Mexodus

"Mexodus"

Reviewed by Cynthia Allen 

4/05/26

Mexodus takes its title by combining Mexico and exodus. Co-creators and lead actors Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson expand on a relatively unknown episode in the history of the southbound Underground Railroad to tell a remarkable story of resilience and endurance under David Mendizábal's visionary direction. This riveting, original, two-person musical employs a variety of song styles -- hip-hop, blues, rap, ranchera, R&B, spirituals, and roots music -- to chronicle the time in the 1800s when an estimated 3,000 to 10,000 slaves journeyed to what they believed was a fresh start, a "new promised land." Mexodus gives further meaning to the Afro-American diaspora -- an exodus from South of the Border Texas in 1851 to Mexico. 

Mexodus begins with a spoken-word rap-like TED talk by Brian Quijada about the history of the southern Underground Railroad. As his history lesson unfolds, Quijada introduces the sound design technique called "looping." He integrates looping into his storytelling. The audience learns that the looping technique involves recording a segment of sound -- a lyric, a musical instrument, or whatnot -- then repeating that segment over and over to produce a sound-perfect, rhythmic, or atmospheric motif. Both Quijada and Robinson employ live looping as each of them performs. Multiple instrumental and vocal melodies complement hip-hop-woven songs in real time (kudos from looping systems architect and sound designer Mikhail Fiskel). A broad range of instruments -- guitar, upright bass, keyboards, accordion, trumpet, drums, beat-box vocals, and also call-and-response singing encouraged by the duo from the audience -- are used. Though looping has been utilized in other musicals, Mexodus raises looping to a brilliant and innovative level. Looping will be the mainstay of the musical's structure. 

After Quijada's introduction to the southern Underground Railroad history, Robinson comes aboard and assumes the role of Henry, a Kentucky-born slave who was sold to a Texas plantation owner. We first meet Henry in 1851 laboring in the cotton fields of his Texan slave owner. However, the plantation owner's wife's sexual advances toward Henry cause mayhem, which results in a life-and-death situation necessitating Henry to run away to Mexico. Trying to cross the Rio Grande to Mexico, Henry is injured. Carlos (played by Quijada) finds Henry and nurses him back to health. As Carlos takes care of Henry, he reveals that he was a combat medic during the Guerra de Independencia de México (Mexico's war for independence from Spain). Carlos is resistant to acknowledging that he is a struggling tenant farmer who has little experience growing crops. However, as Henry gets better, he shares his trials and tribulations from up North. And, most importantly, Carlos finds out Henry knows a great deal about farming. Carlos entreats Henry to help him as his farmhand. Through working together, Carlos and Henry form a mutually beneficial relationship. They learn to both rely on and trust each other.

Riw Rakkulchon's multi-leveled shed set, David Mendizábal's costumes, Tony Thomas's choreography, and Johnny Moreno's cinematic projections are instrumental in helping the show appear authentic.  

However fascinating Henry and Carlos's 90-minute drama is, and however revealing the southern Underground Railroad history is in the context of the story, it is the music that propels Mexodus into a standout new type of theater.

Mexodus comes to Off-Broadway's Daryl Roth Theatre after runs in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre.

Opened at the Daryl Roth Theatre on March 6 

Closed June 14, 2026

  “Every Brilliant Thing”

Reviewed by Cynthia Allen 

3/11/2026

Every Brilliant Thing's Playbill cover tacks on notes over an extreme close-up of Daniel Radcliffe's face. As the Narrator, the extraordinary Daniel Radcliffe duly notes, with his audience's help, what beautiful things have helped him view the world more positively. Every Brilliant Thing's show title refers to a List that the fictional protagonist kept (in this case, solo actor Radcliffe) after his mother's first suicide attempt. His List was "of everything brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for." 

On my cover art, there were torn scraps of paper with his musings from "The smell of old books," to "Ice-Cream," to "Water fights," to "A much needed sneeze," among others. A "The Color Yellow" card is taped both to Radcliffe's chin and highlighted in yellow. And the play title, "Every Brilliant Thing," is attached to the top of Radcliffe's shirt, also spotlighted in yellow. Yellow emphasizes and signifies an optimistic view of what might happen should the right choices be made. 

Tony Award-winning Daniel Radcliffe acts as "Narrator" and invites his audience to enter his world. Writer and Co-Director Duncan Macmillan's vision and Jonny Donahoe's creative input make for an interactive, upbeat show, where the audience can participate in fashioning interesting choices about living.

Radcliffe is both the "Narrator" and a choreographer of his audience's collaboration with the play. He chooses his audience participants before the show begins. Those invited to be part of the play are allocated numbered index cards and asked to shout out a variety of enjoyable things on his List. Others are asked for props such as books or pens that are then added to the set (Vicki Mortimer is the set designer). In addition, some are prompted to portray "stand-ins" as players in the narrative -- the Narrator's father, the Narrator's first love, the veterinarian who put his dog to sleep, and Mrs. Patterson, the sympathetic elementary school librarian-counselor. 

The List began in 1996 when the unnamed main character was seven, and he was told that his mother was hospitalized. Making lists continued from 1996 until the present, as a means to counteract anxious times or trauma when his life hit rock bottom. The "Narrator" acknowledged that he needed a meaningful way to make sense of the cruel twists and turns of his life.

One of the remarkable moments in the play is when Radcliffe, the Narrator, tries to enlist an audience member to become Mrs. Patterson. While enticing the Mrs. Patterson stand-in, Radcliffe switches personas. He becomes the seven-year-old Child, feeling awkward as to how to engage with her as counselor, and bashfully turns his back to her. Then, Radcliffe re-engages again as the Narrator; Radcliffe says, “And then she did a truly remarkable thing.” As the Narrator, he relates that Mrs. Patterson took her socks off and made one of them into a hand-sock puppet who asked the Child about himself. Mrs. Patterson, in guidance counselor mode, used puppetry as a psychological strategy to help the Child feel more willing to talk to her. The lighting design (Jack Knowles is the lighting designer) and sound design (Tom Gibbons is the sound designer) punctuate this scene and others admirably. In addition, depending on the improv ability of the person selected to play the Librarian-Counselor part, this novel mise-en-scène often resulted in amusement and laughter.

Radcliffe deftly dances between his stage world and mingling with those chosen to join in with charm and charisma that only an actor of his high caliber can. As a result, each 90-minute performance is different. Despite the backdrop of psychological angst, Radcliffe manages to keep the mood not only lighthearted but poignant, with comedic timing not often portrayed on the stage. Every Brilliant Thing is uplifting and quite touching. Every Brilliant Thing is a memory play where an individual reflects on who and what helped him survive. He duly notes what beautiful things help him view the world more positively.

Off-Broadway: Debuted on Broadway at The Hudson Theatre, 141 West 44th Street, in Manhattan

Opening Night: February 21st, 2026

Extended to August 9, 2026