Review: NATIVE GARDENS at NextStop Theatre Company

There isn’t anything quite like the dynamics between neighbors. You either are best friends with your neighbors, know them in passing, or they are strangers. In NextStop Theatre’s production of Native Gardens, written by Karen Zacarías and directed by Elena Velasco, Pablo (Gabriel Alejandro) and Tania (Cristina Sanchez), a young couple who are expecting a baby, moves into a historic Georgetown rowhouse, right next door to Virginia (Nicole Halmos) and Frank (Matthew Pauli), an older white couple. Both Pablo and Tania are working hard to achieve their American dreams. Pablo, who is Chilean, as a lawyer, while Tania, who is from New Mexico, is wrapping up her PhD and preparing for motherhood. At first, the two couples are amicable towards each other, but things quickly change when Pablo and Tania make a discovery about their yard, resulting in terse property line dispute. 

Zacarías’ script could have been set anywhere, but its setting in D.C. is especially timely due to the current political climate. Privilege, class, and racism are addressed directly in backyard conversations, and through the metaphor of gardening. Frank’s gardening is heavy on chemicals and invasive plants, while Tania wants to fill her yard with indigenous plants. The tension between the two couples builds up dramatically, thanks to the great chemistry between Alejandro, Sanchez, Halmos, and Pauli, through the quick exchanges of insults and banter. While there is neighborly drama in Native Gardens, jokes emerge like the sudden appearance of acorns in Virginia and Frank’s yard. The best jokes are the ones which can be considered to be very D.C., such as a jab about working at the GSA, or a reference to the very hipster Takoma Park. The cast does an impeccable job with making these jokes land with laugh-out-loud reactions from the audience.

The set, designed by Jack Golden, is very elaborate as it features two contrasting rowhouses: one with very colonial features boasting the HGTV gray aesthetic, and another with almost plaster-like style with beautiful splashes of green and blue tones. Golden’s set also provides flexibility in its landscape as flowers and fences can be interchanged to create new spaces within the gardens. It is hard to tell that this is Georgetown without a cacophony of sounds which reflect an active cityscape. Where are the sounds of chatty college students passing through the neighborhood, or the distance sounds of honking cars? Despite this, the production’s design visually shapes the emerging divisions between the two couples. 

With an energetic cast and its timely themes, Native Gardens is an excellent start to NextStop Theatre’s 2025 season. 

Run Time: 90 minutes without an intermission 

Top Photo Caption & Credit: L to R Gabriel Alejandro, Cristina Sanchez, Nicole Halmos, and Matthew Pauli in Native Gardens. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.

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