Don't Eat The Mangos
March 26 – April 27, 2025
Written by Ricardo Pérez González
Directed by David Mendizábal
Don’t Eat the Mangos was developed, in part, at the 2019 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab.
Don’t Eat the Mangos was developed and supported through a partnership between The Sol Project and Magic Theatre.
Don’t Eat the Mangos was first produced as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by the Magic Theatre (California). For more information, please visit nnpn.org.
The Huntington Calderwood
527 Tremont Street. Boston, MA 02116
Approximate run time: 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission
Notable Dates:
Opening Night: 4/2 at 7 pm
Synopsis:
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. Obie Award winner David Mendizábal returns from the acclaimed world premiere production to direct.
Sinopsis:
El gracioso tragedia “Don’t Eat the Mangos” del dramaturgo Ricardo Pérez González retrata la vida en la isla natal de él en Puerto Rico con compasión y humor a través de la saga de tres hermanas que viven justo afuera de San Juan. Mientras se está acercando un huracán a la hermosa isla, se revelan secretos y verdades desagradables que hacen que las hermanas se forcejean por cómo mantenerse fieles a su familia y su tierra natal – y buscan una venganza satisfactoria. El ganador del premio Obie, David Mendizábal, regresa de la aclamada producción de estreno mundial para dirigir.
Learn More:
Cast & Crew:
Jessica Pimentel
Ismelda
Jessica Pimentel
Jessica Pimentel (she/her) is best known for playing Maria Ruiz on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, winning three Screen Actors Guild Awards and one nomination. Off Broadway: Jasper (Yonder Window); Surfer Girl (Animus); Enfrascada (Clubbed Thumb); Aliens with Extraordinary Skills (WP Theater). Regional: Anna in the Tropics (American Stage); The Clean House (W.H.A.T.); The Cook (Seattle Rep). TV: Law & Order, Person of Interest, The Horror of Dolores Roach, Blue Bloods. Awards: Audie award nominee for Macmillan audiobook Anita de Monte Laughs Last.
Yesenia Iglesias
Yinoelle
Yesenia Iglesias
Yesenia Iglesias (she/ella) Regional: Primary Trust, Daphne’s Dive, Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (Signature Theatre); Metamorphoses, Love’s Labors Lost (Folger Theatre); At the Wedding (Studio Theatre); POTUS… (Arena Stage); Hamlet, King Charles III (Shakespeare Theatre Company); A Christmas Carol (Ford’s Theater); Dance Nation (Olney Theater Center); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Round House Theatre); Passing Strange (ACT – Seattle), Mwindo (Seattle Children’s Theatre).
Evelyn Howe
Wicha
Evelyn Howe
Evelyn Howe (she/her) The Huntington: Yerma. Regional: The Motherf**ker with the Hat [Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress], Necessary Monsters (SpeakEasy Stage); Lost Tempo (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Sotto Voce (Shakespeare and Company); Arabian Nights (Central Square Theatre). TV: And Just Like That (Max). @evelynnhowe
Susanna Guzmán
Mami
Susanna Guzmán
Susanna Guzmán (she/her) is an Emmy nominated actress born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Broadway: Mary Jane (Manhattan Theatre Club). Off Broadway: Downstate (Playwrights Horizons – Lucille Lortel nominee, Outer Critics Circle nominee). Regional: Project Dawn (People’s Light); La Luz de un cigarillo (Teatro La Tea, Lehman Stages – HOLA Award); Comida de Puta (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Foggy Bottom (Abingdon Theatre Company); Brooklyn Bridge (Minneapolis Children’s Theatre).
José Ramón Rosario
Papi
José Ramón Rosario
José Ramón Rosario (he/him) Off Broadway: Christopher Columbus (New Federal Theatre); Rum and Coke (New York Shakespeare Festival); Forbidden City Blues (Pan Asian Repertory). Regional: Block Party (New Federal Theatre); Fences (Arden Theatre); Anna in the Tropics (Portland Center Stage); Death and the Maiden, Dog Lady, The Cuban Swimmer (Philadelphia Drama Guild).
Karina Beleno Carney
U/S Ismelda, Mami
Karina Beleno Carney
Karina Beleno Carney (she/ella) Regional: Beyond Words, Alma, Young Nerds of Color (Central Square Theater); Don’t Eat the Mangos (Apollinaire Theater Company / Teatro Chelsea); Romeo and Juliet (Apollinaire Theater Company). Film: Meet The Author.
Carla Martinez
U/S Yinoelle, Wicha
Carla Martinez
Carla Martinez (she/ella) The Huntington: Man in the Ring, Merrily We Roll Along. Off Broadway: Brecht on Brecht (Atlantic Theater Company). Regional: Ragtime, Little Shop of Horrors (Trinity Rep); Company, My Fair Lady (Lyric Stage); Brecht on Brecht (New Rep); Far From Heaven (SpeakEasy Stage); Hair, Evita (TheatreZone).
Michael Sáenz
U/S Papi
Michael Sáenz
Michael Sáenz (he/him) Off Broadway: Affluenza! P.O.V. Regional: The GAAGA (Arlekin Players); Antigone (Theater@First); Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Off the Grid); Richard III (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Working (Emerson College); Tuck Everlasting (Wheelock Family Theater); The Winter’s Tale (Publick Theater); Lady in the Dark (Boston Academy of Music); Dew Point, Dealer’s Choice (Gloucester Stage). Sáenz is also a director, producer, playwright, and educator.
José C. Massó III
Voice of Radio
José C. Massó III
José C. Massó III Host of “¡Con Salsa!”, the longest-running music show on Boston’s WBUR 90.9FM on National Public Radio (NPR). Massó brings a range of Afro Latin music and interviews to listeners all around the world. For fifty years his weekly bilingual program featuring Afro-Latin music and spoken word has served as a bridge builder between languages, races, cultures, ethnicities and nationalities as a music show, party and community gathering.
David Mendizábal
Director
David Mendizábal
David Mendizábal (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.
Ricardo Pérez González
Playwright
Ricardo Pérez González
Ricardo Pérez González(he/him) is a queer Puerto Rican playwright and screenwriter celebrated for his evocative storytelling and exploration of diverse narratives. His debut play, In Fields Where They Lay, depicting the WWI Christmas Truce, was lauded by The NY Times as “gripping” and “moving drama.” Notable works include On the Grounds of Belonging, exploring the dynamics of racially segregated gay bars in 1950s Houston, and Don’t Eat the Mangos, a wickedly funny tragedy hailed by the SF Chronicle as a “reminder that great family dramas are still being written.”
Amelia Rose Estrada
Assistant Director
Amelia Rose Estrada
Amelia Rose Estrada (she/her) Regional: CarmXn (Hogfish Maine); Romeo and Juliet (Philadelphia Orchestra). Dance: A Dance for You, For Me (Jacobs Pillow); 2nd Sanctuary, FIGMAGO, Dancing Dead IPX (Brian Sanders JUNK).
Tanya Orellana
Scenic Designer
Tanya Orellana
Tanya Orellana (she/her) Off Broadway: What Became of Us (Atlantic Stage 2). Regional: Derecho (La Jolla Playhouse); Mother Road (Berkeley Rep); Fefu and her Friends, Big Data, Poor Yella Rednecks (ACT); For The People (Guthrie Theatre); Stew, One of the Good Ones (Pasadena Playhouse); Where Did We Sit on The Bus? (Denver Center); Oedipus (Getty Villa); The Heath (Merrimack Rep); The Heart Sellers (Milwaukee Rep).
Zoë Sundra
Costume Designer
Zoë Sundra
Zoë Sundra (she/her) The Huntington: John Proctor is the Villain; also assisted on designs for Fat Ham, The Art of Burning, Witch. Regional: Chicken and Biscuits (Front Porch Arts Collective); But Not Buddy, The Addams Family (Wheelock Family Theatre at BU); Bombitty of Errors, Bright Half Life (Actors’ Shakespeare Project).
Cha See
Lighting Designer
Cha See
Cha See (she/her) is an Obie Award-winning lighting designer from Manila, Philippines. Broadway: Oh, Mary!. Off Broadway: Wet Brain (Playwrights Horizons – Obie Special Citations , Lortel Nomination for Outstanding Lighting Design); On That Day in Amsterdam (Primary Stages – Drama Desk and Lortel Nominations for Outstanding Lighting Design).
Jake Rodriguez
Sound Designer and Composer
Jake Rodriguez
Jake Rodriguez (he/him) Regional: Between Two Knees (Perelman Performing Arts Center, Yale Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Frankenstein Revived (Stratford Festival); Mother Road (Berkeley Rep); Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 (ACT). Awards: 2004 Princess Grace Award; honorary MFA (ACT). Rodriguez and collaborators Alexandra Buschman-Román (she/they)and Jason Stamberger are longtime SF Bay Area noise and experimental music scene participants.
Adi Cabral
Voice and Dialect Coach
Adi Cabral
Adi Cabral(they/them) The Huntington: Fat Ham. Regional:Queens Girl in the World (Front Porch Arts Collective/Hangar Theatre/Central Square Theater);keyp-ing(New Rep); The Importance of Being Earnest (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Mother Road (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); The Mountaintop, Silent Sky, A Raisin in the Sun, The Play That Goes Wrong, Emma: The Musical (Utah Shakespeare Festival).
Ted Hewlett
Fight Director and Intimacy Coach
Ted Hewlett
Ted Hewlett (he/they) The Huntington: Toni Stone, The Art of Burning, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Witch, Sweat, Private Lives, Quixote Nuevo, Yerma, Sherlock’s Last Case, Fences, Tartuffe, Merrily We Roll Along, Topdog/Underdog, The Colored Museum, A Doll’s House, I Was Most Alive with You, A Confederacy of Dunces, Ripcord, Bedroom Farce. Broadway: Shōgun. Off Broadway: Bill W. and Dr. Bob.
Jake Mariño
Stage Manager
Jake Mariño
Jake Mariño (he/him) Regional: The Piano Lesson, Emma, King Hedley II, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, Coriolanus, Nat Turner in Jerusalem (Actors Shakespeare Project); Yellow Face (Lyric Stage); Revolution’s Edge (Plays in Place); Black Super Hero Magic Mama, Wolf Play, Greater Good (Company One). Education: BA Theatre (Suffolk University). @jakefromoregon
Kate Murray
NY Casting Director
Kate Murray
Kate Murray is a casting director at The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City, where she casts mainstage productions at The Public’s downtown home at 425 Lafayette Street, uptown at the Delacorte Theater/Shakespeare In The Park, the Public’s Mobile Unit and Public Works initiatives, and readings & developments.
Beyoncé Martinez
Emerging Artist Observer
Beyoncé Martinez
Beyoncé Martinez (she/her) Education: BFA Theater & Performance ‘24 (Emerson College).
Additional Staff for Don’t Eat the Mangos:
Hair and Makeup Consultant……..Rachel Padula-Shufelt
Emerging Artist Observer…………………Beyoncé Martinez
Broadcaster (Voiceover)…………………………….. José Massó
ASL Interpretation Season Coordinator………..Kristin Johnson for Think Outside the Vox Inc.
Director of Artistic Sign Language…………………..Ivy Velez
ASL Interpreter…………………………………………Juana Aguilar
ASL Interpreter……………………………………………..Joe Toledo
Audio Description Season Coordinator…………………………..Amber Pearcy for Think Outside the Vox Inc.
Audio Describer……………………………………Maria Hendricks
Pre-Show Audio Describer…………………………….Luis Cotto
Audio Description Consultant and Blind Low Vision Expert………………….Kwaku Darko
Production Assistants……………………………………Ross Gray, Athéna Genesis Baptiste
Northeastern Co-Op Production Assistant……………………Roxy Buckellew
Student Production Assistant…………………..Janie Hillman
Carpenters …………………Harley Novy, Joe Ellard, Lucas Bryce Dixon, Michelle Walker, Shawn Lindaberry, Elise Tuckwood, Nick Robinette, Frida Swallow, Jamie Carty
Scenic Artists ……………………………………………..Sam Galvao
Prop Artisan…………………………………….Andrew T. Reynolds
Props Run…………………………………………………Corey Roberts
Costume Design Assistant……………………….Kiara Escalera
First Costumer……………………………………….Susanna Brown
Wardrobe/ A2…………………………………………..Kiara Escalera
Wardrobe swing………………………………………Rebecca Hicks
Brighter Boston Interns…………………………………..Irea Blue, Rain Collins
Audio Run (A2) …………………………………………….Sarah Miller
Northeastern Sound Co-Op…………………………Syd Randall
Special Thanks to Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center and Dr. Paul F. Currier, MD from Mass General Research Institute
View the Digital Program:
Coming soon!
Special Events:
HYPE Night at Vejigantes
Friday, April 4th
Pre-Show Dinner: 5:30 pm
Vejigantes Restaurant
57 W Dedham Street
Limited space, RSVP required!
Free to attend with HYPE ticket to any performance of Don’t Eat the Mangos
Artists in Conversation: Ricardo Pérez González | Adult Course (18+)
Saturday April 12, 2025, 12:30-3:00pm
560 Harrison Ave Suite 504, Boston, MA 02118
This course connects students with Huntington produced playwright Ricardo Pérez González to foster a dialogue around the art of playwriting. Participants are encouraged to attend Don’t Eat the Mangos and are responsible for purchasing their own ticket through the box office, with the strong suggestion that they attend the production on Friday, April 11th (or any date prior to the workshop).
From the playwright Ricardo Pérez González:
“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. 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.”
From Artistic Director Loretta Greco:
“This play is unfinished business for me as we developed the highly acclaimed premiere production when I led the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Five years later, I’m thrilled to bring this glorious production to a larger audience, and you’ll feel the same when you see Ricardo’s cathartic work.”
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The Huntington acknowledges that our physical spaces stand on the occupied homeland of the Massachusett people. We’d like to begin by acknowledging the Massachusett Tribe from whom the Colony, Province and Commonwealth of Massachusetts have taken their name. We’d like to pay respect to the ancestral bloodline of the Massachusett Tribe and their descendants who still inhabit the land to this day. We honor and respect the many native peoples who are connected to this land, past, present and future, including the Nipmuc and Wampanoag peoples.
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