C. Neil Parsons in 50% Nonverbal at Orlando Fringe Credit: Courtesy Photo

Dancing trombonist C. Neil Parsons from Fringe fan favorite Fruit Flies Like a Banana is back with a surreal solo storytelling show exploring his own monologue-less internal psyche. In 50% Nonverbal’s titular half, Parsons mixes mixes masterful horn playing and nonsense scat singing with athletic choreography and sprightly physical comedy, as he chases spotlights across the stage, or underscores a trio of phone-following volunteers as they pace about. 

During the show’s more loquacious half, Parsons expounds on his nocturnal alter ego, gender-fluid inanimate objects in foreign languages, and the “chewing gum tornado” of his inner thoughts. At the show’s avant-garde apogee, he presents his original interpretation of Cornelius Cardew’s Treatise, an infamously incomprehensible graphic score granted new life through Neil’s brass and body.  

Although it might not be as effortlessly accessible as Parsons’ collaborations with The Fourth Wall ensemble, 50% Nonverbal will be theatrical catnip for those with the patience for inscrutable experimental performance art paired with virtuoso musicianship. Just beware the retina-searing strobe-lit finale: It ought to come with a warning, even if you aren’t epileptic.

C. Neil Parsons (Somerville, MA)
Silver Venue, Orlando Family Stage
60 minutes; ages 7 and up
Tickets: $15

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This article appears in Orlando Fringe 2026.