A partially assembled situation comedy called Snoring Mangoes is filming its pilot at Fringe, and they’re soliciting suggestions from their live studio audience to put the finishing touches on the debut episode.
Set in the living room of an Orlando-area apartment, this improvised production stars Barbara Lezcano Scott as Claudina, a colorful Cubana with an incomprehensible Desi Arnaz accent, and producer Ian Rubin as her ineffectual husband. Director Del Marco Arlando does much of the heavy lifting as Felix, a fabulous mail carrier who drops in to deliver plot points. His co-stars are more adept at the “yes” element of improvising than the “and,” although Ian did manage to pull a semi-satisfying story resolution out of his rear end just as the 23-minute mark approached.
For a supposed sitcom, Snoring Mangoes’ press preview steered into surprisingly serious territory including dead dads, death threats and evading ICE agents. I always appreciate efforts to elevate longer-format improv at Fringe, and Arlando’s energizing appearances are certainly this show’s saving grace. But one breakout character alone wouldn’t be enough to prevent me from switching my television back to Mid-Century Modern.
Snoring Mangoes
Brown Venue, Lowndes Shakespeare Center
30 minutes; 13 & up
$10
Get tickets
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.