Grammy Winner Branford Marsalis Joins the Music Team for Broadway's A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical

Three-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Branford Marsalis has joined the music team for A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical. Marsalis will create all-new musical arrangements and orchestrations for the Broadway production, which features beloved songs Armstrong recorded and made popular throughout his career, including “What a Wonderful World” and “When You’re Smiling.” Previews begin October 16 ahead of a November 11 opening at Studio 54.

A virtuosic saxophonist, Marsalis' credits include original music composed for Rustin, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. He received an Emmy nomination for composing the music for the History Channel documentary, Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre. On Broadway, he composed music for The Mountaintop, Children of a Lesser God, and Fences (2010), for which he received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award.

“Louis Armstrong was a force of nature,” said Marsalis in a statement. “We both grew up in New Orleans, where music is an integral part of life and infuses your soul, just as the spirit of Louis infuses all the songs in A Wonderful World. It’s an honor to help bring his sound and style to the stage in this production.”

The music team for A Wonderful World also includes music supervision, vocal and incidental arrangements, and additional orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters; dance music arrangements by Tony Award nominee Zane Mark; and music direction by Darryl G. Ivey.

As previously announced, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart will star in the title role, whose story is told from the perspective of his four wives, each of whom had a unique impact on his life. Playing the roles of Armstrong’s wives will be Darlesia Cearcy as Lucille Wilson, Dionne Figgins (Memphis, Motown the Musical) as Daisy Parker, Kim Exum as Alpha Smith and Jennie Harney-Fleming as Lil Hardin.

The 26-member cast also features Trista Dollison as standby for the roles of Daisy Parker, Lil Hardin, Alpha Smith and Lucille Wilson; DeWitt Fleming, Jr. as Lincoln Perry; Jason Forbach as Crooner & Others; Gavin Gregory as King Joe Oliver; and Jimmy Smagula as Joe Glaser. James T. Lane will play Armstrong at certain performances. Rounding out the ensemble are Brandon L. Armstrong, Wesley Barnes, Willie Clyde Beaton II, Ronnie S. Bowman, Jr., Eean S. Cochran, Kate Louissaint, Matt Magnusson, Jodeci Milhouse, Alysha Morgan, Khadijah Rolle, Tally Sessions, Brett Sturgis, Renell Taylor, Meridien Terrell and Dori Waymer. 

A Wonderful World is directed by Tony nominee Christopher Renshaw (The King and I), with a book by Aurin Squire (This Is Us), and is co-conceived by Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine.