SATCHMO

"The Life and Times of Louis Armstrong"

Classification:          Scripted Cabaret Musical Show in 2 Acts

Show Cast Size:        2 Men, 2 Women

Orchestration:            6-piece band

The Set:                                  

The set is minimal.  It is at most times an open stage for performing with some appropriate props used during songs and eras.  Down Stage Left sits the study of Satchmo.  Upsatge Center is the "bandstand" that will change location through the use of slides.

The Characters:                                  

Satchmo (Louis Armstrong)

Joe Glaser (Louis's Agent \ Bing Crosby \ Frank Sinatra)

Lil Armstrong (Billie Holiday \ and others)

Bessie Smith \ Ella Fitzgerald \ Pearl Bailey (and others)

Show Synopsis:

A tribute to the incredible Louis Armstrong which brings back the joy, the swing, the life and times of this legendary and beloved artist.  Because of his huge and wide grin, his friends and colleagues nicknamed him "satchel mouth", but the world came to know his as "Satchmo".  Armstrong fans get another look at the man behind the trumpet in this original Cabaret Show that chronicles his career using some of his autobiographical prose and and his accomplishments.  Working in conjunction with the Armstrong Foundation, McNeal weaves Armstrong's actual journals entries into the fabric of the show.

"Satchmo" illustrates to the audience the "real" Louis Armstrong as he was behind the scenes, and features memorable scenes and songs with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Smith, Joe Glaser, Bing Crosby and others.  A six-piece band is part of the on-stage production as well.

Act One:

Act Two: