'A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical' to open on Broadway this fall

Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart will star as the iconic jazz musician in this new show that sets his life story to all his greatest hit songs.

Hello, Louis! A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical will premiere on Broadway this fall at Studio 54. The show about the pioneering jazz musician's life and legacy begins performances October 16 ahead of a November 11 opening night.

In his five-decade-plus career, Louis Armstrong became one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, earning a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for singing the title track from the Hello, Dolly! movie, a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and an induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. He broke racial and musical barriers to find mainstream, global popularity as he reimagined jazz performance.

His greatest hits include "What a Wonderful World," "La Vie en Rose," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and "Dream a Little Dream of Me." These songs and more score the Wonderful World musical, which tells his life story from the perspective of his four wives.

A Wonderful World played pre-Broadway runs in Chicago and New Orleans in fall 2023, with Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Spamalot) as Armstrong. He will reprise the role for the Broadway transfer.

"American music wouldn’t be what it is today without Louis Armstrong, and what is Broadway if not American music?" Iglehart said in a statement. "'Pops' doesn’t get enough credit for his contribution to our entertainment industry or our country.

"I know I have never studied, researched, or prepared for anything as much in my career as I have for this role," he continued. "I feel such a strong connection and an obligation to bring his voice, his music, and his story to the one place where it can be presented in all its glory — Broadway!"

Additional casting has yet to be announced. The creative team features book writer Aurin Squire (This Is Us) and co-conceivers Andrew Delaplaine and Christopher Renshaw (The King and I, Taboo), who also directs.

Get A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical tickets now.

Photo credit: James Monroe Iglehart in A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)