Satchmo at ACT: Louis Armstrong Minus the Smile, Unveiled by Play and Phenomenal Performance

John Douglas Thompson as Louis Armstrong: His heart belonged to music. Photos by T. Charles Erickson Anyone old enough to recall Louis Armstrong's many gigs on the Ed Sullivan Show or curious enough to view his videos on YouTube knows the great trumpeter/singer as a jovial guy with a radiant smile and an ingratiating way with words. He was a master showman, aiming to entertain and almost invariably succeeding. But anyone lucky enough to see Satchmo at the Waldorf, a one-actor, three-character sh...