History You Won’t Find in Your Textbook In MEXODUS — Review

There’s a moment about three-quarters of the way through Mexodus, the electric new musical playing at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre, when the two characters come together to dig trenches in order to restore farmland destroyed in a recent storm. Without exchanging a word, the two men play guitar together, fashioning a song live in front of us. It’s a stunning moment, a reminder of the power music has to fill in the gaps language leaves behind, and one of the musical’s most arresting. 

That’s not to say that the rest of it isn’t wildly impressive, because it is and then some. In its sleek 90 minutes, Mexodus manages to shed light on a forgotten piece of history while showcasing its two cast members’ virtuosic talents. Is there an instrument these two can’t play?

The music is entirely live-looped, meaning the show’s stars, Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, who also share credit for book, music & lyrics, create the music from scratch each night with the instruments scattered across Riw Rakkulchon’s industrial set. (Mikhail Fiksel is credited with looping systems architecture and sound design.) Before our eyes, we get to watch them create a song from the ground up—starting with an upright bass, then layering on top of that any number of instruments or practical sounds like stomping, clapping, or beat-boxing. It’s not only exciting to watch, it’s a theatrical high wire act that depends on the actors’ facility with the instruments and tech while still delivering a compelling story.

And deliver they do. Robinson plays Henry, a slave in Texas who endeavors to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico after a fatal incident with a plantation owner. Mexico outlawed slavery in 1829, more than 30 years before the United States followed suit. One of the main goals of Mexodus is to explore this part of history that you won’t find in textbooks. We’ve all heard of The Underground Railroad, but little is said of the flight to Mexico that many made in their quest for freedom.

But Mexodus is not just a history lesson. When Henry is saved by Carlos, a former army medic turned farmer, what follows is an inspiring exploration of friendship, cultural divides, and what it means to be free. 

Though they come from different cultures, often struggling through a language barrier, Carlos and Henry begin to discover that what they share is greater than what divides them. Both know firsthand what it’s like to work the land for someone else. While not a slave, Carlos isn't the owner of the land he farms tirelessly. Having lost his family and his name, Henry is haunted by the horrors of slavery. Carlos, in turn, is haunted by the atrocities of war. Both have suffered at the hands of American imperialism. 

If the “we’re all in this together” messaging feels pat, the rollicking and rap-heavy score more than makes up for it. Mexodus is as fun as it is moving. Quijada and Robinson have created a piece that suits their strengths and it’s clear they’re having a hell of a good time performing it. 

Quijada has enough goofy charisma to power the entire show himself. He’s bolstered by Robinson’s perfectly textured vocals and generous warmth. The two share magnificent chemistry. Director David Mendizábal has mined that chemistry for all its worth, creating an endlessly watchable and highly enjoyable night at the theatre. 

Watching Quijada and Robinson build songs together, creating harmony out of seemingly disparate sounds and melodies, is a perfect mirror to the story they’re telling on stage, one that starts in the 1800s but is brought seamlessly into our present moment. 

Mexodus is playing at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre through October 18. For tickets and more information, visit here.