‘Native Gardens’ @ Mainstage Irving - Las Colinas

Promo photos Mike Morgan Photography; show photos Kris Ikejiri

—Carol M. Rice

Native Gardens first premiered at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 2016, and has, in subsequent years, become a favorite at regional and community theatres alike. In DFW alone, I’m aware of recent productions at WaterTower Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Lewisville Playhouse—and now Mainstage Irving - Las Colinas.

It’s easy to see why this culture clash of a comedy is so popular. Not only does it keep the audience laughing, it also makes them think.

Young couple Pablo and Tania have purchased a fixer-upper next door to WASP-y (and a bit older) Virginia and Frank. At first the two couples get along great, but then a disagreement over a long-standing fence line —one that will destroy much of Frank’s prized garden—spirals into an all-out war.

Andy Gonzalez-Bendiksen plays Chilean lawyer Pablo with confidence and flair. He loves his very pregnant wife Tania (played by Lily Garcia) and will protect her, their family and their property at all costs, while still trying to get along with his unforgiving neighbors. Gonzalez-Bendiksen gives a strong, layered performance.

Garcia is the perfect complement to Gonzalez-Bendiksen as she attempts to navigate the backyard drama. She has excellent chemistry with the other actors, and when she is torn about what to do, her anguish feels real. I will add only that she needs to become acquainted with some real pregnant women, as they don’t ALWAYS have a hand on their bellies.

Clayton Cunningham does an excellent job as the garden-obsessed Frank. His character builds effectively (if a bit frighteningly at times) as his beautiful little world is crumbling around him.

As Virginia, Laura Sosnowski plays the smug wife extremely well, and her attempts at playing nice evolve believably into frustration as the situation spirals. Sosnowski has a rubber face and sometimes she’s a little TOO big in her portrayal, but she creates realistic relationships among the actors around her.

Rue Kadhim, Lorenzo Alejandro, and Jaymes White make up the ensemble of workers, inspectors, and other characters who fill out the play. They also kept things moving during scene changes, which occasionally felt too long—but not because of what they were doing. While I liked Tully Hall’s sound design, some of the scene change music and accompanying ensemble action went on longer than it should have, but hopefully that will tighten up as the run continues.

Joseph Cummings has designed a combination abstract/realistic set, sans walls, that only partly works. The distinct backyards for each of the homes are perfect, but the stand-alone doors into them are really wobbly and seem hard for the actors to use. The interior scenes we see (a run-down kitchen and a cute sitting room) don’t seem necessary, as they aren’t used much. Hank Baldree’s lighting design, however, tries to help bring things together with a towering gobo (a projected light effect) window for each house. A more practical set would have added to the overall show.

The costumes by Michael A. Robinson/Dallas Costume Shoppe worked well for each of the characters, helping define their class and personalities, and it all comes together with LisaAnne Haram’s good prop design.

Director Lisa Devine has put together a wonderful cast, and they do a fabulous job with the not-always-easy material. Because the play deals with taste, class, race, and entitlement, this could all come badly unglued in the wrong hands, but instead we get a thoughtful yet comedic production that doesn’t preach or take sides. We end with a win-win—a fun evening of theatre that’s also about what it is to be a good neighbor.

One disturbing note: playwright Karen Zacarías was completely omitted from Mainstage Irving – Las Colinas’s printed program. There was no mention of her anywhere, and when I looked at the program’s list of upcoming shows, found that none of the playwrights’ names had been included. The company website has all the playwrights’ names—but I shouldn’t have to go searching for them. Do better, MILC.

WHEN: March 6-21, 2026
WHERE: Dupree Theater, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving TX
WEB: mainstageirving.com