Review: 'Mexodus,' a live-looping, hip-hop history lesson, reenergizes the American musical

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred The American musical has been searching for a path forward.Broadway has settled into parody mode after suffering some mega collapses.

“Mexodus,” a live-looping, hip-hop musical about an enslaved person who seeks sanctuary south of the border, offers encouraging signs of life for the art form.This two-person musical, written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D.Robinson, arrives at Pasadena Playhouse directly from its award-winning off-Broadway run.

And it’s hands down the most charming, innovative and warmly embracing new musical I’ve seen in the last year.“Hamilton” looms large as an influence in this show spun from a lesser known chapter of American history — the story of the Underground Railroad that led south to Mexico.But “Mexodus” is a more intimate and personal experience.

Quijada and Robinson invite us into the process of making their musical, constructing the show’s soundscape and musical score in real time by recording musical phrases into a looping station and layering in sound.Musically and vocally gifted, they wring harmonies and beats from an assortment of instruments, mixing genres and styles with an eloquence that surpasses the exposition sprinkled into the lyrics.The hip-hop, bolero-infused musical will make its way to the Pasadena Playhouse stage between July 8 and Aug.2.

But for history buffs and musical enthusiasts alike, a sonically richer version of the musical will air exclusively on Audible on April 16.Robinson plays Henry, an enslaved person working on a plantation in Texas who’s wrongly accused of raping his master’s wife.While being beaten within an inch of life, he defends himself and kills his attacker, after which he has no choice but to flee across the border via the treacherous Rio Grande.He barely survives the river journey.

In fact, he like...