Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the playwright, actor and songwriter, follows up the livestreaming capture of his Broadway musical “Hamilton” with a documentary on Hulu showing his hip-hop improv skills in “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme.” Freestyle Love Supreme performances offer thrillingly creative, flyby-the-seat-of-your-pants moments, in which the performers weave songs out of random words and audience suggestions like “dishwasher” or “peanut butter.” Director Andrew Fried turned his camera on in 2005 when the troupe did a run of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then charts the group’s development over the years, capping it with a 2019 Broadway run. In her review, Associated Press Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “essential” to Miranda disciples. Miranda describes the improv group as a crucial creative spark to his more formal stage shows, which include the Tony Award-winning “Hamilton” and “In the Heights.” “I’ve often sort of jokingly called ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ the opposing muscle group of my writing,” Miranda said in an interview. “The fact that I have this other artistic output forced me to be present and create lyrics on the spot. It made me a better writer.” In addition to Miranda, his improv group consists of Utkarsh Ambudkar, Anthony Veneziale, Chris Sullivan and Broadway veterans Christopher Jackson and James Monroe Iglehart. Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-nominated director of “Hamilton,” co-created and directs the group with Veneziale.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is hosting “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” on Spotify, the streaming service and the Obama’s Higher Ground production company announced Thursday. The podcast will exclusively debut on Spotify on July 29. “My hope is that this series can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in our own lives,” Obama said in a statement. The new podcast is the first title in the ongoing collaboration between Spotify and Higher Ground, a production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama. Last year, the Obamas partnered with Spotify to produce exclusive podcasts for the platform. Michelle Obama’s new podcast expects to feature candid and personal conversations with a focus on topics concerning relationships and health. She expects to have several guests on the series including talk-show host Conan O’Brien and Valerie Jarrett, businesswoman and former senior adviser to Barack Obama. “Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations — and hard conversations — with the people who matter most to them,” she said. “That’s how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another.”