Mexodus Live In Studio

Summary

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".

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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 |

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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.

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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.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

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[Alison Stewart]

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[Nigel Robinson]

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[Brian Quijada]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Critics called the musical Mexicus a thrilling multicultural hip hop history lesson and something truly dynamic. Now the show is back for an encore run at the Darrell Roth Theater on Union Square. It resurrects a little known history of the Underground Railroad that ran south into Mexico. Researchers estimate between 5 and 10,000 people fled enslavement in the United States by migrating into Mexico where slavery was fully outlawed in 1837. In the show, the history is reflected in the characters Henry and Carlos. Henry is an injured slave who flees his Texas plantation across the Rio Grande where Mexican sharecropper Carlos finds him unconscious and tends to his wounds. It is as much about the past as it is about the present, reminding us to lend a hand to those in need today. The musical is titled Mexicus is running at the Derov Theater. Whew. I'm out of breath. I'm sorry. It has now been extended through Sunday, June 14th.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Woohoo.

[Alison Stewart]

Its creators and stars, Brian Quijada, who plays Carlos, and Nigel D. Robinson. D. Robinson, who plays Henry. The two joined us talk about the show a little while ago, but now they are here in Studio 5 with a big Old bass and a guitar and they're gonna perform for us. Thank you so much for coming back to the studio.

[Brian Quijada]

Oh my God. Thank you for having us.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, tell us about the first song we're gonna hear.

[Nigel Robinson]

Oh, you know, you gotta come out hot.

[Alison Stewart]

All right.

[Nigel Robinson]

I mean, we come out and like, the whole thing about the show is that we come out as ourselves, introduce ourselves, and are like. We learn some history that you probably haven't heard about. And we're gonna share what we researched

and what we learned in a groovy, fun way.

[Brian Quijada]

Yeah. All right, here's the first track. It's called Two Bodies. Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Make it funky.

Make it a little spunky. It's too early in the morning for that.

Come on. Yeah, come on. Yeah. Keep it steady, keep it steady. Uno, dos, uno, dos, tres, quatro.

[Nigel Robinson]

Look, ma, no hands, just in the

[Brian Quijada]

loop machine, just like that.

[Nigel Robinson]

1, 2, 1, 2, 3.

Come on,

[Brian Quijada]

Come on, come on. Yeah. You know what the song needs, though?

What it needs?

Some dirt, some grime, some grease, some

like,

[Nigel Robinson]

You know what else in these dogs.

[Brian Quijada]

What's that?

[Nigel Robinson]

A little something smooth on top. You know what I'm saying? Yes.

[Brian Quijada]

Smooth it over, baby.

Come on, Bring it back in. Come on. Yeah, yeah.

[Nigel Robinson]

Come on.

[Brian Quijada]

We only singing it.

Cause that's the way we live with it.

[Nigel Robinson]

Oh my dear love give us a

[Brian Quijada]

freedom Spare your pity we don't need a light oh my dear Lord, have mercy on her pride Go ahead and stare at us we are two bodies in America we bleed the same blood of this country and stories will share with you Of a time left out the books but all it took was deep diving into a sad imagination A true examination of a nation's early trouble. Cause from the wrecking rubble we came out the other side side sippity side when you're living in this country is do or die and we can tell you how uh huh, yeah. But let's break it down.

[Nigel Robinson]

Take no shackles off my hands oh Lord, I'm free wow.

[Brian Quijada]

Wow.

[Nigel Robinson]

And take that noose from around my neck no stopping me Take those shackles off my hands oh Lord, I'm free and there's no stopping me no, there's no stopping me yo, my name is Nigel D. Cobbleson. A descendant of Masamusa who was shipped from the east to the coast of Cuba, then up to of Africa, Land of the free. 400 years later. And here you have me standing here before you with the new manifesto. Todo estamos.

[Brian Quijada]

Call me Brian Quijada. I'm a child of Latino immigrants Equivalent no different than any founding participants who cross the sea. You cross the border in order to build a life much better than the one they knew before Just on the other side Struggle just to break it in. So once they made it in, fought hard to be accepted in a land it's barricaded in.

[Nigel Robinson]

So where did we meet? In the middle.

[Brian Quijada]

Yo give em the truth.

[Nigel Robinson]

Okay, okay. From 1829 to 1865, four to 10,000 slaves escaped to Mexico to thrive.

[Brian Quijada]

Did you know this shop? We didn't know this stuff. Did you know this stuff? We didn't know. Why? Cause it wasn't allowed. It wasn't allowed. It wasn't allowed. It wasn't spoken.

[Nigel Robinson]

Yo that was no loud mouth deep south secret way of speaking Whispers only fingers of our mouths just to avoid the beatin that keeps the locks of

[Brian Quijada]

our mouths held pretty tight. So we struggle to uncover America's other founders fight to live in this America.

[Nigel Robinson]

They're scared of us. They came for us, brought all of us and now we're we are here

[Brian Quijada]

Old rose dead folks new laws new

[Nigel Robinson]

flaws the same holy cross and the same northern star Here we are we

[Brian Quijada]

got far to go but we won't keep it low we only singing it cause that's the way we live with it oh my dear love give us some freedom Spare your pity we don't need it like oh my dear Lord have mercy on a proud Go ahead and stare at us. We are two bodies in America whose

[Nigel Robinson]

stories span a country's history that no one's heard about.

[Brian Quijada]

Kept it out of our minds cause they were kept from history class.

[Nigel Robinson]

So today we're going to guide you through our story.

[Brian Quijada]

From the past of the underground railroad that led south.

[Nigel Robinson]

A story will pass down by word of mouth.

[Brian Quijada]

Oh so here we go yo Here

[Nigel Robinson]

we go yo so this, this, this is the scenario you see.

[Brian Quijada]

In 1821, Mexico won independence from the colonizers of Spain, whose language they injected into indigenous tribes. With them, they bought all types of European investing just attesting their new model of civilization. Not to a nation that didn't need it. But 300 years later, the Spaniards were defeated.

Sound familiar?

In 1821, Mexico celebrated their big victory.

[Nigel Robinson]

In 1829, Mexico said good riddance to slavery.

[Brian Quijada]

But on the other side of the divide, Mexico's neighbor to the north was a little far behind cause. Life and liberty was vital to the cause. But what gave them pause was major financial loss. The need to make money money, make money money Money make money Money make money money, money Greed leads to many,

[Nigel Robinson]

many a war on Earth.

[Brian Quijada]

In 1848, it was America that won

[Nigel Robinson]

the ten territories from Mexico, including the behemoth of Texas. Yo.

[Brian Quijada]

And what would that land be used for, oh, Lord? To pick a bell of cotton. And what was slaves most common chore? To jump down, turn around and pick a bella day cotton. America's original sin.

And it's then and there where our story begins.

[Nigel Robinson]

Take those shackles off my hands oh, Lord, I'm free wow.

[Brian Quijada]

Wow.

[Nigel Robinson]

Take that noose from around my neck no stopping me Take those shackles off my ears oh, Lord, I'm free and there's no stopping me no, there's no stopping me.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, we had harmonica just at the very end.

[Brian Quijada]

Little surprise.

[Alison Stewart]

My guests are Brian Quijada and Nigel Robinson. They are Mexican, which is performing at the Daryl Roth Theater in Union Square. It's extended through Sunday, June 14th. Brian, you could have told the stories many, many ways. Why did a musical make sense?

[Brian Quijada]

Oh, wow, that's a great question.

[Nigel Robinson]

You know, musicals always make sense.

[Brian Quijada]

I love me a good musical. I just, you know, it's. It's. There's a reason why it's. We're so proud of it.

I think it's an American. It is as American as apple pie musical theater.

And I really, truly believe that music is. It's the. You know, they say it's the first language of humans. Right. It's the first way we communicated was through rhythm and beat and melody. And so I just think it's so powerful, you know, to be able to sing these songs. We say, you know, we say we only sing in it because that's the way we live with it. And truly, I do believe that. I mean, by the end of the show, we get people singing with us, and it's just so powerful.

[Alison Stewart]

Why do you think musical makes sense for the story?

[Nigel Robinson]

Oh, I think when. I think the reason why we sing in a musical to begin with is because our emotions are so high and it's so heightened that we must sing. We cannot speak it. And I'm one of those guys who's like, if I'm in a theater watching something, don't talk to me, sing at me.

It's already ridiculous.

Let's make it more ridiculous. But, no, we're only singing it because that's the way we're living it. And also, like, music is such a. Is in the fabric of both of our cultures, you know, and it's a means of protest. It's a Means of revolution and especially hip hop music in particular, that we're using a lot in the show style that we both grew up with. And Lin Manuel, I do love this. I want to quote him. He said hip hop is the language of revolution. And this show is a small part of a very general revolution and awakening that is happening right now. So we have to use music in order to tell this story.

[Alison Stewart]

Brian, tell us what Carlos is about. What is he feeling in the show?

[Brian Quijada]

Yeah, Carlos is. Well, both of these characters are composite of a bunch of research, but Carlos is a veteran of the Mexican American War, so he fought. He was a medic in the war and fled the war and his brothers on the field was displaced, moved farther south into what now has remained the southern border of the United States and is a sharecropper now is a farmer. And 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. Yeah, yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What's Henry's backstory, Nigel?

[Nigel Robinson]

Henry's backstory, when he was eight years old, he got split from his mom and other family members in Kentucky and got sent down to Victoria, Texas. And we meet him when he's like around 20 years old. He is an enslaved individual who for I can't tell you exactly why he runs away. You have to come see the show for that.

[Alison Stewart]

Yes, you will.

[Nigel Robinson]

I don't want to give that up. But the secrets, it's a situation where it's either be killed or kill and run away. He chooses to kill and run away and he washes up on the shores of Mexico. But like Brian said, these people are composites and there's a lot of us in them. The way I write, the way I think, there's a lot of that. And Henry very contemplative and like musing and trying to figure out like, why, why am I in this? What is this? What do these things mean? And try and like explore that in an artistic way. So that's like a lot of like this next song is very musing on like what it is and then also using old spiritual to do so.

[Alison Stewart]

And we'll get to the next song after a break. This is all of it. You are listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. I'm in studio with Brian Quijada and Nigel Robinson. They make up Mexico. It's an off Broadway show about a little known underground railroad that ran in Mexico. It's Back for an encore run at the Darrow Ross Theater at Union Square through Sunday, June 14th. Okay. Before the break, you promised us a song.

[Nigel Robinson]

I did promise a song.

[Alison Stewart]

Wade in the Water. That's a Negro spiritual.

[Nigel Robinson]

Tis.

Tis.

Henry finds himself on the banks of the Rio Grande. And a storm is coming up. And for this moment, I was like. I've used some juxtaposition. Like, use this. Like, very. I mean, it's not calm, but it's like wade in the water. As if the water is calm. But using that in the mind to get through this storm. So this is Wade in the water.

I spent four days running Running through this spacious land I'm gunning, gunning for the Rio Grande of running with anyone, a certain death Keep running Tomorrow I can catch my breath no gun in my hands no food, no water Just blood on my hands from the vengeful slaughter no sun in the sky when I go running I'm a thief in the night I'm tired, I'm done in but if I can just make it to the Rio Grande if I can just make it to the Rio Grande I'll get to the land where slavery's banned I'll get to the land where slavery's been I can almost hear the current. But my current state makes me proud to hallucinate but wait. In the distance I can see the moon's reflection from off of my heart's affection the Rio Grande. To the glory of the Father is displayed Just wait in the water Wait in the water, children Wait in the water God's gonna trouble the water Wait in the water Wait in the water, children Wait in the water God's gonna trouble the water I made it here. So now what? I can't swim. I never learned how. But I gotta figure out how to get across today. I probably should have put some thought into this on the way.

[Alison Stewart]

Wait.

[Nigel Robinson]

Yo. I need a bush with a ram in it. Or I need the Rio Grande to have a dam in it. I'm damned if I can't cross. Cause I'm certain there's a search party waiting to take me back to the cotton field. Wait a damn minute. I remember I got a cup of water. And I noted that a piece of cotton fell in and it floated. I see a cotton bale laying nearby. It's crazy, but I have to give it a try. If I can just cross that Rio Grande I'll get to the land where slavery's banned hold fast, boy, and be not dismayed the glory of the Lord will be displayed so just wait in the water Wait in the water, children. Wait in the water God's gonna trouble the water Wait in the water Wait in the water, Henry. Wait in the water God's gonna trouble the water Boom goes the thunder, crack goes the lightning the wind keeps whipping and my grip keeps tightening Halfway across and I'm on the br. Sinking. What was I thinking? Am I like the children of Israel, Punished for the worship of baal? Floating on a cotton bell with no proper sail I weep and wail to no avail. Who will hear this tale if I'm bound to fail? Just a little more then I'll reach the shore if I stay brave, I won't be enslaved. There's a finish line. But I'm out of time and I can't be saved from this massive wave.

[Alison Stewart]

You are listening to Mexodus. My guests are Brian Quijada and Nigel Robinson. We just got a text that said, this is extraordinary. Is there going to be a recording? Fantastico.

[Brian Quijada]

Yes. Interesting.

[Alison Stewart]

Will there be a recording?

[Brian Quijada]

Yes, there is.

You know, you can go to Mexical.com and pre order it. It's coming out on audible. The audible platform on April 15th. 14th.

April.

April 16th.

[Nigel Robinson]

It is gonna come out on one of those days.

[Brian Quijada]

April 16th. April 16th, for sure.

We're dropping the entire ALB. It's the play through the audible platform again. You can go to mexicodismusical.com and pre order it.

[Alison Stewart]

Now, as you have sort of expanded to the Daryl Roth theater, what have been the challenges of taking this play to a bigger space?

[Nigel Robinson]

Well, it's not bigger.

[Brian Quijada]

It's actually less seats. It is, yeah. It's actually quite more intimate, which is quite nice. So you really see us sweating up there and spitting.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Brian Quijada]

It's great.

You know, it's only like eight rows deep, and so it's a truly. You go in there, we are, like, talking straight to the audience. Yeah, it's amazing.

[Nigel Robinson]

It's a different kind of storytelling where you're not, like, trying to play up to the mezzanine and play way, way back. Like, we're like 10ft away from the nearest audience member.

[Alison Stewart]

What kind of reactions have you gotten from people being that close?

[Brian Quijada]

Oh, people are more vocal. I mean, people really. I mean, we invited. We say, hey, listen, you come here, you yell, you dance, but people. People really chat with us.

[Nigel Robinson]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting because there have been shows that have been at the Daryl Roth, which have gone to Broadway. Is that something that you see for yourself for the show?

[Nigel Robinson]

If you say it out loud from

[Brian Quijada]

your mouth to God's ears, start a

[Nigel Robinson]

rumor that it's going to Broadway. I hear rumors are.

Rumors are just manifestation techniques.

[Alison Stewart]

How does the show keep developing and growing over time?

[Brian Quijada]

Well, yeah, go ahead.

[Nigel Robinson]

Well, I mean, as the times get more turbulent that we respond to that, and different lines mean different things today than it did a year ago, there's

[Brian Quijada]

a line in the show that goes, you know, we are given reasons to fight and start wars. And that hits different. A little different than it did two weeks ago, but little things like that that I think, you know, we wake up and, you know, we're talking about black and brown solidarity, and you wake up to the news cycle and we get to go to work every day.

[Alison Stewart]

I understood there was a line in the show about Cesar Chavez.

[Brian Quijada]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

Tell us a little bit about that and what you decided to do.

[Brian Quijada]

Yeah, just recently, obviously, the New York Times, I mean, a lot of news outlets came out with the allegations against Cesar Chavez, which is incredibly sad, and we feel terrible for the victims and, you know, and kudos in respect to, you know, California changing it from Cesar Chavez Day to Farm Workers Day. And so, you know, there is a line in the show that was. When we're talking about moments of black and brown solidarity in history, and one of the places that we cited was Cesar Chavez joining to have a civil rights. Civil wrongs righted, we say, and we swapped it out with Dolores Huerta. And it is amazing. You know, I think we're artists should be a reflection of the. Of the times, of society, of our communities. And that's one where we're like, we have. The art has to reflect what's going on, and we have to listen and be in solidarity with the survivors and plays that aren't.

[Nigel Robinson]

I mean, Broadway is like, when you have to lock something. For sure, for sure. Like, there's no changing it immortalized, whatever. But, like, you know, being in a space where, like, Off Broadway is technically still, like, development, like, we could. We can change things whenever we want. And I like to think of plays and musicals as living documents until they have to be set in stone. So, like, this show is a living document, and if something happens and we catch it, we'll change it on the fly.

[Brian Quijada]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

As artists, what. How do you see your role as artists in fostering these sort of critical dialogues about the society we live in?

[Nigel Robinson]

We. I think we get to express feelings

in a different way.

Like, you know, rather than try to talk you into feeling something, we get to, you know, what does that mean to the heart rather than words. But we get to put words on top of it. But, I mean, we get to, like, sing out feelings. And I think, like, people don't like being preached at. They like being shown. They like being, you know. So if I can, like, invite you in and try to get you in a moment and not preach at you, but just show you something. Like, I think my favorite thing about this show Is that we're not preaching about solidarity. We're showing you what it can look like.

[Brian Quijada]

Yeah.

[Nigel Robinson]

Like, Brian hits a button for me, I'll record something. I hit a button for Brian. We're, like, helping each other the whole

[Brian Quijada]

time and what it means for just two people to create an orchestra's worth of sound, you know, Like, I think. I mean, what's amazing about being an artist is that we. We are able to kind of create bones, you know, I think people come into our theater thinking that they're gonna, you know. Yeah. I mean, the first third of the play is a slave narrative. I mean, Nigel kind of goes into his ancestral history with it, but. But by the end, you are dancing with us and singing with us. And I think it is an act of rebellion. It is a triumph to be singing in times of, I think, troubled times. And so it's quite moving for us, healing, for us to be able to do the show, but also for our audiences who, I think, need a place to sing and dance.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's hear one final song. What are we going to hear?

[Nigel Robinson]

It's called libre.

[Brian Quijada]

Libre means free.

[Nigel Robinson]

Why does a bird in a cage still have a tune when he's working in the heat of the afternoon when he spends every day in the field and it feels like the face have sealed him in an awful tomb why does the bird in the cage still have hope? Why does the bird in the cage sing the highest notes? Why does the bird in the cage have a song today? Because today is the day that he might believe.

[Brian Quijada]

I see I see I. Y.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Brian Quijada and Nigel Robinson. They are part of the off Broadway hip hop musical mexodus. It's back for an encore run at the Darryl Roth theater on Union Square through Sunday, June 14th. You should definitely go see it. It is a great, great show. And the album is dropping.

[Brian Quijada]

April 16th.

[Liberty Mutual Representative]

Yes.

[Nigel Robinson]

That is the date we landed on.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you so much for coming in and performing for us.

[Brian Quijada]

Oh, you're the best. Thank you for having us.

[Liberty Mutual Representative]

And, Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Alison Stewart]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Representative]

Oh no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways.

[Liberty Mutual Representative]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty

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