THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF WICKEDLY FUNNY TRAGEDY DON’T EAT THE MANGOS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Jaques, Publicist
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
Members of the press, RSVP here
THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF WICKEDLY FUNNY TRAGEDY DON’T EAT THE MANGOS
With ripe intensity, Don’t Eat the Mangos comes to The Huntington and brings themes of family, secrets, and revenge
(BOSTON) – The Huntington announces the cast and creative team of Don’t Eat the Mangos, a wickedly funny tragedy written by Ricardo Pérez González and directed by Obie Award-winner David Mendizábal. Don’t Eat the Mangos runs from Wednesday, March 26 – Sunday, April 27, 2025 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont St).
Playwright Ricardo Pérez González’s wickedly funny tragedy Don’t Eat the Mangos portrays life on his home island of Puerto Rico with compassion and humor through the saga of three sisters living just outside San Juan. As a hurricane approaches the beautiful island, secrets and ugly truths are revealed that cause the sisters to wrestle with how to stay true to their familia and homeland – and seek a satisfying revenge. David Mendizábal returns from the acclaimed world premiere production to direct.
“After its critically acclaimed premiere at the Magic was cut short by San Francisco’s shelter in place order five years ago, Don’t Eat the Mangos is long overdue for a major production,” says Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco. “This piece unleashes the gravitas of myth in the tight quarters of a family’s kitchen. It’s an honor to bring Ricardo’s bold vision to The Huntington, launching this extraordinary play where it belongs in the theatre canon.”
Called “quietly beautiful, tentatively hopeful, oddly unsettling, and ultimately healing” by BroadwayWorld and a “great American family drama” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Don’t Eat the Mangos was developed in part at the 2019 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab and also partly developed and supported through a partnership between the Sol Project and Magic Theatre. It was first produced in March 2020 as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by the Magic Theatre, which was helmed by Loretta Greco at the time before she came to The Huntington in Boston. Unfortunately, the run of the premier production at the Magic was cut short due to Covid-19. In Spring of 2022, the play saw a well-reviewed run by Apollinaire Theatre with Teatro Chelsea. GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen called the story “innovative” and “daring.”
“This is a deeply personal story. It’s my story. It’s my family’s story. It’s an allegory for the story of my people. And it speaks to the story of our moment,” says playwright Ricardo Pérez González. “Mangos, with unflinching humor and grit, offers a look at what healing could look like. It’s not pretty, it’s not easy, but at its heart, this is the story of a family trying to heal itself.”
The cast of Don’t Eat the Mangos includes:
Jessica Pimentel as Ismelda, the eldest sister, a banker, and dutiful daughter. Credits include: Orange is the New Black on Netflix, and Jasper and Surfer Girl Off Broadway.
Yesenia Iglesias as Yinoelle, the middle child, a mother of two, who might be about to move off the island. Credits include: Primary Trust and Daphne’s Dive at Signature Theatre, and Metamorphoses at Folger Theatre.
Evelyn Howe as Wicha, the youngest sister, a teacher, who cannot keep a secret. Credits include: Yerma at The Huntington, The Motherf**ker with the Hat at SpeakEasy Stage, and Lost Tempo at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre.
Susanna Guzmán as Mami, the sisters’ mother, in treatments for cancer, who loves her daughters fiercely. Credits include: Mary Jane on Broadway, Downstate Off Broadway, and Project Dawn at People’s Light.
José Ramón Rosario as Papi, the head of the family, in failing health. Credits include: Christopher Columbus, Rum and Coke, and Forbidden City Blues Off Broadway.
Understudies include: Karina Beleno Carney, Carla Martinez, and Michael Sáenz.
The creative team for Don’t Eat the Mangos includes scenic design by Tanya Orellana (What Became of Us at Atlantic Stage 2), costume design by Zoë Sundra (John Proctor is the Villain at The Huntington), lighting design by Cha See (Oh, Mary! on Broadway), and sound design and original music by Jake Rodriguez (Between Two Knees at Oregon Shakespeare Festival) with Alexandra Buschman-Román, and Jason Stamberger. The assistant director is Amelia Rose Estrada. The voice and dialect coach is Adi Cabral and the fight director and intimacy consultant is Ted Hewlett. The production stage manager is Emily F. McMullen and the stage manager is Jake Mariño. Casting is by Kate Murray, CSA.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ricardo Pérez González (Playwright) (he/him) is a queer Puerto Rican artist with mofongo on his lips and salsa on his hips. He writes for stage, screen, and TV and teaches at institutions such as Harvard, NYU, and Yale. As a playwright, his first play, the story of the WWI Christmas Truce In Fields Where They Lay, was hailed by the NY Times as “gripping” and “moving drama.” Since then, Sundance selected Ricardo for their inaugural Writer’s Intensive and his Alan Turing Biopic, The Tender Peel, won him an Alfred P. Sloan award. He is an alumnus of the Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater, the Sundance Theatre Lab, The Sundance Episodic Lab, Sundance’s Episodic Pitch Parlor, and is a winner of the MetLife Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Award.
His play Don’t Eat the Mangos was winner of the SF Chronicle’s Glickman Award for Best Play (“[A] reminder that great family dramas are still being written” – SF Chronicle). It premiered at The Magic in SF under the direction of David Mendizábal. His play On the Grounds of Belonging was workshopped at the Public and premiered at Long Wharf. It’s the first in a trilogy that follows a mixed-race pair of lovers who meet in 1950s racially segregated gay bars from the 1950s to the present. The remaining two plays will premiere at Long Wharf in the coming seasons.
As a TV writer, he worked on the third season of Netflix’s Designated Survivor and recently created a sci-fi mystery podcast set in the high-flying world of female gymnastics, Flipped, with Law & Order’s Neal Baer and Syfy’s Mark Stern. With Neal, he is also developing The Edit, a CRISPR-inspired TV drama, for Sony and director Seth Gordon, as well as Tiergarten, a gripping queer romance/murder-mystery set in Berlin. He co-wrote the script for the feature film The Rest Of Us with Laura Moss, produced by Mary Stuart Masterson. Ricardo sold his first drama pitch, Orlando, to Charter/Spectrum with Nina Tassler and Denise DiNovi. Orlando follows a family devastated by Hurricane Maria as the storm impacts relatives both in Puerto Rico and Orlando, Florida. Ricardo was also an Artist in Residence in the Media, Medicine, and Health Program at Harvard. In addition to the universities where he teaches, Ricardo has conducted workshops with Sundance, Pomona College, Big Apple Playback Theatre, and the New York School of Playback. MFA NYU Tisch. ricardoperezgonzalez.com
David Mendizábal (Director) (they/he) is a director, designer, and the Associate Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre. They are one of the Producing Artistic Leaders of the Obie award-winning The Movement Theatre Company and founding collective member of the Obie award-winning Sol Project. Select directing credits include Mexodus (Berkeley Rep/Baltimore Center Stage/Mosaic), Mother Road (Berkeley Rep), the bandaged place (Roundabout), Mushroom (People’s Light), Sanctuary City (Berkeley Rep/Arena Stage), Notes on Killing… (Soho Rep), and Don’t Eat the Mangos (Magic Theatre). David is an alumnus of the Soho Rep Project Number One, Ars Nova Vision Residency, Drama League Directors Project, Labyrinth Intensive Ensemble, LCT Directors Lab, TCG Leadership U, and Princess Grace Honoraria. Education: BFA – NYU Tisch School of the Arts. davidmendizabal.com
WHEN
Performances: March 26 – April 27, 2025
Evenings: Tues – Thurs at 7pm; Fri and Sat at 7:30pm
Matinees: Select Wed, Sat, and Sun at 2pm
Days and times vary; see complete schedule above.
Press Opening: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 7pm (RSVP here)
WHERE
The Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
527 Tremont St, Boston
TICKETS
Tickets start at $29. Season ticket packages and FlexPasses are also now on sale:
- online at huntingtontheatre.org
- by phone at 617-266-0800;
- or in person at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave) or Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street)
Select discounts apply:
- $10 off: season ticket holders
- $40 “HYPE” tickets (Huntington Young Patron Events) for patrons 40 years-old and younger (valid ID required)
- $25 student and military tickets (valid ID required)
- Limited number of Pay-What-You-Wish tickets (not available online, please call or visit the box office to inquire using the contact info above)
Please note that a digital recording of this production will be available for online viewing. More information to be shared online at a later date.
The Huntington asks that any patron experiencing illness stay home and contact ticketing services for more information about exchanges.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES FOR DON’T EAT THE MANGOS
Tickets are $20 for each patron and their guests. To reserve tickets please email access@huntingtontheatre.org, call ticketing services at 617-266-0800, or visit in person at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston or the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St, Boston.
Accessible performances are supported in part by the Liberty Mutual Foundation.
ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE: Friday, April 18 at 7:30pm. The Huntington offers American Sign Language interpretation at designated performances for patrons who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE: Tuesday, April 22 at 7pm. The Huntington offers open captioning at designated performances for any patron who benefits from having the text of spoken dialogue visible in time with the play.
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE: Saturday, April 26 at 2pm. The Huntington offers audio description for patrons who are blind or low-vision at designated performances. Please visit huntingtontheatre.org/visit/accessibility for information.
Large Print and Braille Programs will also be available for patrons at performances.
DON’T EAT THE MANGOS SPECIAL EVENTS
HYPE (Huntington Young Patron Event) Friday, April 4
The Huntington’s “Huntington Young Patron Events” program (HYPE) hosts an event before the 7:30pm performance of Don’t Eat the Mangos on Friday, April 4 in at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Invitations will be sent out soon.
Pre-show, HYPE attendees will meet up for a delicious, Puerto Rican food dinner at 5:30pm at Vejigantes Restaurant (57 W Dedham St, Boston, MA 02118). Advanced RSVP is required, first-come-first-served.
Admission is included with proof of purchase of a HYPE ticket to Don’t Eat the Mangos. Tickets to performances of Don’t Eat the Mangos are available for those 40 and under at $40 each with promo code DISCOUNT online at huntingtontheatre.org, by walk-up at the Box Office at the Huntington Theatre or Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, or by calling ticketing services at 617-266-0800.
Actors Forum: Thursday, April 10 at 7pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 7pm performance on Thursday, April 10 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Hear actors from Don’t Eat the Mangos reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
Student Matinee performance: Friday, April 11 at 10am
The Huntington Education Department hosts a student matinee of Don’t Eat the Mangos on Friday, April 11 at 10am at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Student tickets are $20 each, chaperones attend at no cost, and one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
To reserve your school group and learn more information, please email Manager of Education Operations Bec Lowe at education@huntingtontheatre.org.
Humanities Forum: Sunday, April 13 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a post-show discussion after the 2pm matinee performance on Sunday, April 13 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St).
Student Matinee performance: Thursday, April 17 at 10am
The Huntington Education Department hosts a student matinee of Don’t Eat the Mangos on Thursday, April 17 at 10am at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Student tickets are $20 each, chaperones attend at no cost, and one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
To reserve your school group and learn more information, please email Manager of Education Operations Bec Lowe at education@huntingtontheatre.org.
Actors Forum: Wednesday, April 23 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 2pm matinee performance on Wednesday, April 23 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Hear actors from Don’t Eat the Mangos reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Any members of the media who are interested in speaking with the artists of Don’t Eat the Mangos, please contact Publicist Gabrielle Jaques at gjaques@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520.
Press night for critics is Wednesday, April 2 at 7pm. Please RSVP here for press night or other available performances.
Production photos will be available for download online, and b-roll footage can be requested.
PHOTOS available for download here
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s theatrical commons and leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination of audiences and artists and amplify the wide range of voices in our community.
Under the leadership of Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington is committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, provides life- changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, has acted as the host organization for a multi-year residency of The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theatre company based in Boston, and serves the local arts community through our operation of The Huntington Calderwood/BCA.
The Huntington reopened the historic Huntington Theatre in fall of 2022 after its transformational renovation, and is currently in phase two of the project; the renovation and building project of this storied venue with a bold vision for the future will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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