Review: FERTILE GROUND 2025 ROUNDUP #1 at Various

Fertile Ground 2025 is in full swing! This annual festival of new works is my favorite part of the Portland theatre calendar. As in years past, I’ll be posting short reviews of everything I’ve seen, which, so far (and not by design) have been mostly one-person shows.

The Long Reach of the Alligator

What an absolute treat! In this totally original and utterly delightful musical written and performed by Sean Arlo, Vanessa is struggling to find meaning and connection. She tries the dating apps, watches too many videos that make her feel inadequate, and ends up getting sucked into a pyramid scheme selling skincare products. Can she find her way out of the rabbit hole?

This show is incredibly funny, the music is great, the lyrics are clever, and Arlo is a captivating performer. It also exposes the loneliness and disconnection of our modern “hyperconnected” world, and it will likely strike a chord with anyone who has experienced isolation in the digital abyss.

THE LONG REACH OF THE ALLIGATOR has two more performances this weekend, and I believe they are both sold out. But you can get on the waitlist in case any tickets open up.

Rogues

Many people spend their lives caring for others, but who cares for them? In this poignant new play by Charlotte Higgins, five caregivers hold a support group in the basement of a church. The women are all there for different reasons – some voluntarily, some by court mandate – but this is the only time some of them have away from their caregiving duties, the only time they have for themselves.

The pandemic brought greater attention to the role of caregivers and how little support they receive. ROGUES shifts that attention from caregivers as a group to caregivers as individuals – as people with their own lives and their own struggles, who are just as flawed as the rest of us, and who also need care. The play explores different types of caregiving, the various ways people respond to demands for and offers of care, and the power of community to help us through hard times. It’s heart-breaking and funny and unsentimental and a little bit messy – just like life.

ROGUES doesn’t have any more performances at this year’s festival, but keep your eye out as I’m sure this play will go on to have full productions in the future.

The Wonderful Woman of Oz

In thinking about what musical I would perform as a one-person show, The Wizard of Oz isn’t even on the radar. There are so many characters! How would you keep them all straight? That’s exactly what Erin Fitzgerald does in this whirlwind (tornado?) of a show. A professional voice actor, she performs not only 27 different characters, but all of the sound effects as well. It’s quite a feat!

If you haven’t watched the movie lately, you might want to revisit it so you can picture what’s happening and fully appreciate Fitzgerald’s top-notch impressions. It will also help you get the context for when she goes off-script – some of the best moments combine sassy metacommentary with current cultural references.

THE WONDERFUL WOMAN OF OZ has three more performances. It’s family-friendly. Be prepared to sing.

Dave’s Basement

Who doesn’t want to hide from the world right now? Have you seen what’s going on out there? DAVE’S BASEMENT is a one-person sketch comedy show by Dave Wester that will take your mind off it all – at least for an hour.

This show is just good-natured fun. In a series of sketches, Dave takes on a variety of characters, from a fitness guru to a pretentious film director to an electronic Music Composer. Sometimes it touches on the fears and anxieties of living in the world today, and sometimes it’s just plain silly. In any case, it always feels good to sit in a room with other people and laugh together.

DAVE’S BASEMENT has two more shows. If you don’t want to leave your basement, there’s also a YouTube channel.