'A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical' to close on Broadway

The show about the life, career, and marriages of the jazz legend will play its final performance in February after opening at Studio 54 in fall 2024.

A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical has set its Broadway closing date, with its final performance scheduled for February 23 at Studio 54. At the time of closing, it will have played 151 total performances there.

A Wonderful World charts how Armstrong went from an unknown trumpeter in New Orleans to a globally successful, genre-defying musician who broke class and racial barriers in the 20th century. Armstrong's story is told through the perspective of his four wives, each of whom shaped his career at a different stage, and set to his hit songs like "When You're Smiling" and the title track.

"A Wonderful World [has] old-fashioned, gleeful tap numbers, ensemble dance lines, and superb musical sequences of classic big-band jazz, but there are also moments of surprising subversiveness," New York Theatre Guide's review reads.

The A Wonderful World cast features Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart as Louis Armstrong, Darlesia Cearcy as Lucille Wilson, Kim Exum as Alpha Smith, Dionne Figgins as Daisy Parker, Jennie Harney-Fleming as Lil Hardin, Trista Dollison as the standby for the roles of the four wives, DeWitt Fleming Jr. as Fate Marable/Lincoln Perry, Jason Forbach as Crooner & Others; Gavin Gregory as King Joe Oliver, Jimmy Smagula as Joe Glaser, and James T. Lane as Armstrong at select performances.

Aurin Squire wrote the book of the show, which was co-conceived by Andrew Delaplaine and Christopher Renshaw. Renshaw directs A Wonderful World with James Monroe Iglehart and Christina Sajous as co-directors.

“This has been a labor of love for our entire cast and creative team, and we are so proud to have brought Louis Armstrong’s extraordinary life and legacy to Broadway," the musical's producers said in a statement. "We are grateful to the many people who made this show possible, and our thanks as well to the fantastic audiences who came to experience the glory of Louis Armstrong’s music. For those who haven’t yet seen A Wonderful World, come to Studio 54 in these final weeks, and laissez les bon temps rouler!”

Photo credit: A Wonderful World on Broadway. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)