Taylor reflects on his time at Elon University, where he double majored in musical theater and arts administration and then went on to Broadway. He emphasizes the importance of personal connections and support systems in his career success.
Just one month shy of graduating as a music theatre and arts administration major with a minor in business administration, Renell Taylor ’23 auditioned for the pre-Broadway tryout of “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical.”
The show follows the life of Louis Armstrong through four significant life chapters and explores themes of racial inequity and injustice. The show toured to New Orleans, Miami and Chicago in fall 2023. After the closing performance, there was no word of if the show would transfer to Broadway.
“If it happens, that’s great. If it doesn’t, then on to the next,” said Taylor, who was an original member of the pre-Broadway tryout cast as Banjo Ben, a character in the first of four chapters in the show.
Banjo Ben is a member of the riverboat crew, where Louis Armstrong learned to orchestrate music. Taylor’s character is part of Armstong’s journey and the reason he decides to leave New Orleans. Taylor’s character dies in Act One, after which Taylor focuses on being an ensemble member, performing in eight dance numbers. The dance number “Dinah” is his favorite, a mix of trumpet scatting and tap scatting, and Taylor has his tap solo during this number.
Although Taylor worked professionally before Broadway, he described the schedule as surprisingly challenging. After a grueling round of rehearsals where most of the show changed, the cast entered “previews,” a period where the show is open to the public but is still changing.
“It’s a very hard thing, and honestly, even I underestimated how hard Broadway is just because I’ve been lucky to do a lot of theater at very good places,” said Taylor. “I just assumed that it was all the same, and it is, but the schedule is different. It’s a much more intense schedule.”
Rehearsals filled the day before an evening show or a double show day, with the creative team making changes based on audience reactions in preparation for opening night.
Taylor shared the intense experience of being an original cast member in tandem with Elon alum Hannah Kevitt ‘23, who opened “Maybe Happy Ending” on the same night Renell opened “It’s a Wonderful World.”
“We’re getting to support each other a whole lot because now I finally understand everything that she was talking about when she was doing “Back to the Future,” said Taylor.
Along with having their opening nights on the same day, they also had their previews on the same day: “It’s like we’re getting to live a lot of the same dreams at the same time,” said Taylor.
Taylor was first exposed to theater in third grade, but he didn’t start to take it seriously as a possible career choice until his sophomore year of high school, when he also took his first dance class.
“People told me to audition for things, just because I used to sing around a lot and I had a big personality,” said Taylor. “Broadway wasn’t something people around me were talking about. My parents didn’t want to let me go to a dance studio, and, in the Black community, a boy going to dance class is not every parent’s goal or dream,” said Taylor.
Taylor went to two high schools, one for advanced study and another for the performing arts.
“At the performing arts school, I learned that theatre was a real career and people around me were doing it,” said Taylor. One of his best friends, Hannah Hubbard, ended up going to Elon the year before him, which is how he found out about Elon.
Taylor was very active while at Elon. In addition to his two majors and minor, he was involved in “The Moment,” a Black-student cabaret created by Kamal Lado (currently performing in “Moulin Rouge” on Broadway). He worked three jobs while at Elon — as an employee at All That JAS, a dance teacher at multiple studios and as a social media intern for the Elon Arts Administration program. In addition to performing and assistant choreographing for mainstage productions at Elon, he frequently choreographed for fellow students through Grand Night and taught a free hip-hop class on campus during his senior year.
Taylor describes Elon as a “make your own program” that allowed him to focus on dance with a variety of teachers while developing skills in singing, acting, business and arts administration. In addition to learning techniques in dance, acting and singing, Taylor learned to stay grounded in high-intensity audition settings and to “take the note,” which means to immediately correct something requested by the director, choreographer, music director, or stage manager.
“Elon shaped a more well-versed version of me, as opposed to just coming in and doing a performance. It allowed me to find my interest in business and choreography, and that got me to where I am today,” said Taylor.
Taylor recalled that so much of his journey, including performing arts school, college and intensive activities that helped him network, would not have been possible without scholarships.
“I’m not sure what my ultimate career goal is, but I think my ultimate life goal will be to transfer the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained to people who don’t have access. My biggest goal is to just give back honestly,” said Taylor.
“A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” opened on Nov. 11 and is currently showing at Studio 54 in New York City. Visit the website for tickets and showtimes.