So before Hamilton, before in the
heights there was freestyle love supreme.
The original hip hop musical phenomena
is playing right now at the Seattle
Rep and no two shows are alike.
I talked with the cast members
aneesa Folds and Kayla m'lady.
I have heard so many good things
about the show freestyle love
supreme tell me what it's all about.
Yeah, that's a mouthful. We're
still good. It's a lot.
It's a freestyle hip hop improv
extravaganza. Believe music.
It's whiling out meets
whose line is it anyway?
It's it's for everyone.
It's riveting. It's
you being a part of the show,
we can't do. What about the audience? We
need you, it's interactive.
It's special, it's more
words that mean things when
we say them legitimately.
The adjectives thrown out right
now are going to make me fall
off my chair. I'm not quick,
line and sinker baby.
That's what we're doing.
There's some history
to what you do now and it started on
Broadway. Lynn Melton, Manuel Miranda
was in there. Yeah yeah. It started
about what eighteen? 2020 years ago
a few people you might know went
to Wesleyan and they just like
to do this freestyling thing.
It was started by Lin-manuel Miranda,
Tom McHale, and Anthony.
Eventually they all went to Wesleyan
and when they were working on in
the heights they were just between
breaks just wrapping and decided hey
maybe we should take this freestyling
thing and and see what comes of it.
And yeah, we went to Broadway with our first.
Run in 2019 and then we did it again in 2021,
yeah? Time is a construct,
yeah, but yeah,
it's been really cool just so
watch how it's grown and if you
watch the documentary on Hulu,
we are freestyle love supreme.
You can kind of see that journey from what
they were performing in Edinburgh again.
Spoiler alert,
some tennis balls thrown at them
and opening on Broadway.
Alright, so you mentioned
there is you gotta do it with the audience.
Let's talk about the audience participation.
Yeah, so our show is not possible
without the words, the suggestions
or the stories from the audience.
So when you ask us what our show about?
Is about it's kind of hard to say because
each and every night it's so different.
Truly from the top of the show
to the end we get suggestions
or realize from the audiences,
and we flip them on stage and we create a
musical right in front of our eyes based
on things that the audience told us.
Wow, you gotta be really witty to do that.
Like on thinking on your feet at all times.
How do you even prepare for that?
Yeah, it's just about being present
and listening. I mean,
there's a lot going on in the outside world,
especially right now. And just in general,
and we come in to do this show.
And it's really just about being in
the moment and we really encourage
the audience to do the same and just
experience the real joy in real time.
I think that that's what makes our
show so special and just really,
truly listening.
A lot of times we're listening to speak.
And not listening just to listen.
And I think that that's a real
gem that I personally have learned
in and take taken into other
situations outside of the show.
But yeah,
we that's how we're able to do what we do
and in this show it's not something
you can really prepare for it.
There's no script beforehand,
there's no choreography or dancing.
So when it comes to other performers
in the cast, you just have to do it.
And it's also a thing of just like
following the fear and taking that risk the
first time you do a show as a performer,
scary, and I'm sure,
for some audiences to raise their hand.
Or tell us embarrassing story or
to use their voice in that way.
It could be scary too.
So yeah, you know,
just as we're taking risk,
we really invite the audience to
take a risk with us that night as
well. Yeah, I mean,
I can imagine like I'd be scared too.
I don't know, say something
stupid or offensive or like.
How do you guys?
I I find as a host sometimes I'm like
'cause I don't wanna say one thing.
Do you ever come across that?
Please make
sure the audience no one has
their phones for good reason.
Yeah and I mean about saying
things that are stupid.
We we encourage that like yeah,
they won't bring about free selves so
pretty much to make mistakes and that's
something that we practice in the freecell.
Supreme Academy is encouraging people
to come in and be themselves and fall
on your face because we're always
going to have each other's backs
if I mess up someone else is gonna
pick me up and take it from there.
When you make a mistake,
it becomes a pattern and then
it becomes a joke.
And then you could put it on a T shirt.
I love that. I love that.
So can you like can you
show me how it works?
I don't wanna put you on
the spot or anything,
but is that OK if I we tried it?
Yeah, let's do our job. OK,
So what do I do? You have
some words for us. Maybe throw us a few
words I'll drop a beat and young niece
will incorporate your words over the beat.
OK OK, oh OK alright so should I.
I'll make it about our show
new day Northwest and I'll
throw some adjectives at you.
Are you ready? Yeah,
OK spontaneous silly fun sassy.
A open book.
Brave talk show Seattle
fashion cooking amatti. OK, OK
let's try remember any of that. OK.
Alright.
OK OK yeah, come on everybody here.
Get your praying. Yes what we doing
on the microphone is so spontaneous.
Yeah uh-huh I'm feeling so sad then
be pretty like I'm chilling with.
She's in the purple sweater. Get done.
Look at how it's raining in Seattle.
Getting wetter, you know,
we gotta rattle in the fashion on the needle.
Yeah, I'm coming in like just a
little Beagle, a Grey's Anatomy,
you could call me Shonda Rhimes.
Maybe Mary? That's great.
Yeah, I'm going to do a couple runs open.
Mind, I forgot the rest of the words.
I think he said open book.
Yeah, what you gonna look what you took?
I think I see you just see the shrug.
Here I go. I'm in the tub rubber dub
dub get my slug put in some salt in
the guy Oh my God please tell U.S.
Supreme why?
I don't know, I think.
Oh my gosh.
That was some impressive stuff right there.
Definitely have the skills and
you can catch freestyle love
supreme at the Seattle Repertory
Theatre now through March 13th.