Top-notch live jazz comes to Manasquan, NJ this Sunday Feb. 12, 2017 when writer/actor/singer Trent Armand Kendall brings his original production, Louis-and-Ella! to the Algonquin Arts Theatre stage for a 3pm performance!

Louis-and-Ella! is an original fantasy depicting a heavenly meeting between jazz giants Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald on Judgement Day. The show features lots of music — one showstopper after another — in addition to humor, thought-provoking moments, and reminders of why these two individuals have became such legends.

Show creator Trent Armand Kendall plays Louis Armstrong in the production. Kendall’s previous live performance credits include The Scottsboro Boys (LA Premier), Cats (International), Into the Woods (Broadway Revival), Five Guys Named Moe (London’s West End), and The Color Purple(First National Tour). He has also appeared on television on shows like Blue Bloods, Law and Order, and Dave Chappelle’s Show; in films including The Pink Panther; and on recordings with artists like Cher.

NaTasha Yvette Williams plays the role of Ella Fitzgerald in the show. Williams made her Broadway debut as Sofia in The Color Purpleand originated the role of Mammy in the West End’s Gone With the Wind. Other stage credits include All Shook Up, Godspell, Abyssinia, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Parade, in addition to the role of Mariah in the recent Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess.

Rounding out the cast is Eli Asher, who plays Angel Gabriel, in addition to playing trumpet with the Louis-and-Ella! band, which also feature Sean Nowel on saxophone, Belden Bullock on bass, Brian Floody on drums, and music director Mark Berman on piano.

Spotlight Central recently caught up with Trent Armand Kendall and asked him to tell us more about his original musical, Louis-and-Ella!

Spotlight Central: What made you decide to create Louis-and-Ella!?

Trent Armand Kendall: Well, I’ve always had an affection for jazz music. And growing up as a kid, because my father was a musician and a music teacher, I was exposed to all types of music. He insisted that we understand the differences between all the genres. Like what’s the difference between jazz and blues? What’s the difference between blues and country — and gospel — and rock — and knowing the roots of each. And the more I understood the differences between all the genres, the more it became clear to me that even though I enjoyed several different genres, jazz is really where I’m rooted. And, then, as far as me having an affection for Louis Armstrong, once I understood the innovations that he made — not only as a musician, but as a vocalist, and as an ambassador for the US around the world — as a kid, I developed a real strong affection for this man and how he lined up in our own timeframe.

And as I got older, I started realizing that I wanted to touch people in similar ways — not necessarily the same way that he did — but I wanted to use part of his personality and see if I could grab onto that and incorporate it into who I am as an entertainer. And when it came down to, “Hey, I’m getting to a place in my life as an actor — a Broadway character actor” — where I said I wanted to write something for myself to play that has a theme and a deep meaning — and I’d also like to give honor to a historical figure. So when I started putting all those components on the table, I was naturally drawn to tell the story of Louis Armstrong.

Spotlight Central: How long did it take you to create the show?

Trent Armand Kendall: It’s been a long journey, because I actually started writing it fifteen years ago, but I set it aside many times. I felt I needed to mature as a writer, and I wanted to mature as a performer, and I also wanted to make sure I had something to say. I wanted to make sure that my first goal — a business goal — was not more important than what actually ended up on the page on the stage. So I would write to a point — I would look at it, consider it — and then I would set it aside, because I knew it was a role I could mature into. And it also was something that was always retrofitted around whatever show or tour I was doing at the time — so I’d take it out and say, “Let’s look at it.” And it finally got to the point a couple of years where I said, “Now is the time when I can really pull the trigger on this,” and give it all the attention it deserved.

Spotlight Central: Do you have a favorite Louis Armstrong song that you perform in the show?

Trent Armand Kendall: Yes, I do. There’s a song called “The Home Fire.” It’s not a very well-known song, but it’s got a sort of Southern shuffle/swing feel to it, and it’s about this guy who just wants to get home and relax in front of the fire with the ones he loves at the end of the day. And I love when people in the audience recognize it. I mean, it’s great to deliver the hit that people know they’re gonna hear — you see this look of recognition on their faces — you know that “I love that song!” look? But when you surprise them with something they’ve never heard before, you see them sort of lean forward in their seats and listen that much more closely. And it’s nice for me to see that look of discovery on their faces.

Spotlight Central: Did you ever get a chance to see either Louis Armstrong or Ella Fitzgerald in person?

Trent Armand Kendall: No, I didn’t. I was a little young to have seen Louis Armstrong. But when I moved to New York in the early ’90s — and doing that actor thing, waiting tables and counting every penny — I lived in Hell’s Kitchen but worked on Fifth Avenue. And every day I would walk past Radio City as I’d traverse the city just trying to get to work. And then, one day, I noticed that Ella Fitzgerald was going to be at Radio City Music Hall and I literally, every day for a week, stood there outside with my tip money in my pocket — knowing this money was supposed to go to rent — knowing this money was supposed to go to go to groceries when money was so tight. And I ended up not seeing what was ultimately her last performance at Radio City, and that was one of the most foolish moves I’ve ever made in my life.

Spotlight Central: Do you have a favorite Ella Fitzgerald song that you especially like in the show?

Trent Armand Kendall: Yes, “Something to Live For.” Not only is it sung really really well by my co-star, NaTasha Yvette Williams, but it also really drives home the point of her story in my show — the melody just lilts over you.

Spotlight Central: How do you enjoy working with NaTasha in the production?

Trent Armand Kendall: Well, NaTasha is just great. Over the years developing the show, I’ve enjoyed working with a few Ellas. I knew from the very beginning that filling that role was going to be a tall order. I mean, these are just two of the most recognizable voices — two of the biggest stars and icons that you can imagine — and that’s a lot of responsibility, not just for me, but for the performer who plays Ella, too. I would have to say there are not too many people who are brave enough to take on Ella! I’d say, “Hey, you wanna do come some Ella Fitzgerald for me,” and all of a sudden, you know, people would get real, “Uh…uh… I don’t know.”

So what I realized from the beginning was my challenge was this: either I’d have to get a jazz singer who is able to do all the mechanics of the scatting, but isn’t necessarily an actress — because jazz singers don’t necessarily feel the same burden of performing that an actress does in the context of a musical. Or, I could get the opposite with a seasoned actress — someone who is able to play all of the emotional beats, but who misses all the freedom of a jazz artist.

Now, for me to find somebody who could give me a good portion of both was a hard task. But what I ultimately was looking for was recreating a friendship on stage — a chemistry — because that is really why I’m doing the show. This show is about relationships and redemption and reconsidering, and how you reflect upon your life and the people who touched you in your life — more than any of those other aspects.

So as I went through a few Ellas — and some were younger, some were older, some were more svelte, some were more zaftig — I ended with NaTasha who checks off so many things on the list. But what I appreciate the most with her is the fact that when we perform together on stage, she really looks me in the eye and when she takes my hand, she really feels my hand and she’s not just going through the motions. She literally breaks my heart every time we do the show.

Spotlight Central: Have you had a chance to do this show for a New Jersey audience yet?

Trent Armand Kendall: No — this is the first time! NaTasha and I were in Jacksonville over the summer. Then, in September, at the White Plains Performing Arts Center and, immediately after that, in Annapolis. We just did Dallas — and we’re in New Jersey this week — and then we go to Sanibel Island for two weeks of performances there, and finally back to New York for a show at The Cutting Room.

Spotlight Central: So — to sum up — what’s your favorite thing about Louis-and-Ella!?

Trent Armand Kendall: My favorite thing is, every time we do the show, I feel like we get closer and closer to what my ultimate vision is. And what I never wanted was anything that felt like an Atlantic City “legends” review. You know?

I’m not interested in impersonating Louis Armstrong or impersonating Ella Fitzgerald. I’m not interested in taking an audience into the past. What I am interested in is — since the show takes place in heaven, where Louis and Ella have some unresolved business — waking Louis and Ella up in 2017! And they are translated through these two angels who are helping their souls to cross over — so it’s the spirit of Louis and Ella that is alive today.

And, because as a musician, I see the influence that their careers have made upon music today, I don’t want the audiences to look at this as something that is dead and gone — I want them to look at Louis-and-Ella! as something that’s alive today.

And I’d also like people to know that there’s something for everyone in this show. It’s fast. It’s funny. It’s touching. It’s surprising. You’re gonna hear some really, really good music…and it’s gonna resonate with you afterward. So I can’t think of anything better spending than an afternoon in New Jersey with Louis-and-Ella! — especially around Valentine’s Day — because it’s romantic, too!

Louis-and-Ella! takes place this Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3pm at The Algonquin Arts Theatre, 173 Main Street, Manasquan, NJ. Premium tickets are $36 for adults, $33 for seniors and $27 for students; regular tickets are $29 for adults, $26 for seniors, and $20 for students; and discounted tickets available for groups of 12 or more. Tickets can be ordered at www.algonquinarts.org or purchased at the door. For more information, please call 732–528–9211.