Native Gardens

Sharpen those garden shears! In this brilliant new comedy, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies that spiral into an all-out border dispute, exposing two couples’ notions of race, class, privilege … and taste.

Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to well-established D.C. couple Virginia and Frank. Tania yearns to transform her yard into a free-form haven for native plants and wildlife while, next door, Frank prides himself on his meticulously maintained and prize-winning English garden. With an impending barbecue for Pablo’s new colleagues at the end of the week, a delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line puts these two conflicting visions on a collision course and the (garden) gloves come off as Tania and Frank vie for backyard superiority. Assumptions are exposed and expectations are overturned as these two couples struggle to protect their gardens (and their dignity). The hilarious results guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose!

Bringing this production to life is an incredible cast of performers, including a few Farmers Alley Favorites! Paul Stroili (seen in A Doll’s House Part 2 and The Lifespan of a Fact) and Diane Marie Wasnak (Becoming Dr. Ruth) return to the Farmers Alley Theatre stage as Frank and Virginia Butley. Joining them are Amber Lee Ramos and Eduardo Curley as Tania and Pablo Del Valle.