'Freestyle Love Supreme' — hip-hop + improv comedy = a load of fun at the Colonial

At first, only the silhouettes of the "Freestyle Love Supreme" cast are visible. Rapping in front of a blue-lit wall, the performers introduce themselves with an exuberantly hyped-up mic check, marking the start of a hip-hop comedy show that is as awe-inducing as it is funny.

The improvisational production at the Emerson Colonial Theatre (through April 2) — which went on seamlessly despite their set not arriving — weaves together the lived experiences of both the cast and the audience, making the show different each night. Friday’s MC, Anthony Veneziale, is the conceiver and founding member of the group, which got its start roughly 18 years ago. Veneziale (Two Touch) is a skilled entertainer whose wit and pacing keep the show on track. He leads an extraordinary cast, who follow in the footsteps of the original troupe that included Lin-Manuel Miranda and Foxboro native Chris Sullivan (Shockwave).

When asked, the audience yells out words or phrases the cast turns into short sketches and/or more extended musical movements. Napping, running, squeezing and shivering are just a few words that get tossed around. Somehow, incredible vocalist and rapper Aneesa Folds (Young Nees), Jay C. Ellis (Jellis J), Andrew Bancroft (Jelly Donut) and founding member and human beatbox Sullivan make a song choosing the word shiver as its focus.

For a super-fast-moving hour and a half, the performers take stories from the audience that wind up onstage. For example, one show-goer shares that she still gets teased by her family for putting a penny in an outlet and turning her hand black years ago; another mentions she hates her fifth-grade teacher; and yet another who despises music theory. The group took all of these things and created a several-minute-long performance.

Current sports and pop culture references and the more revealing tales of the casts' pasts, such as Jellis J's path to graduation, make the show feel fresh. At its core, the show is really a group of hip-hop loving storytellers working to show us how we're all connected, how all our experiences matter and that all of it, even the most mundane, can be art.

While each cast member shines throughout, Folds’ vocal prowess is most impressive during the segment in which each performer did a riff on the word “graduation.” Jelly Donut struggled a little here, but in a way, his momentary difficulty lends to the show's authenticity.

"Freestyle Love Supreme," opened on Broadway in 2019 and there's a 2020 documentary, "We Are Freestyle Love Supreme," detailing the group's beginnings on Hulu. Veneziale asks if anyone has seen the movie and quickly points out that they "missed a Grammy" for it. The documentary has old footage of the members rapping on corners, hopping on stages and chasing their dream.

And it seems that all the members, both old and new, are making their dreams come true. Miranda, of course, went on to “In the Heights” and "Hamilton.” Veneziale is an actor and educator who founded Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, an organization that nurtures diverse creative voices using improvisation and freestyle rap. FLS Academy, which Sullivan is also part of, recently teamed up with Wayne Brady of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" fame. Bancroft is in a band called Moondrunk, and both Folds (also a spoken-word artist) and Ellis are busy actors. Ellis created and directed the fully improvised hip-hop musical "BARS." Veneziale also mentioned at the show’s start that Folds will be starring in a show soon.

The original cast members are shaping what the American theater looks like right now, Veneziale says in the documentary. And, with a little bit of luck, the newer members of the talented group at the Colonial will be movers and shakers as well.

"Freestyle Love Supreme" runs through April 2 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre.