A WONDERFUL WORLD To Open On Broadway Fall 2024 — Page 2
Posted: 8/22/24 at 11:35am
Odd that they wouldn't have engaged people like Daryl Waters & Branford Marsalis & Zane Mark in the first place. Daryl is the preeminent guy for arranging jazz music in theatre (Shuffle Along, After Midnight, Pal Joey at City Center, Street Corner Symphony, New York NY, etc).
- Musical Supervisor, Incidental Music Arranger, Co-Orchestrator: Daryl Waters
- Music Arranger, Co-Orchestrator: Branford Marsalis
- Dance Music Arranger: Zane Mark
- Musical Director: Darryl G. Ivey
- Music Contractor: David Lai
Posted: 8/22/24 at 11:40am
Posted: 8/22/24 at 12:09pm
It's the work of Zharia Shinn, a Black collage artist. Broadway News article about it below.
An original collage of Louis Armstrong is the emblem of Broadway’s upcoming ‘Wonderful World’
Posted: 8/22/24 at 1:41pm
I just checked A Wonderful World's website to see if there were items with this artwork to purchase. Not yet. I hope that they can get the detail of the collage transferred to a tee shirt so I can buy one. I hope we see more of Zharia's artwork on Broadway. Those Flyy Girls book covers mentioned in the linked story are amazing.
Posted: 8/25/24 at 2:27am
Vanessa Williams is apparently a producer on the show
Posted: 8/25/24 at 4:28am
Yes, she joined prior to the Chicago and New Orleans productions.
Posted: 8/27/24 at 10:12am
Woah, big shakeup that indicates to me a lack of unified vision by Renshaw and the producers for what this show should be:
James Monroe Iglehart (star of the show) and Christina Sajous (previously the associate director) will join Christopher Renshaw as co-directors. Renshaw will be billed as director; Iglehart and Sajous will share billing as co-directors.
They join a new music team made up of Daryl Waters, Branford Marsalis, Zane Mark, and Daryl Ivey.
Most of the other members of the creative team are carrying over from the Chicago engagement: Rickey Tripp will serve as choreographer and musical stager, while DeWitt Fleming Jr. will provide tap choreography. Heading up the musical’s design team will be scenic and video designers Adam Koch and Stephen Royal, Tony-nominated costume designer Toni-Leslie James, lighting designer Cory Pattak, Tony-winning sound designer Kai Harada, wig and designer Matthew Armentrout, makeup designer KaliTaylor and prop designer Lilian Sun. Faye Price is credited as dramaturg.
Updated On: 8/27/24 at 10:12 AM
Posted: 8/27/24 at 10:33am
Could be a lack of cohesive creative vision, and/or they could be aiming for more authenticity - Renshaw is Caucasian and his collaborators are Black.
Interestingly enough, Iglehart received his college degree in direction.
Updated On: 8/27/24 at 10:33 AM
Posted: 8/27/24 at 11:12am
For those interested, there is a pretty decent discount code for this. It's for Telecharge and it's AWWTRM01
Posted: 8/27/24 at 11:17am
EDSOSLO858 said: "Could be a lack of cohesive creative vision, and/or they could be aiming for more authenticity - Renshaw is Caucasian and his collaborators are Black.
Interestingly enough, Iglehart received his college degree in direction."
Three directors? That seems like a lot and really does concern me about a possible lack of creative vision. I’m curious as to when Sajous came aboard. Iglehart makes sense, but Sajous seems out of nowhere. Does she have any directing experience?
Posted: 8/27/24 at 11:29am
quizking101 said: "Three directors? That seems like a lot and really does concern me about a possible lack of creative vision. I’m curious as to when Sajous came aboard. Iglehart makes sense, but Sajous seems out of nowhere. Does she have any directing experience?"
Sajous was the associate director of the Chicago run.
If they want a Black perspective as the sole director of the show, that's all well and good, and would have been wise to hire a director of color from day one. Three people trying to make a decision usually leads to catastrophe. It's never good to have any question of who is in charge in the rehearsal room. As affable as Iglehart may be (by all accounts a prince), it can create uncomfortable dynamics within the cast.
Perhaps they'll just be more of a sounding board for Renshaw and "co-director" is a generous title ---- who knows.
Updated On: 8/27/24 at 11:29 AM
Posted: 8/27/24 at 11:29am
File this one under “A decision they’ll live to regret”.
Posted: 8/27/24 at 11:40am
Too many cooks in the kitchen….hope the product they are delivering is a high quality one.
the main issue I’ve read about this show is it’s more about his four wives talking about how awful a husband he was then telling the story of what a great musician he was. I mean I guess it’s nice to not have a sugarcoated biopic but for some people it’s a turn off.
also I wonder how they are getting around rights issues with Louis Armstrong songs, I had read that there were songs they wanted to use but couldn’t get the rights too. I’m sure all the writers are deceased so it’s more dealing with estates and music houses to let them use his songs that he might have sang but did not create.
..
Posted: 8/27/24 at 11:48am
Posted: 8/27/24 at 12:18pm
This is only about optics.
ridiculous really.. but here we are.
Posted: 8/27/24 at 12:20pm
I love this poster..........
Posted: 8/27/24 at 12:45pm
Sutton Ross said: "For those interested, there is a pretty decent discountcode for this. It's for Telecharge and it'sAWWTRM01
The show does not appear to be listed on Telecharge. It's a Criterion show.
"
Posted: 8/27/24 at 1:27pm
In Chicago the book wasn't just bad but deadly. The direction, performances, and music were all pretty terrific but it just hung there like a sad, raggedy drug store pinata. You could feel the audience wanting to love it and erupting whenever the music and performers did their thing. I'm not sure adding directors is the move.
Posted: 8/27/24 at 1:51pm
The book has been completely rethought and rewritten, although the structure of four sections for each of the wives remains. Having read the new draft, it is probably 75-80% different from the out of town version, with much more of a focus on Louis, and less of the domestic issues that were in the previous version. There are also at least a dozen songs that were not heard out of town, including "Dinah," "Hello, Dolly!," "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," and some more unusual items like "Kiss of Fire," "I Double Dare You" and "Back O'Town Blues." A lot of work has been done.
Posted: 8/27/24 at 2:02pm
Smaxie said: "There are also at least a dozen songs that were not heard out of town, including “Hello, Dolly!”…”
…and somewhere, Dollypop cannot suppress his grin.
Posted: 8/27/24 at 2:02pm
quizking101 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Could be a lack of cohesive creative vision, and/or they could be aiming for more authenticity - Renshaw is Caucasian and his collaborators are Black.
Interestingly enough, Iglehart received his college degree in direction."
a
Updated On: 8/27/24 at 02:02 PM
Posted: 8/27/24 at 9:54pm
Yeah, this does not come out of nowhere. Iglehart directed a handful of shows on a local level in San Francisco before making it big in Aladdin, and he had planned on making a regional directing debut here last year with a production of SPELLING BEE he was announced to do at Theatreworks Silicon Valley, but he backed out because it conflicted with Spamalot's Broadway transfer. So he's been trying to make this happen for a while.
Posted: 9/2/24 at 11:01pm
It looks like they are going to have a second line (what they call a parade in New Orleans), from Duffy Square to Studio 54 for a big box office opening!! September 5 at 10am. Let’s hope there’s a big crowd of people singing and dancing and horns!! James Monroe Iglehart will be the grand marshal, I love a big marketing stunt! $67 orchestra seats, and $31 mezzanine seats for preview performances only. You can buy up to 4 tickets per person. Must be in line by 12pm to claim prices. Exciting!!!
