Louis Armstrong begins his musical journey in New Orleans. He joins a big jazz band and gets married. He then witnesses one of his bandmates get murdered due to a racist false accusation. So, he decides to leave his wife and move to Chicago. He forms a new band with his new lover, who is in the band and is also the manager. From there, his story continues on to Los Angeles and then on to New York.
In the middle of the show is “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)”. “When you’re smilin’, when you’re smilin’ / The whole world smiles with you / When you’re laughin’, when you’re laughin’ / The sun comes shinin’ through”. The performance of this song is fantastic from the smooth baritone vocals to the great trumpet solo.
The show closes with “A Wonderful World”. “I see trees of green / Red roses too / I see them bloom / For me and you / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world”. This is such a beautiful song and it sounds perfect being sung by James Monroe Iglehart. He truly captured Armstrong’s voice and charismatic style.
The highlights of this show are the songs, but too much of the musical focuses on the narrative instead of the music.
Cost of a ticket: $115 (Orchestra Center)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for A Wonderful World through October 29th!
Quinn Delaney
PlaylistHQ 