A WONDERFUL WORLD ON BROADWAY
My Role: On-Stage Video Designer for Single Scene | Behind-the-Scenes Documentation
A Wonderful World - The Louis Armstrong Musical is a jukebox musical with a book by Aurin Squire and music performed by Louis Armstrong, orchestrated by Branford Marsalis. Conceived by Christopher Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine, the show is directed by Renshaw with choreography by Rickey Tripp.
The story recounts the life of jazz legend Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) through the perspectives of his four wives: Daisy Parker, Lillian Hardin, Alpha Smith, and Lucille Wilson. Its title is inspired by Armstrong's iconic 1967 song, "What a Wonderful World."
The musical debuted on Broadway at Studio 54 on November 11, 2024, after previews began in October.
For A Wonderful World, the video design team aimed to use video as a natural extension of the onstage scenery, blending digital elements seamlessly with the physical set. To achieve this, they sketched, drafted, modeled, and painted virtual Scenic Extensions just as they did with the real scenery. Lighting was carefully matched, using the same positions and gobos to maintain consistency. The workflow included drafting in Vectorworks, modeling in Cinema4D, texturing in Adobe, rendering in Unreal Engine, and delivering via disguise. Animations were synchronized with onstage automation, and projection was used to enhance the overall effect.
I contributed to the video design and editing for a scene depicting a historical event, ensuring it seamlessly aligned with the show’s artistic vision and multi-screen presentation. It was an incredible collaborative effort, and I’m proud to have been part of bringing this vision to life.