The new theater season has its first must-see musical. It’s “Mexodus,” written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, which had its New York City premiere Thursday at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre after a few regional productions. You’ll be entertained, but you might learn something, too.
I generally hate being “taught” anything in the theater, but for me, it’s about the truth with respect to “Mexodus.” Unlike some critics, I often invite as my guest someone who might know more about the subject matter on stage that evening than I do. In the case of “Mexodus,” I invited my Spanish instructor, born in Mexico. On the way into the Minetta Lane, he asked me, “Do you know about the Mexodus?” I had to reply no, beyond it being the title of the show we were about to see. When he told me that people back in the middle of the 19th Century left the United States for Mexico, I replied, “You mean, leaving Mexico to come here, right?“
Clearly there are things taught in schools in Guadalajara that weren’t taught in America decades ago, much less now.
Not to make this new musical sound like a history lesson, when Quijada and Robinson tells us the Mexodus story at the top of the show, my mind flipped to that scene in “Giant” where Elizabeth Taylor tells Rock Hudson, “We really stole Texas from Mexico, didn’t we, Mr. Benedict.”
In 1848, to be precise. Blacks who found themselves free in Mexico’s Texas suddenly found themselves slaves in America’s Texas until after the Civil War.
For Robinson, the story is personal because it’s his family history. He plays a slave named Henry who escapes to the Rio Grande but has to kill a white man in the process. Once in Mexico, Henry sleeps on the rented property of Carlos (Quijada) who may turn this Black man into Texas bounty hunters for a hefty fee. From there, “Mexodus” tells a very thrilling tale.
Quijada and Robinson sing and play about a dozen instruments between them. The musical is subtitled “a two-person live-looped new musical.” Now, I know as much about synthesizers as I do the real Mexodus story, but Quijada and Robinson often begin playing an instrument and then the music is live-looped on the synthesizer. Throughout the show, the two performers keep tapping little gadgets strewn around the stage to cue the music. It turns into a fascinating visual leitmotif, one that gives an intriguing accent to Riw Rakkulchon junkyard of a set. You’ll want to explore this heap of garbage. Also fun are the costumes, by David Mendizabal, which, among other delightful details, feature spurs on Carlos’ sneakers.
Quijada and Robinson’s score has the immediate, infectious quality of folk music, but to a hip-hop beat. They are charismatic performers, and it will be difficult to find anyone to replace them since “Mexodus” requires multi-talented musician-singers. Quijada and Robinson as actors, however, don’t always express all the colors of their music and their book, which provides some very hefty dramatic scenes.
In addition to the costumes, Mendizabal directs “Mexodus.” He turns it into a ride that travels with incredible speed and excitement.
