A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Mexodus’

Mexodus, a live-looping hip-hop new musical created and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, is an extraordinary and mind-blowing accomplishment on all levels from its creative, technical, and performance aspects.

Now having its west coast premiere at Pasadena Playhouse, it is a theatrical one-of-a-kind experience with an essential underlying human rights message that may be forgotten simply because of how tremendous these two artists are.

Mexodus is an electrifying experience that explores a hidden chapter of the Underground Railroad – one that moved south, by crossing the Rio Grande toward liberation in Mexico. This groundbreaking musical amplifies the story of a freedom seeker and an unlikely ally as they forge a remarkable bond that transcends borders. It’s history remixed. It’s a ride you won’t want to miss.

I don’t have any significant creative critiques because Mexodus is a must-see event for all. That’s really my “theatre critic” perspective that doesn’t go much beyond that, with the exception of a few things which I will go into later. With such excellent direction by David Mendizábal, choreography by Tony Thomas, lighting design by Mextly Couzin, looping systems architecture and sound design by Mikhail Fiksel, video/projection design by Johnny Moreno, production stage managing and assistant stage managing by Hope Villanueva and Fior Tat, this mighty village made these two amazing artists look and sound even more amazing. While this is a musical with a compelling story at its core, it is a straight-out concert that also may be far too dynamic for the rigid world of theatre.

And therein lies my biggest issue for this jaw-dropping musical: in the world of theatre, Mexodus may not be performing in its most appropriate venue even though it was designed to be performed in such spaces. Considering that the nature of theatre is automatically predisposed to wealthy white audience members with the vast majority of leadership still very much white, I had to take pause that its underlying human rights message may be glossed over. And it’s an essential message too: that to this day, Black and Brown bodies are constantly being exploited, denied, and murdered. When this musical had its west coast opening night on July 12, 2026, we in the United States are still contending with the brutal murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE agents and the awful disappearance and mysterious death of Nolan Wells as just some of the most recent tragedies that highlight this message.

But you wouldn’t think that the majority white audience members that night truly pondered on this as they happily left the theatre complimenting the “sick-ass” beats and simply being blown away by the sheer talent of these two most incredible artists. And that’s the thing, Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson deserve the world. Their talents are so multi-faceted and so rich that I could not help but think that so many mediocre and far less talented white actors will still get ahead of them by doing a lot less. And by having the crux of their show be set in a historical time period where white people can go “oh yes yes, slavery is bad” and not be forced to confront that they themselves and a majority of their friends are hesitant to truly call out the modern slavery practices still carried out today in the form of ICE and the United States prison system.

But does that fault lie with the creators? Perhaps. Mexodus is already being lauded as the “next Hamilton” and with numerous accolades, it is not hard to make comparisons between the two musicals as both utilize events of the past to weave in the current issues we face today in the form of hip-hop. But it is in the very nature of setting the story in such a past that it allows white and white-affirming people an easy escape to sit back and enjoy two Black and Brown artists perform for them. So as much as I enjoyed what is otherwise a must-see musical that can be enjoyed by all, the argument can also be made that the reason it is being lauded so much by folks like the New York Times and numerous awards like the Lucille Lortel and Drama League is that the presentation of its subject matter is palatable for mainstream audience members. I also go back to what I said earlier in this review that the theatre format is simply too rigid and too white in its current existing state for this musical to be experienced in all its glory.

This is not to say that there is no deeper value in this musical. Far from it as there is much need to tell the history that Mexico played a vital part in the Underground Railroad. But humans have often shown that history is never truly learned but simply repeated over and over because we just can’t help ourselves. Quijada and Robinson have created something magnificent with Mexodus… my only hope is that you as the audience member are truly hearing what they have to say and not be so dazed by the sheer musicality of it all.

Mexodus is performing at the Pasadena Playhouse at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 till Sunday, August 2. Tickets can be bought at PasadenaPlayhouse.org with tickets starting at $40. Performances are Wednesday and Friday evenings at 8pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; Sundays at 2pm; Tuesday July 28 at 8pm, and Sunday August 2nd at 2pm and 7pm.