Review: Satchmo at the Waldorf

Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo, knew how to play to an audience, both literally and figuratively. The world-renowned African-American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer and performer, was a success not only with his music, but also in his ability to cross over and be accepted by white audiences at a time when few were able to do so.

In B Street Theatre’s current production, Satchmo at the Waldorf by playwright Terry Teachout, a curtain is pulled back to reveal Armstrong as a complex character who traveled a tough road.

In a remarkable performance, actor Jahi Kearse embodies Armstrong, and takes us along Satchmo’s journey that started as a son of a prostitute in New Orleans through a musical career that traversed five decades from the 1920s through the 1960s. The talented Kearse gives a memorable one-man, three-character show—portraying not only Armstrong, but two men in the musician’s life he had complicated relations with—his white music producer Joe Glaser, who had dubious business tactics, and Miles Davis, who was both a friend and a critic.

From the moment he walks onstage with Armstrong’s legendary gesture of forehead mopping and his distinctive gravelly voice, Kearne captures both the musician known by his audience and his more complex persona that he kept mostly hidden, including Satchmo’s prolific swearing.

It’s a handsome production, with elements that help elevate the story, from a beautiful set adorned with life-telling props to lighting that emphasizes both mood and change of character, all highlighted with the amazing jazz sounds of the great Satchmo.