‘Mexodus’ Review: The Underground Railroad Runs South to Mexico in a Pasadena Playhouse Musical That Feels as Spirited as a Two-Man ‘Hamilton’
The show has Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Part of what gives “Mexodus” such a kick is how expert Quijada and Robinson turn out to be as writers and singers...
Key points
- The show has Brian Quijada and Nygel D.
- Part of what gives “Mexodus” such a kick is how expert Quijada and Robinson turn out to be as writers and singers in a surprising number of genres that expand throughout the show in a kind of beautifully inverse proportion to the number of actual players on stage.
- Popular on Variety Two things to know straight off: One, “Mexodus” is a good time at the theater.
- Before the narrative starts up in earnest, the show opens with a good stretch of fourth-wall-breaking, as Quijada and Robinson greet the house and explain the rules of how all the music will be created in the intermission-less hour-and-a-half to follow.
What happened
The show has Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Part of what gives “Mexodus” such a kick is how expert Quijada and Robinson turn out to be as writers and singers in a surprising number of genres that expand throughout the show in a kind of beautifully inverse proportion to the number of actual players on stage. Popular on Variety Two things to know straight off: One, “Mexodus” is a good time at the theater. Before the narrative starts up in earnest, the show opens with a good stretch of fourth-wall-breaking, as Quijada and Robinson greet the house and explain the rules of how all the music will be created in the intermission-less hour-and-a-half to follow. There’s probably a version of this show that these two could pull off without any of the looping tech; it’d be interesting to see and hear them try doing a “Mexodus Unplugged.” But probably no one in the audience will begrudge their ability to come up with a full sound and heavy pulse by the time a mirror ball lights up at stage right. It’s a show where issues of melanin meet melatonin, and if that sounds at all like a forced marriage, you haven’t seen the ease of how Quijada and Robinson’s writing and performance styles are wed here.