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What's Going On : World Premiere of Native Gardens at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Date posted: January 1, 2016
Posted by: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Photos/images: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Posted by: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Photos/images: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park kicks off the New Year with laughter as friendly neighbors become feuding
enemies in the world premiere production of NATIVE GARDENS, which will run Jan. 23 through Feb. 21 in the
Robert S. Marx Theatre. This comedy of good intentions and bad manners is the latest offering from playwright
Karen Zacarías, well-known to Playhouse audiences as the author of The Book Club Play, a smash hit in the
Shelterhouse (and at theatres across the country) in 2013. NATIVE GARDENS, which will be directed by
Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison, uses comedy to dig into deeper issues of taste, class, privilege and
entitlement with hilarious results.
When high-powered D.C. attorney Pablo and his pregnant, doctoral candidate wife Tania move into a fixer-upper
in a neighborhood of stately Victorian homes, next-door neighbors Virginia and Frank welcome their
improvement plans for the neglected property. However, the initial goodwill possessed by both couples
evaporates quickly when those improvements reveal larger philosophical differences. Environmentalist Tania
dreams of creating a native garden, one in which all of the plants are local to their region. But her neighbor,
Frank, feels a sting of judgment toward his formal English garden with its high-maintenance, foreign plants.
“The fact that these characters act in comic and outrageous ways shines a light on the issues but allows us to view
them from the safety of our own experiences,” Robison explains. “By creating a relationship between us and the
characters on stage, we find that the truth is somewhere in the middle.”
Zacarías’ world premiere — one of five of her plays debuting this season throughout the country — was
commissioned through the Playhouse’s Jerome Fey Endowment as part of its ongoing commitment to the
development and production of new plays. The cast of NATIVE GARDENS features Tony Award-winning
Broadway veteran Karen Ziemba as Virginia Capanini Butley. Additional cast members include John Lescault as
Frank Butley, Gabriel Ruiz as Pablo Del Valle and Sabina Zuniga Varela as Tania Del Valle. The cast also includes
landscape technicians Xavier Blanco, Miguel Casanova, Darlene Estela and Michael Urriquia.
Ticket prices for NATIVE GARDENS start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy
early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adult and teenage audiences. Continuing
this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances (not including A
Christmas Carol) priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for
all other performances. Discounted ticket prices for teens and students are available in advance for all
performances for $30.
The Playhouse’s new culinary series continues with wine tastings with tapas before every Thursday evening
performance of NATIVE GARDENS. The tastings, $22 per person, will kick off at 6 p.m. with wine selections from
Heidelberg Distributing Co. and food provided by Vonderhaar’s Catering. For reservations call the Box Office at
513-421-3888.
NATIVE GARDENS will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, and
signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio
enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.
Tickets to NATIVE GARDENS are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-
3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit
www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.
Got a comment on What's Going On? Click here.
Also tweet us at @AGCinspires or follow us on Facebook
enemies in the world premiere production of NATIVE GARDENS, which will run Jan. 23 through Feb. 21 in the
Robert S. Marx Theatre. This comedy of good intentions and bad manners is the latest offering from playwright
Karen Zacarías, well-known to Playhouse audiences as the author of The Book Club Play, a smash hit in the
Shelterhouse (and at theatres across the country) in 2013. NATIVE GARDENS, which will be directed by
Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison, uses comedy to dig into deeper issues of taste, class, privilege and
entitlement with hilarious results.
When high-powered D.C. attorney Pablo and his pregnant, doctoral candidate wife Tania move into a fixer-upper
in a neighborhood of stately Victorian homes, next-door neighbors Virginia and Frank welcome their
improvement plans for the neglected property. However, the initial goodwill possessed by both couples
evaporates quickly when those improvements reveal larger philosophical differences. Environmentalist Tania
dreams of creating a native garden, one in which all of the plants are local to their region. But her neighbor,
Frank, feels a sting of judgment toward his formal English garden with its high-maintenance, foreign plants.
“The fact that these characters act in comic and outrageous ways shines a light on the issues but allows us to view
them from the safety of our own experiences,” Robison explains. “By creating a relationship between us and the
characters on stage, we find that the truth is somewhere in the middle.”
Zacarías’ world premiere — one of five of her plays debuting this season throughout the country — was
commissioned through the Playhouse’s Jerome Fey Endowment as part of its ongoing commitment to the
development and production of new plays. The cast of NATIVE GARDENS features Tony Award-winning
Broadway veteran Karen Ziemba as Virginia Capanini Butley. Additional cast members include John Lescault as
Frank Butley, Gabriel Ruiz as Pablo Del Valle and Sabina Zuniga Varela as Tania Del Valle. The cast also includes
landscape technicians Xavier Blanco, Miguel Casanova, Darlene Estela and Michael Urriquia.
Ticket prices for NATIVE GARDENS start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy
early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adult and teenage audiences. Continuing
this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances (not including A
Christmas Carol) priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for
all other performances. Discounted ticket prices for teens and students are available in advance for all
performances for $30.
The Playhouse’s new culinary series continues with wine tastings with tapas before every Thursday evening
performance of NATIVE GARDENS. The tastings, $22 per person, will kick off at 6 p.m. with wine selections from
Heidelberg Distributing Co. and food provided by Vonderhaar’s Catering. For reservations call the Box Office at
513-421-3888.
NATIVE GARDENS will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, and
signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio
enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.
Tickets to NATIVE GARDENS are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-
3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit
www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.
Got a comment on What's Going On? Click here.
Also tweet us at @AGCinspires or follow us on Facebook
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