RICHMOND, Va. -- The spirit of jazz legend Louis Armstrong is coming alive in the latest offering from Virginia Repertory as Jerold Solomon stars in "Satchmo at the Waldorf" at the November Theater.
Rick Hammerly, the Virginia Repertory Theater's artistic director of programming, said Solomon plays three characters in the Terry Teachout play.
"He plays Louis Armstrong, Joseph Glaser, his manager, and Miles Davis," Hammerly explained.
Solomon transforms into each character with minimal props, costume changes or notes on the trumpet.
"It's done with a little light, little sound support. But it's mainly the actor doing the heavy lifting, and he's knocking it out of the park," Hammerly said.
The play is set in New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where Armstrong gave his final performance. It also explores the jazz trumpeter's life.
"You really learned about him, about his past, what he went through to get to where he was," Hammerly said. "The weight of what he felt he was responsible for, in terms of representing and getting to a certain place in society, it's fascinating."
The also play sheds light on Armstrong’s relationships with his manager and Miles Davis, who questions Armstrong’s title as the greatest jazz trumpeter.
"It turns out that Joe Glaser really didn't do right by him in the end, in terms of the end," Hammerly said. "He didn't leave him any shares in the company that literally would not have been a company had it not been for Louis Armstrong."
As patrons exit the theater, Hammerly hopes that Armstrong’s timeless lyrics from "What a Wonderful World, will resonate with audiences.
"He said, 'I tried to bring that to all of my music. I tried to bring that to my life. I tried to share that with the people," Hammerly said. "I still tried to tell a story, I still tried to smile, I still tried to make the best of even a bad situation. And what a wonderful way to move through life.'"
"Satchmo at the Waldorf" is playing at the November Theater through April 7. Click here for more information.
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