Branford Marsalis Boards Broadway’s Louis Armstrong Musical To Create New Arrangements & Orchestrations, Replacing Original Team
EXCLUSIVE: Tony-nominated composer Branford Marsalis (Fences) is joining a revised music team for the upcoming fall Broadway production of A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical to create new musical arrangements and orchestrations, producers said today.
The new team, which also includes music supervisor Daryl Waters, dance music arranger Zane Mark and music director Darryl G. Ivey, replaces Annastasia Victory and Michael O. Mitchell who served those functions at the show’s pre-Broadway engagements last year in New Orleans and Chicago.
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A spokesman for the production declined comment on the reasons for the switch.
The musical, starring Tony-winner James Monroe Iglehart (Disney’s Aladdin) as the groundbreaking jazz great, begins previews at Studio 54 on Wednesday October 16 ahead of an opening date of Monday November 11.
In its announcement about the Marsalis hire, producers, including singer-actor Vanessa Williams, described the new team as “powerhouse” and New Orleans native Marsalis as a virtuosic saxophonist “acclaimed for his versatility across jazz and classical music genres.”
“Louis Armstrong was a force of nature,” Marsalis said 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.”
Critical reviews for the pre-Broadway productions were generally supportive, with most singling out Iglehart’s performance for praise while being less enthusiastic about other aspects of the show. “More thinking needs to go into how to depict the innovation and virtuosity of Satchmo’s trumpet playing,” wrote Chicago Sun-Times critic Steven Oxman in a fairly typical take.
Marsalis and the other new team members carry impressive credentials. Marsalis is a three-time Grammy winner who was nominated for a Tony for the compositions he contributed to 2010’s Fences. He also composed music for the Broadway productions of The Mountaintop (2011) and Children of a Lesser God (2018). He’s credited as music curator for 2014’s starry A Raisin in the Sun featuring Denzel Washington, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Anika Noni Rose. TV composing credits include Rustin, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. He received an Emmy-nomination for his work on 2021’s Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre.
Music supervisor Waters, a Tony winner for Memphis, will also provide A Wonderful World with vocal and incidental arrangements and additional orchestrations. Other Broadway credits include Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk; Shuffle Along…; and New York, New York.
Broadway credits for dance music arranger Mark include Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk; The Full Monty; Motown the Musical; and The Cher Show. Music director Ivey worked on productions of Shuffle Along…, The Wiz and Ain’t Too Proud. David Lai (Sweeney Todd, Hadestown) is the music contractor for A Wonderful World.
The musical follows Armstrong’s life and career from the early days of New Orleans jazz through five decades of international stardom. Songs he made popular are included in the show, including “When You’re Smiling” and his signature song that gives the musical it’s title, “What a Wonderful World.”
With a book by Aurin Squire (This Is Us, The Good Fight), the musical was co-conceived by Andrew Delaplaine and director Christopher Renshaw (The King and I, Taboo). Producing are Thomas E. Rodgers, Jr., Renee Rodgers, Martian Entertainment (Carl D. White and Gregory Rae) and Vanessa Williams, Elizabeth Curtis, and Remmel T. Dickinson.
The Broadway staging is presented in association with Roundabout Theatre Company and is included in Roundabout’s subscription packages. Additional casting and full creative team will be announced soon.
The show’s previous music team, the married duo of Victory and Mitchell, are Broadway musicians and associate conductors with credits including Caroline, Or Change and M.J. the Musical. Mitchell composed original music for Broadway’s Chicken & Biscuits.
Victory and Mitchell, who had been with the project through more than five years of development, declined comment for this article.
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