‘Native Gardens’ brings love, satire to Syracuse Stage

Community and human relationships are under the spotlight in Syracuse Stage’s production of “Native Gardens,” running Wednesday to March 3. The contemporary satirical play has earned its place on American Theatre’s Top 10 Most-Produced Plays List this season, and will later be presented at Geva Theatre Center (March 26 to April 21) and Portland Center Stage (May 18 to June 16) as part of a three-way co-production.

“My hope is that people will take a moment to ponder what it takes to be a better neighbor,” said Karen Zacarías, award-winning playwright, in an interview for Syracuse Stage’s newsletter, StageView.

Melissa Crespo, the director of “Native Gardens,” first met Zacarías in Washington, D.C. a few years ago, after having been a fan of hers for years prior. When the opportunity to direct the play at Syracuse Stage arose, Crespo did not hesitate.

“It is a wonderfully inclusive comedy and very relatable,” she said.

She was excited to work with the “talented, smart and funny” cast, made up of Monica Rae Summers Gonzalez and Erick González, who play a young Latinx couple, and Anne-Marie Cusson and Paul DeBoy, who play their white neighbors. The two pairs clash over property and cultural issues in a historic Washington, D.C. neighborhood.

The production also features five actors from the Latinx community in central New York who portray gardeners, and other supporting characters, who remain on the periphery of the action. Their silent presence, Zacarías said, serves “to make a point about who’s actually changing the landscape and who’s doing the work.”

Crespo’s creative team includes design veterans, Shoko Kambara and Dawn Chiang, along with newcomers such as Lux Haac and Elisheba Ittoop.

“The all-women creative team is amazing,” said DeBoy, who portrays Frank Butley for his second appearance at Syracuse Stage, following his 2016 performance in “The Christians.” “And Melissa (Crespo) is so easy to work with, she has a great handle on things.”

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He added that he’s looking forward to the long journey that “Native Gardens” will take the cast on.

“I definitely think the play says a lot about what’s going on now — people putting up walls, casting aspersions, the concept of ‘the other’ and the divisions that exist,” DeBoy said.

Joseph Whelan, director of marketing and communications at Syracuse Stage, said the audience can expect a fun night at the theater and a chance both to step away and analyze the issues currently affecting American society.

“‘Native Gardens’ is perfect to make us laugh in this cold winter season,” Whelan said. “It is satirical and deals with borders and boundaries, sexism, perceptions of the Latinx community, class privilege and the assumptions we make in a light-hearted, funny and accessible manner.”

From Syracuse Stage to Geva Theatre Center, the excitement for this play is palpable, said Mark Cuddy, artistic director of the flagship Rochester performance space.

The theater had worked with Zacarías previously on “The Book Club Play” and Cuddy is confident that “Native Gardens” will resonate with audiences — which is a lot of gardeners and homeowners, he added.

“I was familiar with this play,” Cuddy said, “and believe it fits in perfectly with the new plays that we focus on here which work to unite and strengthen the community.”