Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how do “Native Gardens” grow?

Carmel Community Players (CCP) closes its 2025-26 season with Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias, which tells a story set in well-to-do Washington, D.C., of two neighboring couples with a property line dispute, among others.

In her script, Ms. Zacarias manages to fold in a myriad of conflicts, many of which are common in today’s world – age, sexism, culture, race, origins, self-interest, borders, fences, politics, and the earthly benefits and non-benefits of a variety of different plants.

Lori Raffel directs her actors mindful of each character’s self-determined outlook, and the result is an enjoyably complex and layered rendering of a clearly analogical play – a mirror, in fact, in its show of attitudes.

CCP veterans (and ASOTA contributors) Larry Adams and Vickie Cornelius Phipps play Frank and Virginia Butley – a near-retirement aged couple. Frank is a passionate gardener with hopes of finally winning a top gardening prize which has alluded him in the past. Virginia is a glass-ceiling busting DC defense contractor.

Oscar Ortiz, Yolanda Valdivia, Vickie Cornelius Phipps, and Larry Adams. (Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)

In their CCP debuts, Oscar Ortiz and Yolanda Valdivia play the Butleys’ new neighbors, Pablo and Tania Del Valle. Pablo is a lawyer striving to make Partner at his law firm, while a very pregnant Tania is a PhD candidate working on her dissertation. Pablo is from Chile originally, while Tania is from New Mexico. Tania is also a gardener – dedicated to using only native plants.

A planned outdoor BBQ party by the Del Valles triggers a discovery that the long-accepted property line is off by about two feet – thereby cutting into the Butley’s yard and overtaking Frank’s precious old flower garden. And so the battles begin.

The play is full of humor, and all four actors have their moments thus. Adams especially finds a sort of pathos that is both endearing and funny. Ms. Phipps adds a fiery aspect, as does Ms. Valdivia – their passions reaching high tide in an encounter between the two. Ortiz’ Pablo is softer at first, but stirs in a more lawyerly and confident righteousness near the end. All four are effective in their story-telling and in their portrayals.

The ensemble trio of Katherine Floyd, Jacob Slager, and stage manager Susan Yeaw provide various ancillary characters as well as set changes in a very efficient way.

Ms. Raffel’s set design works well on The Cat’s small stage, and calming music between the many (14) scenes adds a good touch.

If I were to find a nit to pick, it would be the varied projection levels at play. Often times it seems the actors are just talking to each other without the sense that we in the audience need to hear as well. A very fixable problem.

Bottom line: This is a thoughtful play, well-produced by Ms. Raffel and her crew. Ms. Zacarias uses very identifiable differences to make her points. Although resolution interestingly only comes after a war-like chaos, we do see that any and all problems are indeed solvable through some thoughtful compromise. Getting there is the challenge.

Native Gardens continues at The Cat Theatre through Aug. 16. Ticket information can be found at carmelplayers.org.

Read more great play reviews from A Seat on the Aisle at asota.wordpress.com.