September 11, 2002

Astrid Hadad Hadad returns to Brava with another installment of her wildly imaginative cabaret that combines traditional Mexican music (she'll be backed by her Los Tarzanes band), performance art, and social commentary, not to mention weird hairstyles and outrageous costumes. Oct. 9-13, Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St., S.F. (415) 647-2822, www.brava.org.

'Best of the Fringe Festival' The annual San Francisco Fringe Festival is a dizzying grab bag of theater featuring dozens of plays, many never performed before, and none of them seen in advance by festival organizers. It goes without saying that the results are unpredictable. The "Best of" performance is just that: greatest hits of recent weeks – and there's always something worth checking out. Sept. 27-28, Exit Theatre (and other nearby venues), 156 Eddy, S.F. (415) 673-3847, www.sffringe.org.

The Big Bang, the Buddha, the Baby Boomer Wes "Scoop" Nisker is probably best known as the KFOG news commentator who ended each broadcast with the words "And if you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own." Nisker, the author of several books and a leader of Buddhist meditation groups, is full of good-humored, wry insight into the political and social questions of the day, which he's turned into an evening performance. Opens Nov. 7, Marsh, 1062 Valencia, S.F. (415) 826-5750, www.themarsh.org.

La Bohème This much-hyped production of Puccini's opera (it's billed as a "pre-Broadway engagement") is directed by Baz Luhrmann. It arrives with a 26-piece orchestra, a cast of 50, and recent memories of Rent to compete with – pop music at its finest. Oct. 1-Nov. 10, Curran Theatre, 445 Geary, S.F. (415) 512-7770, www.bestofbroadway-sf.com/curran.html.

Cannery Row (Chapters 1-4) Word for Word is doing their part in the year of Steinbeck, with a production that brings to the stage four chapters of one of his most beloved novels, highlighting the life and times of the sardine-canning world on the edge of the Pacific. Sandra Langsner Crews directs, and the cast includes local standouts Brian Keith Russell and Andrew Hurteau. Oct. 31-Nov. 17, Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, S.F; Nov. 21-Dec. 1, Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk. (415) 437-6775.

The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell When it comes to life behind bars, writer Joe Loya knows what he's talking about: he spent eight years in the federal penitentiary for bank robbery. He's turned his experience into a solo show for Thick Description that should be good – the material is strong, and Loya is a great storyteller. A word or two to the watchful: Loya is a personal friend (we're both Sundance Arts Writing Program fellows); and director Karen Amano is, um, a close personal friend. Opens Nov. 4, Thick House, 1695 18th St., S.F. (415) 401-8081, www.thickdescription.org.

Red Diaper Baby Josh Kornbluth's show dates back nearly a decade to the glory days of solo performance in San Francisco. It's based on bittersweet, achingly funny memories of growing up the child of an old-guard Marxist in New York. The two-night stand is a benefit produced by Z Space Studio – don't pass up a chance to see Kornbluth perform this. Sept. 13-14, Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, S.F. (415) 437-6775.

.:. sands .:. of .:. time.:. Antenna Theatre was the first company to regularly use Walkman technology in its productions – and if the devices themselves are no longer a big deal, the company's work is still interesting. This production is a two-night-only reprise of artistic director Chris Hardman's interactive public-art project, which does nothing less than offer up a new perception of time – using a 1,300-foot section of beach to bring you a big picture of the universe. If this description doesn't quite capture the event, I apologize – just go check it out, but dress warmly for the occasion. Oct. 18-19, Rodeo Beach, Marin Headlands, Sausalito. (415) 332-9454, www.antenna-theatre.org.

17 Reasons (Why) Playwright Naomi Iizuka has written a couple of terrific plays – Polaroid Stories and The Language of Angels – for Campo Santo. Here's a third, a history-mystery-ghost story set in the Mission District, which takes its title from a recently vanished sign. Delia MacDougall directs a cast featuring, among others, three standouts: Margo Hall, Luis Saguaar, and Sean San José. Oct. 24-Nov. 18, Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia, S.F. (415) 626-3311, www.theintersection.org.

The Train Play: Or the Reckless Brutal Charge of It Director Rob Melrose, whose Cutting Ball Theater was behind the experimental festival "Risk Is This" always has his eye out for interesting, unusual material. He's found it here with Crowded Fire Theater Company and Liz Duffy Adams's play about eight strangers on a train ride to the end of the world. Oct. 4-Nov. 9, Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy, S.F. (415) 675-5995, www.crowdedfire.org.

We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! The Shotgun Players, under the leadership of the tireless, resourceful Patrick Dooley, have become a genuine East Bay institution over the years – which is saying something, because it's still a young company. The company's can-do spirit has lifted any number of productions, and if it's sometimes hit-and-miss, almost everything it does is still worth checking out – as, I'm sure, will be the case with Dario Fo's lefty political farce about the hard times, struggle, desperation, and the working class. Sept. 14-Oct. 19, Eighth Street Studios, 2525 Eighth St., Berk. (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.com.

The Wind Cries Mary Philip Kan Gotanda's new play takes the premise of Ibsen's Hedda Gabbler and places it against a backdrop of the protests by Asian American students at San Francisco State University during the 1960s. The result is a script that – as of an early summer reading I went to – is bursting with finely drawn, interesting characters and tense, well-paced drama. This production could be as good as anything Gotanda has created in years, and that's saying something. Oct. 19-Nov. 17, San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. (408) 291-2255, www.sjrep.com.