All Of It with Alison Stewart: Mexodus Live In Studio

Date: March 25, 2026
Guests: Brian Quijada & Nigel D. Robinson (creators and stars of "Mexodus")
Main Theme: Exploring the multicultural, musical retelling of the little-known history of the Underground Railroad running south into Mexico, through live music and conversation about their Off-Broadway hip hop musical, "Mexodus".

Episode Overview

This special studio episode of All Of It features a vibrant, immersive conversation with Brian Quijada and Nigel D. Robinson, the creators and stars of Mexodus, a hip hop musical dramatizing the untold stories of people who escaped enslavement in the United States by fleeing south to Mexico. The episode includes live performances, deep dives into character backstories, explorations of the musical's historical roots and cultural context, and candid reflections on art's role in social change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Historical Premise of Mexodus

• Host Alison Stewart introduces Mexodus as a “thrilling multicultural hip hop history lesson” (01:32), underlining its focus on the Underground Railroad’s southern route to Mexico—where slavery was outlawed in 1837. The narrative follows Henry, an enslaved man who flees a Texas plantation, and Carlos, a Mexican sharecropper and former medic, who rescues him.
• Historical Context: Researchers estimate between 5,000 and 10,000 people escaped into Mexico, a story rarely taught in American history classes (01:32-02:37).

Opening Performance - "Two Bodies"

• Live music is central: The first track, “Two Bodies” (03:17), blends funk, hip hop, and storytelling, introducing the show’s protagonists and themes.
  • Notable Lyrics:
    “We are two bodies in America / we bleed the same blood of this country / and stories we’ll share with you of a time left out the books…” (05:24)
• The song contextualizes personal and collective histories, weaving in facts like “from 1829 to 1865, four to ten thousand slaves escaped to Mexico to thrive” (06:49), and confronting why these narratives have been excluded:

  “Did you know this stuff? We didn’t know this stuff. Why? ‘Cause it wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t spoken.” (Brian Quijada, 06:55)

Why a Musical?

• Brian Quijada:

  “I really, truly believe that music is... the first language of humans. The first way we communicated was through rhythm and beat and melody. To be able to sing these songs—by the end of the show, we get people singing with us, and it’s just so powerful.” (10:19)

• Nigel Robinson:

  “If I’m in a theater watching something, don’t talk to me—sing at me... Music is in the fabric of both of our cultures, you know, and it’s a means of protest. Especially hip hop music, that we use a lot in the show... Lin-Manuel [Miranda] says hip hop is the language of revolution, and this show is a small part of a very general revolution and awakening.” (10:52-11:49)

Character Backstories

• Carlos (Brian Quijada):
  • “A veteran of the Mexican-American War... a sharecropper now... his whole world is really kind of flipped upside down when he finds Henry floating in the river and takes him out and, you know, kind of goes back to his instincts of being a medic.” (11:54-12:47)
• Henry (Nigel Robinson):
  • “When he was eight, he got split from his mom and siblings in Kentucky and sent to Victoria, Texas... We meet him at around 20. He is enslaved and runs away after a life-changing event. The details? 'You have to see the show for that.’” (12:48-13:55)
  • Reflects on Henry’s contemplative nature, and how both leads are composites from research and personal experience.

Performance – "Wade in the Water"

• Context: Nigel sets up this reimagined spiritual as Henry at the banks of the Rio Grande, desperate to cross but unable to swim.
  • Lyrics contrast the song’s calm tone with the character’s inner storm and terror:
    “No gun in my hands / no food, no water / just blood on my hands from the vengeful slaughter...” (15:15)
    “Wait in the water, children / God’s gonna trouble the water...” (16:20 onward)
• A vivid moment blending old and new storytelling forms, showing how traditional songs can illustrate present-tense struggle and hope.

Audience Response & Album Release

• A listener texts in:

  “This is extraordinary. Is there going to be a recording?” (18:58)

• Brian Quijada (on album release):

  “Yes, you can go to Mexodismusical.com and pre-order it. It’s coming out on Audible April 16th.” (19:13-19:32)

The Intimacy of Off-Broadway

• The move to the Daryl Roth Theater “is actually quite more intimate… you really see us sweating up there and spitting.” (19:49-19:59)
• Audience engagement:

  “People are more vocal. I mean, we invite, we say ‘come here, you yell, you dance’… people really chat with us.” (20:24)

Evolving the Show

• Art and Activism:
  • The team updates content in response to the news, such as swapping a reference to César Chávez for Dolores Huerta after recent revelations:

    “Art should be a reflection of the times... we have to listen and be in solidarity with the survivors.” (21:39)

  • Nigel frames Mexodus as a "living document":

    “We can change things whenever we want. I like to think of plays and musicals as living documents until they have to be set in stone.” (22:42)

Art’s Role in Social Dialogue

• “We get to express feelings in a different way… people don’t like being preached at. They like being shown. My favorite thing is we’re not preaching about solidarity. We’re showing you what it can look like.” (Nigel Robinson, 23:21-23:57)
• “It is an act of rebellion. It is a triumph to be singing in times of troubled times.” (Brian Quijada, 24:02-25:02)

Final Performance – "Libre"

• Song Theme: Freedom, hope, and the resilience of the spirit, using the metaphor of a bird in a cage who still sings.
  • Lyrics:
    “Why does the bird in the cage still have hope? Why does the bird in the cage sing the highest notes? ...Because today is the day that he might believe.” (Nigel Robinson, 25:35)

Memorable Quotes

• “We only sing in it because that’s the way we live with it.”
  —Brian Quijada (10:13)
• “Music is such a means of protest. It’s a means of revolution.”
  —Nigel Robinson (11:11)
• “We get to express feelings in a different way… we’re not preaching about solidarity. We’re showing you what it can look like.”
  —Nigel Robinson (23:27-23:57)
• “Art should be a reflection of the times, of society, of our communities.”
  —Brian Quijada (21:41)
• “It is an act of rebellion. It is a triumph to be singing in times of troubled times.”
  —Brian Quijada (25:00)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:32 | Introduction to Mexodus and its historical context | | 02:58 | Introduction and background to "Two Bodies" performance | | 03:17 | Live performance of "Two Bodies" | | 10:03 | Discussion: Why tell this story as a musical? | | 11:49 | Background on Carlos | | 12:48 | Background on Henry | | 14:31 | Lead-in and performance: "Wade in the Water" | | 18:58 | Audience praise and discussion of recording/album release | | 19:47 | Impact of moving to a more intimate theater space | | 21:34 | Evolving the show: Addressing current events (Chavez/Huerta swap) | | 23:21 | The artist’s role in critical social dialogue | | 25:05 | Final performance: "Libre" | | 27:30 | Wrap up and show/album reminder |

Tone & Style

The episode balances dynamic live music with thoughtful, warm conversation. Brian and Nigel bring humor, honesty, and vulnerability, often riffing on each other's remarks, sharing pride in their cultural heritages, and demonstrating the joy of collaboration. They emphasize inclusion, historical recovery, and the role of art as both protest and celebration, inviting audiences to "sing and dance" in solidarity—and to learn a chapter of American history rarely told.

For listeners and culture lovers alike, this episode not only highlights the creative ingenuity behind Mexodus but also invites all to participate in a living dialogue about identity, history, and hope.