REVIEW: Documentary spotlights freestyle group that shaped ‘In the Heights’ and ‘Hamilton’

Overshadowed by the proshot release of “Hamilton” on Disney+ and missed by a chaotic world truly on fire, “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme”, unfortunately, escaped many people’s notice. Ignoring this story of fraternity, art, hip-hop and friendship leaves fans of both “In the Heights” and “Hamilton” missing key elements of how these world-changing works of art became possible.

Directed by Andrew Fried, the documentary spans over 15 years of Freestyle Love Supreme (FLS) and ends with the moment the 2019-2020 Broadway run begins. Founded circa 2004, FLS is a hip-hop improv troupe founded by Thomas Kail, Anthony Veneziale and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Other prestigious alumni include Chris Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Utkarash Ambudkar, Bill Sherman, James Monroe Iglehart and Wayne Brady among others.

Rather than just showing the now-household names, “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” respectfully highlights every original member with a focus on those who would go onto star in “Hamilton.” This gives the audience the pleasure of meeting the talent of FLS that do not always get the national acclaim they deserve. 

This framing also allows us to see how the award-winning shows, “In the Heights” and ”Hamilton” were shaped by these members’ creativity and support as well as their relationship with the members who would go on to direct, write and star in these other projects. It wasn’t quite symbiotic as Jackson, who played George Washington in “Hamilton” and Benny in “In the Heights,” says in the trailer for “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme.” 

“This was before ‘Hamilton,’ Heights doesn’t happen if it isn’t for this.”

One of the most enduring themes of the documentary is the power of creative collaboration and loving friendships. Despite life bumps and the every day just trying to survive, this diverse group of men (later men and women) were each other’s support system in a way that isn’t talked about enough when speaking about happiness, especially with men. This is both beyond the stage and on it. Skills like listening and vulnerability made their performances as FLS more real and strengthened their relationships.

While the documentary is mostly filled with joyful moments like snippets of FLS on stage or the moments upon moments of them gushing over every member’s importance and talent, the film still manages to make room for serious reflection.

We learn that before Leslie Odom Jr. would take the iconic mantle of Aaron Burr, sir, it was performed by and tailored for another member of FLS. If not for that person battling substance abuse, Odom would not be Burr. 

In another moment, we see how one of the founding members needed to move across the country for family, subsequently changing relationships within the group. These were some of a few introspective moments that had a more serious tone. This was not negative or antagonist for drama, just reflective and leaves the viewer with hope and closure.

Another shortfall is because there are so many parts and interruptions of life and side projects, there is no clear beginning or end. There is no clear progression and although the founders are named there is no clear leader in the collective. Two of the founders work on the other two major musicals and the third finds himself needing to move across the country. This is a major point brought up again and again but doesn’t serve as a climax or moment of narrative tension.

Within the first few minutes of “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” Miranda acknowledges the nature of the group and storytelling. He cites Orwell in saying “There’s no endpoint, ‘If you wanna tell a story with a happy ending, it depends on where you tell the story.’” That said, it still works against the pacing at times of this particular story about FLS happy, sad or any more nuanced emotion. 

The editing cuts to the highly anticipated 2019-2020 Broadway run of FSL throughout the documentary. This high-profile run of the show saw most of the original members returning as the main cast or in unannounced cameos. Rather than building to that moment, the documentary shows on stage moments of this throughout the film. This might have been better saved for the end like other documentaries that feature a reunion-esque center. By not saving this as a big ending, there were interesting cuts throughout showing a “past/ present” duality.

The upside of interspersing clips of the 2019-2020 show is seeing an almost side by side perspective of the staging and how little has changed. It comes down to a small background crew, few instrumentalists and freestylers having a nightly unique performance with the audience.

So between waiting for the July 19, 2021  (currently, who really knows anymore) release of the film adaptation of “In the Heights” and watching “Hamilton” again for the 3rd time, take the time to check out this fun and feel good look this wacky collective of freestyle and music enthusiasts that would go onto challenge the way we interact with storytelling and theater.