James Monroe Iglehart’s career has been varied and high profile. On Broadway, he’s known for starring in Aladdin (Genie), Spamalot (King Arthur), Hamilton (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson) and Chicago (Billy Flynn). On television, he’s had recurring roles on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Maniac, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
His voice has been heard in many animations, including Hazbin Hotel, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventures, DuckTales, and SuperKitties. During his leisure time, Iglehart follows pro wrestling, and is a comic book aficionado who has written for Marvel Comics and co-hosts their podcast.
Inglehart’s latest assignment is in the Broadway musical A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, which opened on November 11th at Studio 54. He’s not just playing Louis Armstrong, in the show, he’s also making his directorial debut.
Steve Provizer: Did you have an occasion to hear the music of Louis Armstrong growing up—either in your house or elsewhere? What impressions did you have of Armstrong as a musician and/or a person?
James Inglehart: The only time I really heard Louis Armstrong in the house was when he was on television or when I heard “What a Wonderful World” on the radio or in commercials. My house was more of a gospel and R&B house as opposed to a jazz house. But I knew of him because I loved all the entertainment channels that played old movies, so I would see Louis on the screen, and I knew he sang “Hello, Dolly!” But I really didn’t know anything about him. The only impression I had of him when I was younger was that he was a talented trumpet player who smiled a lot and had a distinctive voice, and I knew he was important to American music.
As you began to prepare for this part and researched Armstrong’s life, what surprised you? How did your views on Armstrong change or remain the same?
As I began to prepare for the role, the thing that surprised me the most was that he’s so much more than the Hollywood version of Armstrong. What we see is the smiling happy guy who sings with Danny Kaye or Bing Crosby. Whether he was singing or playing, he was always incredible, but what surprised me the most was how much of a real brotha he was—finding out he lived in Storyville in New Orleans and going to Chicago and then Hollywood and New York. He wasn’t the Hollywood caricature that they portrayed him as. He was very real when it came to his views on life as a Black man. He was very street smart. He was one of the real jazz greats. He was the first one that recorded scat on record, and the way he arranged his music changed how trumpet players played music.
What I was also really surprised about was how much of a well-rounded whole person, and man of his time, he was. So I knew I couldn’t judge him by today’s standards. But he had a wonderful heart and he loved his people; he loved being Black, and he loved his folks. It changed my view of him because I realized that we had a lot in common when it came to going into an industry where sometimes you’re not surrounded by people that look like you and you can feel isolated and alone. But at the same time, you love what you do and you want to perform to the best of your ability, and sometimes when you’re so happy it can be taken as you’re non-threatening. And I really identified with that when I was reading his book and watching and listening to his interviews.
Do you have any background as a trumpet player? How did you prepare for the aspect of horn playing in this production? Also, did you have a vocal coach? How were decisions made about the balance between vocals and horn playing?
Actually, when I was 10 years old, I joined the band and I played trumpet for a good eight months before deciding that it was too heavy to carry from school to home. Then I switched to the drums. So that was the extent of my trumpet playing, which was interesting because doing this show, they gave me a trumpet and I still remembered how to play somewhat. Because of Louie’s virtuosity and amazing skill on the horn, we learned that me playing probably was not the best decision, so I do have a trumpet instructor to make sure that I look like I’m playing the way I’m supposed to be–where my fingers are supposed to be, where the notes are, how I’m supposed to blow.
As far as the voice is concerned, it’s all me, and I have an amazing vocal coach—Deric Rosenblatt. When I found out I was going to be doing this part, I called up a dear friend of mine, Tony-nominated Alex Brightman, who is known for School of Rock and Beetlejuice and we did Spamalot together, and I asked him who his vocal coach was. I asked, How do you do that Beetlejuice voice everyday? Without hesitation, he sent me Deric Rosenblatt’s number. He’s been my vocal coach ever since. Deric has really helped me do this show in the most healthy way. The voice is wonderful and fun, but it’s very tiring since I speak a lot in the show. So after a rehearsal or a show, I’ll go right home because I need to rest the voice to get ready for the next night.
A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical. ©Jeremy Daniel
You’ve played a range of characters. Aside from the specifically musical aspects, what, if anything, was different about the way you prepared to play this part?
I have been blessed to play some really, really cool characters. I think the difference with this one is, he’s a real person. With the other characters, I can put a little of myself in it—I created Bobby in Memphis, I put my spin on the genie in Aladdin, and even in Hamilton with Thomas Jefferson, there’s a little bit of me in there. With Louie, I want to give as much of the real Louie as I can to this role. That really comes from research and practice with his voice and mannerisms—watching tapes of him and listening to him in interviews to make sure I’m getting it right. We have a wonderful dialect coach that’s helping us get the New Orleans dialect right. I’ve had to prepare more mentally and research-wise for this particular role, more than any other role I’ve ever done. I want to honor this American legend. He passed through so many barriers so that I wouldn’t have to, so I want to make sure that I’m as authentic as possible on stage.
What do you want the audience to come away with in terms of Armstrong’s personality/character? Are there misperceptions that you want to correct?
I really want the audience to walk away with a real look at the man and the musician, and how the greatness of the musician can exist in a man who is flawed. I hope they see a man who did great things, made some mistakes, and then redeemed himself before the end of his life. He did his best to become a better man as he aged. He matured and he grew up. I love that about him. He realized it’s not the fame that’s important. It was his family and his passion.
In terms of misperceptions, I want the audience to see that his smile was real. He was enjoying himself when he performed. He played music so that everyone would come together and understand each other without the language barrier. The music was what brought people together. And I want people to know that he was a very strong, intelligent man who made some mistakes, but ultimately redeemed himself.
I know the story is told through the four women he married. Why was this chosen as the structure of the show? What changes were made in the show after its first production in Chicago and before coming to New York?
As the show has evolved, the device of telling the story through Louis’ four wives has shifted a bit. The wives are definitely still present and very prominent because they all shaped him in some way. The story kind of narrates itself now, with Louis helping, especially because he was one of the first jazz musicians to write his own autobiography and he was really strong about telling his own story. But we wanted to make sure that each of the wives still has a voice.
I have seen this referred to as a “jukebox” show. Do you think this is a fair characterization?
I don’t think it’s a fair characterization. Most of Louis’ music told stories, and his music is an aid to forward the story. A jukebox musical, in my opinion, is merely stuffing established music into a story. My only real concern is that the audience comes and enjoys the show. The music is good, and the story is fascinating!
Read more about A Wonderful World and get tickets at louisarmstrongmusical.com.
