From Uneven To Unforgettable

“You’re going to another play?” my husband Ken asked. “Yes. I’m theater-binging this weekend, starting with ‘Her Way’ on Saturday and ending with ‘Mexodus’ on Sunday.” I was looking forward to the premiere of Her Way, a play written by a family member. Jenn Melyan isn’t actually a family member; she simply feels like one. So while some might say I’m biased, the standing ovation “Her Way” received? Well, the entire audience wasn’t all relatives, now were they?

I’m not going to review the production because no other performances are scheduled. My quasi-review: (Oops — apparently I’m a compulsive critic!) The SheArts LA Summer Festival production we saw was uneven, with ham-handed directing, an over-the-top, one-note actress playing daughter Jessica, a too-hard-to-hear performance by the actor playing husband and father Gary, and a pitch-perfect performance by the mother, Anita — the “her” in Her Way.

The play itself is excellent, a dramedy with a unique storyline featuring a familial switch reminiscent of Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1983 play, “ ’Night, Mother.” It’s impossible for me to say more without spoiling Her Way for future theatergoers when the show inevitably makes its way to the Geffen, the Taper, EastWest Players, or the Pasadena Playhouse. Are there theater scouts out there, like baseball scouts? Her Way needs to move from the minor leagues to the big leagues.

Speaking of the Pasadena Playhouse, the next day, my friend Georgia and I attended a 2 p.m. Geffen matinee, where we saw a crushingly mediocre play: the first mediocre show I’ve seen there. (It was so bad I can’t even remember its name. Or maybe I don’t want to.) We then drove like maniacs to the Pasadena Playhouse — relieved I did not get a speeding ticket — to see one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen: “Mexodus.” This show is right up there in my musical love hierarchy with “Hamilton” and “Suffs.”

Saying I loved Mexodus is an understatement. It stands squarely on the shoulders of Hamilton. (By the way, if you missed a live performance of Hamilton, as I did because of finances at the time, it’s available on Disney+.) The comparison to Hamilton is apt because both musicals are historical and use Hip-Hop in their scores. Although I’m not normally a fan of the genre, it certainly delivers the punch and punctuation needed for such an epic story.

The name “Mexodus” is also apt, as the show covers the little-known history of enslaved people who made their exodus to Mexico. With even the most cursory education (if you were educated before 2016), most of us know that the Underground Railroad ran up the eastern corridor and ended in northern states and even in Canada, giving escaped slaves their freedom. Most of us don’t know it also went south of the border. Given that the Cheater in Chief and his minions have gutted public and private education, while erasing black history in general, the show’s timing is spot on. (The systematic removal of black and women’s history is another column.)

Before I get into the historically yummy part of Mexodus, the co-writers and co-performers, Brian Quijada as Carlos and Nygel D. Robinson as Henry, are stunningly luminous as writers and first-rate musicians and performers — wow! Kudos also to the director, David Mendizábel, and the choreographer, Tony Thomas. Mexodus embodies collaboration through its outstanding lighting, multimedia, multi-level scenery, and sound design.

The production employed “looping,” a technology that allowed the actors to play a live instrument for a minute and then leave it while it continued to play. Georgia and I erupted in applause and gasps, along with the full house we shared on opening night. I walked out of the Pasadena Playhouse with my soul stirred, having been in the presence of true art. I maintain that when art is present, it spurs the creative people in the audience to create more of their own art. True art is not intimidating; it nurtures. The show encouraged me to continue writing my three plays, which are at varying stages of development.

Now, the history-geek part: Did you know that 19th-century Mexican President Vicente Guerrero was African-Mexican and of indigenous ancestry? I didn’t. Just as so much of Women’s History is MIA, so too is Black History. President Guerrero issued a proclamation ending slavery in Mexico in 1829, five years before the British Empire outlawed it. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

I want to see Mexodus again, if not two more times. I missed some of the dialogue, though the musical’s overall spirit was completely intact. There was a recurring musical theme based on the classic spiritual “Wade in the Water,” and Carlos delivered some spectacular and darling gurning. Because of the ongoing musical duet between Carlos and Henry, I kept hoping for a “Brokeback Mountain”-type ending, but alas, Carlos and Henry were not destined to be a couple.

The show ends with a plea for tolerance and empathy, a linking of our current regime to the antebellum South, a musing that perhaps God can be found in brown and black faces, and an exhortation for us to practice Protegido: protect each other. That is what Carlos did for Henry, who was close to death on the banks of the Rio Grande. What a perfect ending to an astonishing musical.

I binged theater and came away inspired and beyond sated. And… do not miss Mexodus, which is playing through August 2nd. Go to this page to buy tickets, but hurry, as they are selling fast.

Save the date! I’m hosting a staged reading of my new play, “My Fair MAGA,” on Saturday, August 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the community room at the Lamanda Park Branch of the Pasadena Public Library, 140 S Altadena Dr., Altadena, CA. Be there!

If you’re interested in Ellen Snortland’s online creative writing class, send an email. Also, there is still a much-needed GoFundMe to help Ellen and Ken recover from the devastating loss of their home and possessions. You can donate here.