How James Monroe Iglehart Transforms into Louis Armstrong for Broadway’s A Wonderful World Musical.Linh

The Tony winner opens up to PEOPLE about playing the music icon on stage, sharing that he found “a definite connection” withe the late star

In a way, James Monroe Iglehart feels a special kinship to Louis Armstrong.

The Tony winner, 50, steps into the famed jazz singer’s shoes in the new Broadway musical A Wonderful World, which began previews on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Studio 54 ahead of its official opening on Nov. 11. He is also co-directing the production alongside Christopher Renshaw and Christina Sajous

“What I found most interesting is how much in certain aspects I feel like I really understood him,” Iglehart says of the music icon in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “I’m not a guy who likes coNFLict. I love acting, but I can’t stand drama. Louis just wanted to play his horn. That made him so happy. Performing made him happy. He really didn’t want to get into all the drama of money or dealing with people.”

The Hamilton alum can also relate to Armstrong amid the criticism he received in his life and death, during which people accused him of not being outspoken enough during the Civil Rights Movement.

“I remember being in high school and in show choir and some kids saying, ‘Why are you always singing that white music?’ That hurt me so bad because I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ I sing gospel at church. I sing R&B. I sing Boyz II Men. But I also love this musical theater style of music. I grew up as a Disney kid, so I loved that,” Iglehart shares.

“To hear these people that looked like me tell me that I wasn’t Black enough, or that I was only performing for the white folks, or that I was talking white… Reading Louis’ books and knowing that he went through that struck a chord with me. I was like, ‘I understand, brother.’ He went through so much more than I did, but I found a definite connection with him in those moments.”

The musical will bring Armstrong’s “incredible journey to life, from New Orleans to worldwide fame,” according to the official synopsis, which is something that Iglehart became inspired to do after watching a Ken Burns documentary series on jazz music during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Iglehart recalls watching the first few episodes and thinking, “Oh, my gosh! Someone should do a musical about this man.” He then had his team do some research and they found that there was already a musical in the works, and the rest came naturally.

When the pandemic was over, the show’s creative team reached out and offered Iglehart the lead role and he said, “Yes, I’d love to be a part of it.” He went on to play the iconic jazz figure in its pre-Broadway runs in New Orleans and Chicago before stepping into the co-director role for the Broadway transfer.

“I wasn’t really thinking about directing it,” Iglehart says of his early days of working on the musical. “But once we got to work on the show, when we were out of town, I had a lot of opinions. And they were like, ‘Okay, you have a lot of opinions but your opinions are pretty good. You seem to have a knack for putting things together. What do you think? Would you be interested in joining the creative team?’ “

Once again, Iglehart said “yes,” but this time for that co-director role.

“It’s been a really fun time. I love the creation of new musicals or new shows. There is something about getting the words on the page, taking it all apart and then putting it all back together and going. ‘Okay, let’s see what we have.’ Now, there’s something really magical about that and I’ve always wanted to do that since I was a kid,” he shares.

To get into character to portray the beloved baritone, Iglehart turned to his friend and fellow stage actor Alex Brightman for advice as knows a thing or two about extreme voice transformations after playing the titular character in the Beetlejuice musical for several years.

“Talking was fine, but the singing part was the kicker,” Iglehart explains. “So the first thing I did was call a friend of mine. I called Alex Brightman because he was doing Beetlejuice at the time and I said, ‘Man, how are you doing this voice and not killing yourself?

Brightman then suggested that Iglehart see his voice instructor Deric Rosenblatt to help him craft Armstrong’s signature gravelly voice. Upon meeting with the professional, Iglehart was told, “There is no Healthy way to do this but we will do it in the Healthiest way possible.”

With the musical ready to open on the Broadway stage, Iglehart considers what he has learned from the journey and what he wants people to take away from the musical. “To be honest, I really want them to have a good time. I really want them to be entertained by the story. I want them to be fascinated by his story and moved by the music,” the actor says.

But he adds that he also wants people to leave with some key advice that they can apply to their own lives outside of the theater.

“I also want them to leave knowing that life is about choices. Louis said, ‘Music is like life.’ The notes start at the beginning and the song ends. And then I was thinking, one day, that jazz is like the choices you make in between the notes. What are you going to do in between the notes? The notes are on the page but it’s the choices you make in between those notes,” Iglehart says.

“If you’re okay with the choices at the end of your life, then you’ve had a wonderful world.”