Native Gardens

We saw the newest production at Portland Stage last night, Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias. Directed by Jade King Carroll, it’s a rollicking take on border relations in more ways than one.

I worked on the poster a year ago, in the bleak mid-winter, when drawing botanical motifs was a quite welcome task. I presented a dozen rough ideas, here are some of them.

The play centers on two couples, one older, white, and established in an upscale neighborhood in suburban DC, the other new homeowners, young and ambitious, and expecting a baby. The contrasts are striking and conflict ensues quickly over the fence between the back yards. All of my ideas attempt to capture this friction in the gardens.

Tania Del Valle, the expectant mother from New Mexico, (played with passion by Octavia Chavez-Richmond) wants to keep her garden “native” with non-invasive plants that will foster diversity and beneficial insects.

Frank Butley (played with humor by Mitch Tebo) is the fussy gardener next door in a dogged quest to win top honors in the local garden club.

I tried integrating the title within a big butterfly, floating above the feud in the flowers.

I also tried an imbalance of silhouettes, between Tania and Frank.

This one includes all four characters, as sprouting bulbs ready to pop.

I couldn’t resist a reference to American Gothic by Grant Wood, with pregnant Tania scowling at Frank with his insecticide in his front pocket.

Once the sketch idea was chosen, I began on the final by having Marty pose as Frank.

I sent this final.

This did NOT go over well. The marketing director, Eileen Phelan, said the female profile looked “alien.” The whole thing was too busy. I started over, and sometimes this happens. Fortunately for me, my studio is my favorite place, and back to the drawing board I went.

I simplified the profile.

And I added more harmonious color.

This was approved. Flash forward to a few weeks ago, when I spied the illustration in the New Yorker, cropped a bit.

And a Portland friend alerted me: there was a new sign on Congress Street, at the corner of Forest Avenue, around the corner from Portland Stage.

Once the cast is in town, Portland Stage switches to a new look for advertising, which is more explicit.

The spectacular set designs by Creative Director Anita Stewart give narrative clues even before the show begins.

The show is fun, yet captures plenty of truths about our inability to get along. It is hilarious, wise, and worth every minute. Laura Houck as Virginia Butley reminded me of an island neighbor and Pablo Del Valle (played by Jose-Maria Aguila) was striking as the ambitious Chilean lawyer determined not to give an inch of property.

My guests, all avid growers, enjoyed the performance, and we spent time talking about island parallels all the way home.

Go see the show, it will get your green thumb tingling for sure! Thanks to Portland Stage for another fantastic collaboration.