Native Gardens
Hartford Stage in Hartford, Conn.
Written by Karen Zacarias, directed by Nicole A. Watson
“Who would tear out Hydrangeas?”
This comedy is an overview of neighbors and what they mean to one another. In its current production at Hartford Stage (the second I have seen in a year) the two couples who become those neighbors are wonderfully cast and played. The long-time residents of the Washington, D.C., suburb are played by Judith Lightfoot Clarke and Greg Wood, and their new neighbors are portrayed by Alina Collins Maldonado and Bradley Tejeda. These are four very attractive people playing four very attractive people. That is the easy part. Now for the more difficult look at what is on stage.
The set, designed by Lawrence E. Moten III, as wonderful as it is, creates an emotional difficulty for the audience. The Butley home—two stories, brick, handsome—is representative of the typical D.C. home. It works beautifully. The Del Valle house is a single-story shingle residence without a roof line, and it seems totally out of place next to the one with which it shares a property line. It feels as though it is in a very different area, and that visual throws the play into that suspicious space no play should ever occupy. It is owned by a Hispanic couple, he a young lawyer and she a pregnant wife. They have planned a party for this first weekend celebrating his employment, and they discover that their older neighbors have impinged on their property line by over three feet. They want it back. That is the basis for the plot of the play. Frank Butley (Wood) is a gardener determined to finally win a prize in an annual competition, and he will not sacrifice his ambition for a new neighbor’s rightful claim of property. Wood is terrific in the role of Frank Butley, alternating emotionally from seriously solemn to overwhelmingly hysterical. He manages the constant transitions with a masterful touch showing his acting experience in the best light.
As his wife Virginia, Clarke vacillates with the same degree of expertise showing the many colors of Virginia in as many ways as possible. She moves from sweet intentions to hostile protectiveness, from deep concern for others to total disinterest with alacrity. Both actors turn in fine, well-balanced performances.
Greg Wood and Judith Lightfoot Clarke. Photo courtesy of Hartford Stage.
As the pregnant and moody Tania Del Valle, Maldonado keeps strong control of her emotions and lets lines fly where they may as they need. Her portrayal as the Mexican American wife of a young lawyer is excellent, and her tense moments bring drama into the otherwise comic situation. Tejeda, as her Central American husband Pablo, often seemed a bit restrained, as if the role was a bit distasteful to him and so he wanted to present a solemnly polite man caught in an awkward situation.
The costumes, designed by Ivania Stack, helped provide the perfect pictures of the characters. Caroline Ortiz Herrera’s lighting design worked beautifully. The rest of the technical work for this show was just what was required. The ensemble, playing garden workers, were lovely, getting their laughs and doing what was necessary to move the story along. They were Carla Astudillo-Fisher, Mia Lozada, and Aidan Ramirez.
I enjoyed the production, and seeing the play for the second time drove home the truth that it is a good play, worth investigating when you have the chance. I would suggest you not miss it.
“Native Gardens” plays at Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford, CT through May 10. For information and tickets, visit Hartford Stage’s website.
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