Freestyle Love Supreme
Freestyle Love Supreme is an improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group started by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Veneziale in 2004 and directed by Thomas Kail.[1][2] The group performed a Broadway musical of the same name from 2019 to 2020 at the Booth Theatre.
History
The idea for the project started during rehearsal breaks for Lin-Manuel Miranda's first Broadway musical, In the Heights.[3] At the beginning, it was a project for young artists to experiment with theatre and musical sound.[4] During shows, the performers rap and beatbox, backed by keyboards.[5] Unlike traditional, scripted musicals, the audience is intended to be engaged and participate in the show, providing suggestions and occasionally even being brought on stage.[2][6] Before being performed on Broadway, there were performances at Ars Nova in 2004 and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2005.[1][3][7]
Members of the group appeared in several episodes of the 2009 The Electric Company revival, on which Miranda, Sherman, Jackson, and Sullivan were regular music contributors.
The group created a 10-episode television series that aired on Pivot in 2014.[8]
The group performed its Off-Broadway and Broadway shows in 2019–2020 in celebration of their 15th anniversary.[1]
The story of the group and musical is featured in the 2020 documentary We Are Freestyle Love Supreme,[9] directed by Andrew Fried, who began filming the group in 2005.[4] The film contains footage shot over the 15 years of the group's history.[9]
Cast
Members of the cast has included the following, though other members have appeared, sometimes unannounced.[3][5][6] The opening night performance on Broadway featured nine guest stars.[5]
- Vocal performers
The following performers have performed rap or beatboxing on the show:
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Anthony "Two Touch" Veneziale
- Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan
- Utkarsh Ambudkar
- Chris Jackson
- Kaila Mullady
- Andrew Bancroft
- Daveed Diggs
- James Monroe Iglehart
- Wayne Brady
- Ashley Pérez Flanagan
- Aneesa Folds
- Keyboardists
The following keyboardists have accompanied the vocal artists:
- Arthur Lewis
- Bill Sherman
- Ian Weinberger
- Kurt Crowley
Performances
Freestyle Love Supreme was performed on Broadway at the Booth Theatre from October 2, 2019 through January 12, 2020.[2][5]
References
- ^ a b c Caroline Siede (June 2, 2020). "We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is a feel-good origin story for Lin-Manuel Miranda's first troupe". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c Lily Pace (October 3, 2019). "Behind 'Freestyle Love Supreme,' Lin-Manuel Miranda's Improv Dream". billboard.com. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c Vinson Cunningham (October 7, 2019). ""Freestyle Love Supreme" Raps its way to Broadway". Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b "We Are Freestyle Love Supreme". Sundance Institute. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Freestyle Love Supreme". broadway.com. 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, Hulu, July 17, 2020, retrieved July 17, 2020 (subscription required)
- ^ "The Ars Nova Revolution". ARS NOVA. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
THE ARS NOVA REVOLUTION: FROM FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME (ARS NOVA, 2004) TO HAMILTON (BROADWAY, 2015)
- ^ Esther Zuckerman (October 17, 2014). "Lin-Manuel Miranda on bringing Freestyle Love Supreme to TV". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ a b Scott Simon (July 18, 2020). "'We Are Freestyle Love Supreme' Is An Accidental 'Hamilton' Cast Origin Story". NPR News. Retrieved July 18, 2020.