, with drops or lighting identifying the location changes from Orleans, then Chicago, onto Hollywood, then New York.

During the NY home scene, I spent way too much time looking at the drop trying to figure out if the designer was hinting at a spelled CORONA in the boxed frames.

The show shines during the Memphis Police scene - more genuine moments are needed like this. The vocal participation in I'LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU'RE DEAD turned into a giddy duet between Armstrong and the audience.

Updated On: 10/13/23 at 08:47 AM

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 10/14/23 at 8:11pm

A large number of the Chicago press attended the Friday, October 13 performance.

Ahead of the 7:30 curtain on Friday, a local Dixieland band - the Windy City Ramblers - entertained out front under the marquee.

At the Saturday, October 14 matinee, the production treated early-arriving balcony guests to upgrade to the main floor. The same treat happened Thursday, October 12, too.

There are opportunities to tighten the show - maybe drop the unnecessary agent Joe Glazer tune. And drop the small dance number of 4 women at The Cotton Club.

MAJOR love to the beautiful piano work of Annastasia Victory heard throughout the show.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/14/23 at 9:00pm

This doesn't seem like something I'd be interested in, but I think I'll get a cheap ticket to the Sunday night performance. Glad we get so many NYC-bound shows, so I want to support.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 10/14/23 at 11:49pm

It doesn't appear the Chicago reviewers are sold on it either.  This one seems sunk for broadway run.  maybe they take over the new world Rock & Roll Man theater for a few months.

Updated On: 10/14/23 at 11:49 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/15/23 at 12:46pm

Last night’s performance sold less than a thousand tickets in a house that seats 2300. Where’s Vanessa Williams? She should be out on WGN and the local television circuit helping to sell this thing.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/15/23 at 2:44pm

A cursory Google search would show you she did all the local radio and TV outlets, including WGN. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/15/23 at 11:34pm

Well I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this! The talent on that stage is incredible. The 4 women’s vocals are worth the price of admission. That act 1 finale was incredible. I loved the staging and the set and lighting. The musical arrangements were top notch too. I thought we were gonna hear these old school songs but they really sounded fresh and exciting. 
 

James is giving a Tony winning performance to me. He’s really incredible. I thought I was seeing an understudy at first because he just melted into the roll. I could see him being a real contender if this transfers. 
 

The problem is the book. Too much narration. Not enough music. The show pops when they’re singing and dancing. Cut the scenes down and pick up the pace at the beginning. Audience seemed to all really enjoy it.

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 10/16/23 at 4:11pm

I sometimes visit theatreinchicago.com to see a collection of reviews. As of 3PM CST, Monday, October 16, eight reviews are posted: 2 highly recommended and 6 recommended.

Recommended by Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Let's Play Theatrical Reviews, Chicago Theatre Reviews, The Fourth Walsh, and PicksInSix.

Highly recommended by Around the Town Chicago and Buzznews.net

Surprised to read in the Buzznews.net review that all 2300 seats were filled. That's flat out wrong.
 

 

Updated On: 10/16/23 at 04:11 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/16/23 at 4:57pm

I thought this was going to be a total dud, but they clearly spent some money on it. It felt lavish and expensive. I usually hate dancing, but the choreography in this was astounding. I just think the show needs more music and less talking. 

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 12:24am

After the Tuesday, October 17 performance, a 30-minute talkback targeted how 7 of the lead actors prepared for their roles.

Desiree Rogers from beauty supplier Black Opal led the Q&A.

The 4 women who play Armstrong’s wives each spoke. Khalifa White prepared for her role by reading Armstrong’s first autobiography SATCHMO.

Jennie Harney-Fleming (who plays Wife #2) recalled how her grandmother played piano.

DeWitt Fleming Jr, Gavin Gregory, and James Monroe Iglehart also spoke.

During the actual show, Tuesday’s balcony audience was “small but mighty” ad libbed Iglehart as Armstrong during the Memphis Police Concert scene.
 

Updated On: 10/18/23 at 12:24 AM