INTERVIEW: Kim Exum on her journey from ‘The Book of Mormon’ to ‘A Wonderful World’
Photo: From left, Dionne Figgins, Jennie Harney-Fleming, James Monroe Iglehart, Kim Exum and Darlesia Cearcy star in A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by The Press Room with permission.
The new show A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, now playing at Broadway’s Studio 54, tells the story of one of the pioneers of jazz music, someone who remains an influential figure well into the 21st century. New Orleans’ own Louis Armstrong has been given his own Broadway musical, thanks to Aurin Squire (book writer), Branford Marsalis (orchestrator and arranger), Daryl Waters (musical supervisor), Rickey Tripp (choreographer and musical stager), Christopher Renshaw (director and co-conceiver), Andrew Delaplaine (co-conceiver), Christina Sajous (co-director) and James Monroe Iglehart (co-director).
Iglehart pulls double duty for the show, not only serving as co-director but also performing as Armstrong himself. He and a talented cast bring to life many of the jazz trumpeter’s big hits, including “What a Wonderful World,” “When You’re Smiling” and a most unique rendition of “Hello, Dolly!”
Kim Exum, a veteran of The Book of Mormon on Broadway, portrays the character of Alpha Smith, who was married to Armstrong in real life. She is joined on stage by Darlesia Cearcy (as Lucille Wilson), Dionne Figgins (as Daisy Parker) and Jennie Harney-Fleming (as Lil Hardin).
“It’s a lot of fun actually,” Exum said in a recent phone interview. “It’s really nice playing in this era. I’m a big fan of olden-age Hollywood and musicals, and so it’s really nice to step into that world. And to also do it while singing Louis Armstrong’s music is pretty awesome. … I definitely had to do some research. I wasn’t super-familiar with his origin story. I just kind of knew Louis from ‘Hello, Dolly!’ honestly.”
Exum sees her role of Smith as fun, exciting and bubbly. She has a lot of personality, with ambitions and dreams, the actor said. “Her and Louis just don’t seem to get on the same page, but she is a real person, which is important to note,” she said. “But there aren’t recordings of her. There are just pictures. There are some stories, some scrapbooks, so I feel like it was up to me to use the material I was given and then go from there. … I enjoy that I’m able to kind of work outside of the box, so, yeah, I enjoy having the freedom to lean on some actual history and to also have some creativity added to that.”
Much of Exum’s scene work is with Iglehart as Armstrong (James T. Lane is an alternate for the role). She called both of these actors fantastic leaders on and off the stage. She also had high praise for the other performers in the company. “They’re great,” she said. “We all seem to be getting along great. The cast has a good sense of humor. It’s a lot of fun.”
The trials and tribulations of bringing a new Broadway show to the stage can be daunting. Exum said this experience is quite different from stepping into an established musical, and she has come to appreciate the behind-the-scenes work to pull it all off.
“There’s a newness to it, which makes it exciting, but there’s also this concern,” the actor said candidly. “Everyone wants the show to run. Everyone wants the show to have a life. … New York is kind of a unicorn in a way. It attracts so many different types of people, so you have to figure out who your audience is, who you are marketing to, and then put your all into it and hope for the best. This is definitely a lot different than being a replacement.”
Exum was not part of A Wonderful World’s out-of-town tryout. She auditioned for the Broadway show. In fact, she received a notice about the musical from Sajous, who is credited as the co-director. They ran into each other at a party, and it was recommended that Exum try out for the musical. “Then casting sent me a notice,” she said. “I sent a tape, and then I had a callback. And then I had another, and I think I had only two callbacks. Then I booked it.”
The importance of being in this show is not lost on Exum. Although the story depicts the early part of the 20th century, the storytelling is very much from 2024. The actor has come to appreciate how the four women who married Armstrong are strong parts of the narrative, and their individual voices are heard each and every night.
“I think it’s very important,” the actor said of the material. “There are so many shows that exist in the time in which they premiere and probably would not exist had they premiered any earlier or any later. You can look at the shows on Broadway and assess that for yourself, but I definitely think that having four women in these drivers’ seats at times is very 2024.”
Exum remembers a fellow actor and friend who was discussing the impact of the George Floyd murder and the Black Lives Matter movement. This conversation was back when Exum was in The Book of Mormon. “She said something so profound and said, ‘Anytime you have Black bodies on stage, it’s political,’” Exum remembers her friend saying. “I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, so because we have an enormous amount of Black bodies on stage, that itself is really saying something that’s really relevant to 2024.”
When Exum thinks back to her time in The Book of Mormon, a lot of happiness comes to mind. She called the experience of portraying the character of Nabulungi — she had the longest tenure of any actor in the role — a “great love” of her life.
“They’re like family to me,” she said of the cast and crew of Mormon. “I made such strong friendships and bonds while I was there. … I’m forever grateful to the people in that building and being a part of that piece. It was definitely a high, I’ll say that.”
The experience was such a positive in her career that it was difficult to leave the company, say goodbye and find new projects.
“For me, it was definitely a struggle because I loved them so much,” Exum said. “I loved the piece so much, but as an actor you do have to move on. You want to have a career. You want to get those credits. You want to have different artistic experiences. You want to be able to use different muscles in your brain and your creative muscles as well. It was difficult to walk away from something that is a sure thing. … But also leaving my people, my family, the people who have held my hands through hard times, through my pregnancy, watched my child grow up, [it was] very, very hard to step away.”
But now Exum is forging lasting friendships with a new theatrical family only a few blocks away.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, featuring Kim Exum, continues at Studio 54 on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
