Displaying items by tag: Richard Gomez
Petal-powered Feud: When Shrubs and Sass Collide in Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's 'Native Gardens'
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble’s latest offering, Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias, is a riotous comedy that delves into the quirky world of suburban gardening and neighborly tiffs. The plot blossoms around two neighboring couples in Washington D.C. On one side, there's Pablo, a high-powered lawyer from Chile with a wealthy background, and his very pregnant wife, Tania, a doctoral candidate and avid gardener. They're ecstatic about transforming their new backyard into a vibrant native garden that attracts the right kind of insects that add to a healthy ecosystem. They are a younger couple, new to the neighborhood, with a bright future ahead.
On the other side, there's Frank and Virginia, a well-established couple with a perfectly manicured, non-native garden. Frank is laser-focused on winning the neighborhood's annual gardening competition. At first, the two couples get along swimmingly, but things take a thorny turn when Pablo and Tania discover that their property line extends two feet into Frank's cherished garden. This revelation ignites a full-blown border dispute, with both couples revealing their true colors as they clash over race, class, privilege, and taste.
As the conflict heats up, the play explores themes of cultural differences, environmentalism, and the challenges of living harmoniously with others. Despite the tension, Native Gardens ultimately offers a hopeful message about finding common ground. While there are plenty of profound moments that point out the short-comings and hypocrisies on both sides of the fence (pun intended), there are also many moments that share joint interests between the two couples, giving audience members the feeling that compromise, and even friendship, can be reached with a little effort once the egos are left at the door and true respect and understanding for each other is realized.
The sparring couples are wonderfully cast - and are a hoot to watch! Richard Gomez and Sofia Tew are convincing as Pablo and Tania De Valle, each executing rapid fire line delivery with just the right amount of finesse and humor. Frank and Virginia Buckley are played by Bryan Burke and Kelli Walker and are fantastic together as the long-term residents who look to fend off the newcomers - despite the official survey findings. With no shortage of hilarious moments, this play has a lot of fun with generation gaps, culture clashes and of course the various things neighbors might squabble about. One won’t be able to help but get into the characters within the first few minutes and, like a freight train, the momentum of this play just keeps building as it goes.
Keenly directed by Steve Scott, Native Garden’s delightful blend of humor and social commentary will have you laughing and reflecting long after the final curtain call.
Nestled in the backyards of two Georgetown homes, each with contrasting landscaping visions that irk their new neighbors, you can only imagine the craziness that will ensue. Fortunately, there’s nothing for you to do but sit back and enjoy the garden wars!
Where: The Playhouse Theatre at the McAninch Arts Center (The MAC) in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Additionally, the theatre is thoughtfully designed with increased accessibility features, such as elevators, wheelchair ramps, accessible seating, and assistive listening devices, making it a comfortable and inclusive venue for all attendees, including those with disabilities. Pro tip when selecting tickets - if stairs are challenging for you or your companion(s), the first row does not require any steps at all and the second row just a couple.
When: Native Gardens is running through March 2nd.
Tickets: $44 and $42 for seniors.
Theatre/Play Information: For tickets and/or more show information, visit http://atthemac.org/events/native-gardens/.
Harris Theater Presents return of Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, Aug. 28
16 July 2026 in Upcoming DanceFollowing last year’s smashing sold-out engagement, the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance proudly presents the return…
Oil Lamp Theater Announces its New Home
15 July 2026 in Theatre BuzzOil Lamp Theater, currently at 1723 Glenview Road, announces its new future home will be at the former Ten Ninety Brewing Co.…
Nothing Without a Company presents The Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am - Five Performances across Chicago, August 21st-30th
15 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreNothing Without a Company (NWaC) is proud to announce five performances of The Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and…
Theater Wit presents the Chicago premiere of Adolescent Salvation, August 14-October 3
15 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreOver the course of one night, through a haze of tequila, texting, and Taylor Swift, three teenagers banter, bicker, and…
No Dogs’ Delivers an Unfamiliar Earnest
15 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewOscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the greatest farces ever written. His wordplay caricatured high society,…
Northlight Theatre inaugurates the first season in its new home in Evanston with the World Premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher's new adaptation of The Front Page
14 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreNorthlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, opens its new theater in Evanston with The Front…
TimeLine Theatre announces cast & production team for world premiere THE BIRTH OF THE PILL
14 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreA bold story about the controversial creation that reshaped women’s lives is the focus of The Birth of the Pill,…
City Lit announces World Premiere adaptation of SHANE, playing August 21 – October 4
13 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFull cast and production team have been announced for City Lit's season-opening production of SHANE, Mark Pracht's World Premiere adaptation…
PrideArts' World Premiere of WINDOWS, August 7 – 23
13 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewPrideArts' 2026-27 season will open in August with the world premiere of Chicago-based playwright Matt Schutz's WINDOWS, a comedy of LGBT…
Steppenwolf Presents ALEX EDELMAN: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO - August 12 – 16, 2026
13 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFollowing a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run of Just For Us at Steppenwolf Theatre and around the globe, Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman returns…
DIRTY DANCING: the MUSICAL WILL PLAY BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S JAMES M. NEDERLANDER THEATRE SEPTEMBER 9 – 20
13 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreGet ready to have the time of your life! Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce that single tickets for DIRTY DANCING:…
A Thoughtful Evolution of Her Own Making: Overshadowed Theatrical Productions’ My Fair Lady
12 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewOvershadowed Theatre Productions brings fresh energy to one of musical theatre’s most enduring classics, offering a spirited and thoughtful take…
A Legendary Transformation: John Mulaney’s Historic Night at Wrigley Field
12 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewJohn Mulaney didn’t just perform at Wrigley Field. He made history there. In a venue synonymous with baseball legends, rock…
Powerhouse Performances on Display in Gwydion's Dry Powder
11 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewIn the sharp-tongued world of Sarah Burgess’s Dry Powder, presented by Gwydion Theatre Company at the Greenhouse Theater Center, the…
The Beautiful Overthinking of Gary Gulman’s 7th Hour
10 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewGary Gulman brings his new tour, 7th Hour: An All New Standup Show, to The Den Theatre, offering Chicago audiences…
Production of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Does Not Fully Recognize Its Importance at Oak Park Festival
09 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewIt is possible that Oak Park Festival Theatre’s production of Oscar Wilde’s 1895 “trivial comedy for serious people,” The Importance…
Suffs and the Women Who Refused to Wait
09 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSuffs is a musical about history, yes, but more importantly, it is a musical about momentum: who creates it, who…
Court Theatre presents the Spotlight Reading Series A Century of Black Progress August 7 – 22
09 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreUnder the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, Court Theatre proudly presents the Spotlight Reading…
Great Lakes Operetta presents Orpheus in the Underworld at Bramble Arts Loft July 10-19
08 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreGreat Lakes Operetta is delighted to present its first full-length, fully-staged operetta, Jacques Offenbach’s seminal work, Orpheus in the Underworld! Originally…
Nonesuch Releases Natalie Merchant’s Cabinet of Wonder, Music from Singer-Songwriter’s Collaboration with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Children’s Theatre, August 21
08 July 2026 in Theatre BuzzNonesuch Records releases Natalie Merchant’s Cabinet of Wonder—a digital collection of seventeen songs and accompanying videos from the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s…
Oil Lamp Theatre to present I Love You Because August 14 - September 13
07 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreOil Lamp Theater, currently presenting The Last Five Years, now extended through July 19, is proud to announce the cast and creative…
Sandbox Theatre Collective to Stage HENRY IV, PART 1 at North Center Irish Pub
07 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreSandbox Theatre Collective has announced their production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1. Directed by Alex Albrecht and running…
Making its Broadway in Chicago debut, Jekyll & Hyde will play a limited engagement at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
02 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago announced today that tickets for Kokandy Productions’ critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning revival of JEKYLL & HYDE will go on sale…
Absurdist Satire ‘Do You Feel Anger?’ Captures Toxicity in Workplace Today
01 July 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSet in a debt collection call center, Do You Feel Anger? captures how a toxic workplace manifests itself in today’s…
Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid
01 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreThe Broadway musical - Disney's The Little Mermaid - will hit the Uptown Music Theater stage this summer in Deerfield,…
Collaboraction Theatre announces July shows and events in its new House of Belonging in Humboldt Park
01 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreCollaboraction Theatre Company’s new House of Belonging is now fully activated in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave…
Babes with Blades Presents the World Premiere of the Queer Pirate Joy play, YO HO. Beginning Saturday, July 25th
01 July 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBabes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by…
Goodman’s Iceboy! Is a Full‑Tilt Blast of Comic Mayhem
30 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewGoodman Theatre’s Iceboy! arrives as a gleefully off the rails musical that blends Broadway glamour, Neanderthal chaos, and theatrical myth…
Collaboraction’s The Light Youth Ensemble, 19 Chicago teens intent on careers in the arts, each passionate about positive social change, announce 2026 Summer Tour
30 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreWhat’s on the minds of Chicago’s youth?Find out when Collaboraction Theatre’s 2026 The Light Youth Ensemble brings their talent, fused…
All The World's a Stage and Chicago Merely The Best Player: 'As You Like It' in Chicago Parks this summer
30 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewIs there anything more alluring than a summer night in Chicago? The lakefront beaches, the meandering pathways, the festivals and…
Latest Articles
-
TimeLine Theatre announces cast & production team for world premiere THE BIRTH OF THE PILL
Written by Buzz Center StageA bold story about the controversial creation that reshaped women’s lives is the focus of The Birth of the Pill, a world premiere play launching TimeLine Theatre’s 30th Anniversary season in September. The Birth of the Pill —by playwright Jessica… -
Nothing Without a Company presents The Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am - Five Performances across Chicago, August 21st-30th
Written by Buzz Center StageNothing Without a Company (NWaC) is proud to announce five performances of The Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am. This is a solo performance, written and performed by award-winning storyteller Ada Cheng, which intimately…
-
Theater Wit presents the Chicago premiere of Adolescent Salvation, August 14-October 3
Written by Buzz Center StageOver the course of one night, through a haze of tequila, texting, and Taylor Swift, three teenagers banter, bicker, and push each other to the edge of danger — with consequences that could prove lethal. Theater Wit presents the Chicago…
-
Harris Theater Presents return of Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, Aug. 28
Written by Buzz Center StageFollowing last year’s smashing sold-out engagement, the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance proudly presents the return of Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project in a one-night-only performance themed Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power. As performed by ten extraordinary…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.