MEXODUS

Review by Celia Ipiotis

Two actors plus a stage full of instruments pack a wallop in Mexodus by the show’s stars Bria Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson  at the Minetta Lane Theater. It traces the tale of a runaway slave and a Mexican medic who flee the Mexican American war. 

We are introduced to an enslaved male, Henry, his mother’s pride, who was separated by slave owners and sent to a foreign plantation. Once there, the attractive Henry catches the master’s wife eye. When she throws herself at him, the husband walks in  (not unlike a grade B movie), they fight, and in self-defense, Henry kills the master, forcing him to flee by crossing the Rio Grande only to be miraculously rescued by Carlos, a Mexican. 

Much of the story is told through the innovative sound score built on music loops of a stand-up base, acoustic guitar, piano,  accordion, trumpet, washtub, beatbox and even spoons layered one on top the other to produced a hip -hop musical that embeds the traditional music of Blacks and Mexicans in the compelling mix.

We travel through the time it takes for the two men to trust each other and recognize that both are the victims of white men driven by money (capitalism) and power. It becomes clear to the men that the only way to combat such pernicious power is to lock arms and say “no.”

The most captivating aspects of the show center on the music and the singing. They play a multitude of instruments connected to computers that record the instrument’s sound then loop it back ( think Laurie Andersom) producing a mesmerizing concoction of rhythms and melodies. Henry leans into the R & B and spiritual roots of his music, including Wade in the Water. The hymn’s refrain returns throughout the show and Carlos intersperses traditional country Mexican forms.

Carlos projects an amazing voice that swings from a growling basso to alto. Sporting studded spurs with a pistol at his side and buzzed haircut, Carlos is tough–a scrapper and in the end, he outsmarts the oppressors (slave hunters) who think money will convince him to give up his friend Henry.

Extremely physical, the organic choreography by Tony Thomas contributes to the spicy direction by David Mendizabal.  Mexodus is a sonic audio-scape of rich, multilayered experiences that fill the audience with its energy and history.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis