With Fertile Ground over, this week we finally delved into some of the abundance of local theater running longer than a week:

Steve saw Portland Center Stage’s production of Yussef El Guindi’s play, Threesome. Despite strong performances and an ambitious scope covering sexual politics, feminism, and identity, he reports that ultimately something kind of crucial was lost in that mad, intellect-laden shuffle. Quoth he:

In the space of two hours, El Guindi’s bedroom farce takes an 180-degree about-face, changing into a dark, intellectual meditation on sex—what it gives and takes away. Make no mistake; this show is worthy of your time and attention. But there is a cost for the inclusion of so many bickering deep thoughts—it’s hard to believe Leila and Rashid love each other enough to have a threesome in the first place.

I’ve been following Action/Adventure Theatre‘s second season of Sidekicks, with ridiculously entertaining results. As with most partly-improvised theater, the performances aren’t seamless, but when the ensemble’s actors are at their best, it’s goofy, with suspense that feels real:

Power- and Yoo-hoo-drunk, with some cannibal-adjacent tendencies and boundary issues, Jason Rouse as New Cascadia’s mayor has been a cackling, godawful delight. And a cameo from David Saffert as Professor W., a remote-access villain in the grand, berobed tradition of Emperor Palpatine, is most welcome. Also endlessly entertaining? Nathan Ayling (N.A.T.E., a clone), Aubrey Jessen (telekinetic Diana York), and Zoe Rudman (Penelope Price, out for blood) as the most dysfunctional justice league in existence. Speaking of N.A.T.E., things weren’t looking good for him at the end of last week’s episode.

Meanwhile, Katie Pelletier reviewed Arthur Bradford’s new collection of linked(ish) stories, Turtleface and Beyond, and found it as delightful to read as it was expertly crafted, with a central character who sounds like the kindhearted, absurd-leaning antidote to literary realism’s boring antiheroes:

Bradford’s writing, in its sincerity and frankness, makes it seem easy to pull off these narrative feats, but it isn’t. Turtleface and Beyond, like its antihero, has a self-effacing goodness and integrity that I came to deeply admire. And it’s entertaining as hell, too.

The season finale of Sidekicks is this weekend. I’ll see you there!