Talking Satchmo With James Monroe Iglehart and James T. Lane

A pair of much-loved Broadway Jameses are at the front of the parade at Studio 54. In A Wonderful World, Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart of Aladdin and Spamalot plays the influential musician Louis Armstrong, with James T. Lane, of A Chorus Line, The Scottsboro Boys, and the recent one-man show Triple Threat, as the Pops alternate, performing the role twice a week (most often Wednesday evenings and Thursday matinees). We caught up with the theatrical mainstays to discuss all things Satchmo, and how hard it was to get that iconic voice right.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

James and James, tell me about building your versions of Louis Armstrong.
James Monroe Iglehart: It’s been wonderful and extremely challenging, because how do you fit 70 years into a two-and-a-half-hour musical? And then there’s the vocal aspect. Some people have to go to the gym and work out so they can be big, or eat a lot of food so they can be big in a different way. But we have a vocal challenge of trying to sound like one of the most iconic voices in American music history without killing ourselves. This man, he hurt himself, and we have to sound like our voices hurt, while also being healthy. I’ve been doing it for a while, and James T. Lane here is fantastic when you hear him.

James T. Lane: James Monroe Iglehart has been a great example of how to take care of yourself while doing this. I’m listening and paying attention. We also have a great vocal coach that is working on the particular voice of Louis with us, and I’ve been studying with my vocal coach for a long time, as well. But it’s character-driven.

James Monroe Iglehart: Yes, very much.

James T. Lane: It’s like, why do we sound like that? Who are we when we’re speaking? Who are we when we’re singing? You know? It’s a character study.

When you were developing these voices, did you go from “That sounds nothing like him” to “I think I’ve got it?”
James Monroe Iglehart: Absolutely. Absolutely. You’re like, “That sounds just like I’m growling.” “I’m a Muppet right now.” We actually went through something together. We were working with our dialect coach, and he was playing Louis’s voice for us. We’ve been doing some different things so we can get more of the New Orleans sound in our dialect, and then he had me record myself saying something. I thought he was going to play back Louis for me, and then he played the tape and I was like, “Holy crap, that’s me!”

James T. Lane: It really was astounding.

James Monroe Iglehart: I went through a good year-and-a-half of watching every interview I possibly could. At his museum, I found out that Louis himself recorded so much material of just him talking. His friends would come over and he would tape it just because he didn’t want to miss anything. Listening to those conversations, you get a sense of how he spoke, his rhythm, and his inflections.

James T. Lane: How he spoke when he was just hanging out with his friends and how he spoke in front of television is very different. Public and private.

Are your favorite Satchmo songs in the show?
James Monroe Iglehart: Right now, for me, my favorite song to sing in the show is “Dinah.” We actually put that one in the show [for Broadway]. And “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

James T. Lane: I’m a big fan of “Heebie Jeebies.” It makes me laugh.

Is there a “Hello, Dolly!” moment?
James T. Lane: Uh…

James Monroe Iglehart: People need to come check out the show! I’ll say this: We’re doing all the hits.