'Freestyle Love Supreme' merges hip hop and comedy a little Broadway

“Freestyle Love Supreme,” one of the hottest shows on Broadway, is set to arrive at the Miller Theater soon. Lin Manuel-Miranda and Philly native Anthony Veneziale, founded the group that grew into a Tony Award-winning Broadway show.

The experience is best described as a blend of improv and freestyle flow, combining hip hop culture with theater.

Harmonies of singing, rapping, beat-boxing, and freestyle are performed for the audience, all accompanied by tight beats from keyboard and non-instrumental percussion. Every show is different because audience members contribute words, ideas, and thoughts to the talent.

“Everything is made up on the spot” is how tony award winner James Monroe Iglehart puts it.

The show runs from June 7-12, and this stop has just gotten a whole lot more special with the addition of Tony nominee Chris Jackson and Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart as well as Lin Manuel Miranda himself.

Veneziale began by explaining what “Freestyle Love Supreme” is, as many in the hip hop community assume it is a rap battle.

“Our show is a live freestyle rap concert. You get words from the audience to make up fully improvised rap songs. Imagine “Whose Line Is It Anyway” meets the Roots.”

The Love Supreme part of the name comes from John Coltrane’s iconic album “A Love Supreme.”

“It derives from this beautiful four-part ascension of using the saxophone in flow state to have a conversation with God and we’re just using the English language as our instrument,” clarifies Veneziale.

In the theater community, as in many other industries, there is a reckoning about representation, particularly the creative part. There were a record number of plays written by and starring people of color last fall. Veneziale shared his thoughts on the current situation.

“It’s not a moment, it’s a movement and absolutely I am a part of that movement. As a white man, it’s important to understand my role to allow there to be more space for non-centered voices,” Anthony shared.

He also emphasized how art is healing during these stressful times.

“I am a frontline worker in a different way. We are delivering medicine. This show is the medicine we need right now. We need to be seen, heard and a sense of belonging. Coming into our show, you’re a part of the show, it’s not just a mirror. It’s a window and a mirror. We ask for your ideas and thoughts,” he said.

James Monroe Iglehart is a veteran on the Broadway scene, best known for his tony-award winning turn as the Genie in “Aladdin.”

His exuberance and talent enable him to create new roles or make established roles his own.

“It goes back to an old comedian/hiphop rule of no biting. What that means is that you don’t copy what someone else is doing. You bring your own to it. With the genie what was interesting was that I wanted to be the essence of the genie not Robin Williams. You look at the carton there is a lot of Robin in it but there is the character of the genie and what does the character want. The character wants to be free, and he wants a friend,” Iglehart said.

If that wasn’t enough, he went on to play the role of Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson. He made the role his own once more.

“What people don’t know is that I was a part of Hamilton in the beginning around the same time as Aladdin because I am a part of Freestyle Love Supreme. So, when I was around that, Lin told us he was creating a show called ‘The Hamilton Mixtape.’ So, when he first presented it to the public at Lincoln Center, I got to play Mulligan.”

He added that Daveed Diggs encouraged him to make the role his own, “once I saw who my Hamilton was, I decided to make the character more of a pro wrestling villain based on my stature.”

Iglehard, like Veneziale emphasized “The audience can expect a fully interactive and improve hip hop musical.”

As if having Iglehard ( he will be performing June 7-11) and Jackson (appearing June 11-12) added to this amazing feast isn’t enough it was just announced that the maestro himself Lin Manuel-Miranda will guest star for one performance only on June 10.

Make sure to get your tickets for a night of escape and positive energy at the Miller Theater.

“Freestyle Love Supreme” running through June 11.

For more information, visit kimmelculturalcampus.org