I am interested in origins and when we claim them and when we stop, the power of language and place. (Tania; Native Gardens; Act 1, Scene 2)
It was the opening night Gala for Native Gardens, presented by Mendocino Theatre Company; a grand event for MTC family and friends who gathered in support of the final production of the season. Anticipation was in the air. MTC theatre-lovers were engaged and ready for something to lift the spirit.
Native Gardens, a true comedy, is the right medicine.
Seated and waiting for the play to begin gives time to appreciate the amazing set design by Diane Larsen; and the hands-on work of Steve Greenwood, a team that has impressed in the past. In creating this set, they have gone a step beyond.
The setting is a suburb on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. From the audience vantage point, we see a back door and back yards of two row houses. Separating the two yards is a fence covered in English Ivy and a garden of flowering plants.
The house darkens; the stage lights up. Two couples each in their own yard, speak to the audience, thus setting a different kind of scenery, an emotional backdrop.
One couple is elderly and white. Virginia, played by Kaye Handley, and Frank, played by Steve Jordan, have lived in the house for decades. Their yard is clean and clear, except for lawn chairs and table, some manicured bushes and the flower garden.
The other couple is young and brown. Tania, played by Maria Ramos, and Pablo del Valle, played by Alexsandro “Alex” Bravo. They have just moved in. Their yard is a bit run down with debris on the ground — leaves and acorns from an old Oak tree.
The couples speak in turn — It’s a historic neighborhood, … Stately houses and gardens, .. Ours is a fixer upper, … A tree., … Old neighborhood, … New neighbors.
Vignettes, used throughout the play, offer unspoken thoughts rather than words. Even in the midst of making plans, pragmatic action proceeds. At times, characters speak the same lines together. Despite differences and underlying concerns, diversity shares more sides to an issue than one might expect. More subtle comments, so skillfully delivered by the actors, using comedic pauses and tone, inform us that all may not be well in the garden.
Native Gardens is a true comedy. And more.
Karen Zacarias, award-winning Latina Playwright, has offered a well-written script, funny and still full of what is needed in the all-too-judgmental society of today. It Is a play that informs, teaches, and entertains at the same time.
Lynn Sotos, Director, explains in her notes,
On one side of the fence is a new young couple of LatinX ethnicity and, on the other side, an elderly establishment couple. The play addresses … the melting pot, ethnic roots, racism, ageism, the border wall , the American Dream, and entitlement…
The conflict that emerges bears all the ins and outs and ups and downs of what is being fought over in everyday realities, political and social; however, as the action unfolds, the line of separation is not delineated in a simple way. Privilege and Entitlement are noted on both sides of the fence. Racism and Ageism are noted on both sides of the fence. The boundary is shown, time and time again, to shift, with skillfully done humor in the handling of it.
A side note —
I had long wondered what the X meant after Latin. The term LatinX came out of the Spanish-speaking queer community, to challenge gender binary.
Regarding gender binary, let’s talk about the women in Native Gardens.
Tania is a smart and strong woman, defending her doctoral dissertation in Anthropology, soon to give birth to her first child. She is a go-getter who believes that Nature is the way to resolve climate change. Tania wants her back yard to be a mini-demonstration garden showing Nature is the game-changer.
Virginia is a hardworking business woman who, in the day, when women could not have their way, became an engineer; and now, in her elder years, has a privileged position at Lockheed Martin. She has an adult son, not married. She hopes he will one day marry in their back yard. Despite her WASP-ish nature, she is proud of her Polish descent.
Though gender issues are not the main theme of the play, the women rise to the occasion, attempting to resolve conflict. Virginia and Tania bond over woman issues. The women overcome.
The men have a more physical stake in the game —
Frank works from home. His great love is for his garden, regularly using perstices to keep it flourishing; hoping each year for a win in the Potomac Horticultural Society’s Garden Competition. Gentle and flexible, he yields with ease to the reconstruction of the fence and removal of the English ivy; at least until the flower garden is in jeopardy. He acknowledges that his son may not be straight.
Alex is the son of a highranking Chilean, disowned because he married Tania, a peasant. He is a lawyer in a prominent legal firm, hoping to become partner. His flexibility is challenged when it comes to the law, though he is more flexible in garden matters. He likes Frank’s flowers.
At the start of the play, we find that Alex has impulsively invited his Boss to his house. The Boss has invited the office colleagues to attend. At first, the logic of this is disputed by Tania; but in the end they decide to offer a BBQ which turns her attention to her beloved back yard.
Is everyone happy? Maybe for a minute. Until Tania, in looking at the plans, discovers that the property line is off by a couple feet, explaining why the neighbor’s yard is larger than their own. And thus, the play lurches forward causing things to escalate quickly, positions and sides changing and shifting, often in the course of well-intentioned conversation.
The backyard — an idiomatic expression for what is intimately mine and not yours. It does not belong to anyone else. The expression, Not In My Backyard, creates an adamant acronym.
Native Gardens, is a wonderful, straightforward script. The complexity of the issues is embedded in the characters, as Americans, as much as they are in us. Most importantly the questions of Greed versus Kindness come up. These characters, like most of us, tend to resist greed and long for kindness. All involved — the director, the cast, staff, volunteers, all come out sweetly smelling like roses.
What do you want to grow in your backyard? It is not just about flowers, trees and bees. It’s about sharing ideas, about resolving conflict, and appreciating the contributions of others, always keeping the future in mind. And in practice.
Native Gardens runs thru December 4, 2022
Thursday through Saturday evenings, with a Sunday matinee
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