On March 23, 2020, the Williams Street Repertory was less than two weeks away from opening a show called “Native Gardens.”
Not only did the show not go on, but Williams Street Rep, which calls home the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake, stayed quiet for four years.
“A few weeks became a few months, a few months became a few years,” said Michele Vazquez, company member and show director. “There was a point where we wondered if the show would ever come back. But the intention was always to re-mount it, we just didn’t know when.”
The theater company is making its triumphant return with that same play, “Native Gardens,” written by Karen Zacarias.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays and Thursdays Feb. 23 to March 16. There is no 7 p.m. show March 16 at the Raue Center for the Arts. Thursday matinees are new this season.
“Native Gardens” is about two very different couples. Frank and Virginia have lived in the neighborhood for 25 years in their beautiful home, where Frank has cultivated a lovely English garden in the backyard.
Pablo and Tania are a young couple that has just moved in to the fixer-upper next door. Pablo is a high-powered attorney and Tania is a doctoral candidate who’s expecting their first child. She also has plans to bring her new garden to life with a collection of native plants.
Pablo and Tania decide to replace the chain link fence in the backyard that divides the two gardens, but when they look at their property’s plat, they discover that the fence is in the wrong place and their garden should be extended two feet into Frank and Virginia’s garden.
And once that happens, things start to spiral out of control, Vasquez said.
“It’s a very funny play but it also has a lot of heart and a lot of very human moments, especially in this age where it seems like we are very quick to disagree and not hear each other out,” she said. “I think this play is a very funny look at what happens when people try to connect and fail at connecting and fail at communicating well.
“But the characters are all very human and very likeable. Their struggle is real and identifiable. I think it’s a beautiful, funny play that I think delivers a wonderful message, but does it with a lot of light-hearted, good fun.”
She thinks audiences will enjoy not only the humor, but the talented cast as well, she said.
“There’s physical comedy. It’s a smart play – it’s the situational humor that I think is really winning,” she said. “You have these two couples at very different points in their lives. So there’s something for everybody in this play.”
She retained one original cast member, Shannon Mayhall as Virginia. The rest of the cast includes Michael Lomenick as Frank, Peter Briceño Gertas as Pablo, Jazmine Tamayo as Tania and ensemble members David Rice, Amy Delgado, Michael J. Santos and Kelli Walker.
She’s hoping that audiences come back to the theater.
“We want to create the best work we can and tell stories that we’re proud of and excited and passionate about,” she said. “As a director, my hope is always to tell a story that sticks with people and that will follow them home and spark interesting conversation and dialogue. (It) should make people think outside their own immediate experience.”
‘Native Gardens’
When: Feb. 23-March 16
Where: Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake
Tickets: $27.65-$39.50
Information: 815-356-9212; rauecenter.org
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
