To many people, the story of the Underground Railroad is a familiar one — the secret network that helped runaway slaves in the American South to escape to the North.
That’s certainly the only one Brian Quijada knew. But in 2017 he read an article about the thousands of enslaved people who fled to Mexico in the 19th century. Quijada had long been interested in immigration stories; his previous works include “Where Did We Sit on the Bus,” a 2016 autobiographical show about growing up Latino, and “Somewhere Over the Border,” a 2022 work inspired by his mother’s real-life journey to the United States from El Salvador.
In 2020, Quijada met a fellow composer, Nygel D. Robinson, at a conference and pitched the idea of telling the story of the southward migration, but with a twist: It would also have a particular focus on our contemporary political landscape, where harsh rhetoric toward immigrants abounds. They spent the next few years developing a musical, one which melds live instrumental performance with technology — the songs’ backing loops are composed onstage, creating a more immersive live experience.
The final product, “Mexodus,” has echoes of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” and John Leguizamo’s “Latin History for Morons.”
After being staged last year at Mosaic Theater Company in Washington, D.C., Baltimore Center Stage and Berkeley Repertory Theater, the production arrived in New York City this month at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theater. (It is slated to end its run there on Oct. 18.) In her review for The New York Times, Brittani Samuel called it an “electrifying theatrical experience” in which “Quijada and Robinson become the physical embodiment of the unity they preach.”
Black and brown unity is among its themes. Directed by David Mendizábal, “Mexodus” tells the story of Henry, a Black man who escapes slavery in Texas and crosses the Rio Grande into Mexico. There he encounters Carlos, a former Mexican soldier of the Mexican American War.
In a recent interview, Quijada, 36, a Chicago native, and Robinson, 32, who is from La Grange, N.C., talked about writing the music and lyrics and performing in the show as well as the musical’s place in the current political climate. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
How much were you thinking about contemporary immigration politics when writing this musical?
NYGEL D. ROBINSON I would say a lot — in trying to talk about the parallels. It was always at the forefront of our minds whether or not we were trying to comment on it.
BRIAN QUIJADA I’ve been writing about immigration since 2013. And I think the tragedy is that it’s gotten worse.
What has gotten worse specifically?
QUIJADA The rhetoric. The policy. The millions of more dollars that are going into ICE. You read these articles about [former President] Obama deporting a bunch of people as well, but I think now there’s vitriol in a way that there didn’t exist back when I started writing about immigration.
Do you feel the show has more urgency now than when you first had the idea for it?
QUIJADA Now it feels dire.
Being onstage offers a platform in which to spit hot fire. We get to express rage weirdly, joyfully and, in community, express rage, and offer ourselves and our audience a balm; a little bit of hope that if we stick together, we might be able to overcome.
ROBINSON Also, the approach is different. We’re not yelling at you to change. We’re showing you what we can do if we put these things aside.
How did you decide to tell this historical story as a hip-hop musical?
QUIJADA That’s the music that I feel most comfortable writing. Hip-hop was my music and Nygel’s too.
ROBINSON To quote Lin-Manuel, because I think what he said is beautiful, he was like “hip-hop is the language of revolution.” So whenever you need to say something emphatically, something that you feel is very important and pointed and aggressive, I think hip-hop is the best medium to use.
How much did “Hamilton” either influence the work or factor into your thinking as you developed the story?
QUIJADA I remember seeing that piece and being absolutely blown away, and being like, “Wow, this has changed musical theater forever.” Not only me, myself, feeling represented as all the actors who were up onstage, but being like, “Holy moly, this is the music, a music that I understand really, really well.” It undeniably opened the door.
Is there “Mexodus” without “Hamilton”?
ROBINSON I just want to add a little bit of nuance to it. There is “Mexodus” without “Hamilton.” There’s this form of musical without it. The accessibility and the palatability is absolutely affected by “Hamilton” because that made hip-hop musicals mainstream. It made white people would be like, “I could walk into the theater and listen to rap and be OK.”
In the show, you ask the audience: “What are you choosing to do with the days your ancestors have earned you?” What would be your response?
ROBINSON This play. I talk about it in that monologue. I grew up around a lot of old Black women who bossed me around and told me what they think I should do or what I shouldn’t do, but loved me in a way that doesn’t make any sense.
Knowing that they live lives working at a plant or a factory for 30 years just so they can retire and have a little bit of money and do something to try and send me off to do better — the very least I can do is try to succeed and work as hard as I can to try and pay them back a little of what they’ve given me.
QUIJADA I remember having a really terrible nightmare where all of my ancestors — laborers, people who would work, blood and tears, going into their manual labor back in El Salvador — being like, “Oh, you’re choosing to do art? You’re choosing this flighty occupation?”
And it bothered me for so long. That’s why I think I write about my family and my community: If I can prove them wrong, that I can live off being an artist, but also pay my respects to my parents so that their sacrifices aren’t in vain? The mission statement for me is to try to bring empathy to people like them, people like my folks.
Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture.
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