September 11, 2002

stage

Stage listings are compiled by Cheryl Eddy. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Sima Belmar, Rita Felciano, Brad Rosenstein, and Lara Shalson. See 8 Days a Week for information on how to submit items to the listings.

theater

Opening

Far from Springer Call for location info: 789-7617. $10-20. Opens Sat/14, 8pm. Runs Sat-Sun, 8pm. Through Oct 13. A private home hosts In Home Theater Productions' presentation of Craig Fox's play about two queer best friends.

The Full Monty Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770. $41-81. Opens Tues/17, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Oct 13. Best of Broadway presents the based-on-the-film musical comedy about working-class blokes who hit on an inventive scheme to make money.

Talking with Angels A Traveling Jewish Theater, 470 Florida; 389-8975. $15-20. Opens Wed/11, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Sept 29. (Oct 3, moves to Spanganga, 3376 19th St; 821-1102. Same schedule through Oct 20). Shelley Mitchell stars in her adaptation of Gitta Mallasz's true tale of four young Hungarians caught up in the Holocaust.

We're Going down the Pub Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary; 885-4074. $10. Opens Thurs/12. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Sat/14). Through Sept 28. The Edinburgh Castle Pub brings back its live, multimedia comedy show about pub life.

Bay Area

The House of Blue Leaves Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949. $10-54. Opens Wed/11, 8pm. Runs Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/14, Sept 19, 21, 28, Oct 3, 12, 17, and 26, 2pm; no performance Sept 20); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through Oct 27. Berkeley Rep presents John Guare's comic and cautionary examination of the pursuit of fame.

The Shape of Things Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822. $28-38. Previews Fri/13-Sat/14 and Sept 18, 8pm; Sun/15, 2pm. Opens Sept 19, 2pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Oct 20. Aurora Theatre Company opens its 11th season with Neil LaBute's tale of an art student who pushes her boyfriend to see how far he'll go for love.

We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! Eighth Street Studio, 2525 Eighth St, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10-25. Previews Thurs/12-Fri/13, 8pm. Opens Sat/14, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Oct 19. Shotgun Players presents Dario Fo's political comedy about a group of women who rebel against high prices at the grocery store.

The Winter's Tale Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, Gateway Blvd exit off Hwy 24, Orinda; (510) 548-9666, www.calshakes.org. $13-46. Previews Wed/11-Fri/13, 8pm. Opens Sat/14, 8pm. Runs Tues-Thurs, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 4pm. Through Oct 6. See Critic's Choice.

Ongoing

And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $7-10. Tues-Thurs, 10:15am; Sept 21 and 28, 8pm; Sept 22 and 29, 2pm. Through Sept 29. The New Conservatory Theatre Center's 2002-2003 YouthAware Program presents James Still's play about the young author.

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $15. Sun, 2pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical comedy revue.

*Attempts on Her Life 312 Connecticut Theater, 312 Connecticut; 1-866-GOT-FURY. $15-20. Extended run: Thurs/12-Sat/14, 8pm. English playwright Martin Crimp's fascinating patchwork portrait of a (somehow familiar) nonentity makes its San Francisco debut in a smart and lively production by foolsFURY. Subtitled "17 Scenarios for the Theater," the unconventional narrative revolves around a mysterious no-show named "Annie" who, by all accounts, may be anything from a backpacking college grad to an international terrorist, perhaps even a sleek new car. In fact, Annie, variously interpreted by nameless associates, is a cipher around which swirls a kaleidoscope of prepackaged identities, an ominous mixture of victims and perpetrators. This inescapably Western vacuum of personality, while mocking a sense of giddy possibility, actually suggests something more akin to a postmodern prison cell, or Max Weber's "iron cage." FoolsFURY makes the most of its considerable strengths in plumbing this rich material. Ben Yalom's consistently intelligent staging and playful yet intense performances by the six-person cast well serve Crimp's penetratingly sardonic humor, offering much to chew on from start to finish and for some time after. (Avila)

Dreamlandia Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081, www.thickdescription.org. $15-25. Thurs/12-Sun/15, 8pm. Thick Description opens its season with Octavio Solis's contemporary spin on Calderon De La Barca's Life is a Dream.

Hairstory Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $15-25. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun/15, Sept 22, 29, 3pm). Through Oct 5. Theatre Rhinoceros opens its 25th season with a musical review about hair. Based on interviews conducted by coauthors Johari Jabir and Doug Holsclaw, the show explores the role that hair plays in our sexual, gender, and ethnic identities. The original score by Jabir covers a range of musical genres including gospel, soul, jazz, and pop as well as some clever homages (a medley about hair products begins in the style of Leontovych's "Carol of the Bells" and continues through a range of familiar musical references). The piece suffers a bit from an underdeveloped plot: the characters are gathered at a beauty salon in memory of the deceased owner, but instead of plumbing the richness of the salon as a hotbed of cultural exchange and identity formation, the premise feels superimposed for the sake of justifying the show's disparate elements. However, the harmony is in the singing, and there are several humorous and insightful individual moments. (Shalson)

*Let's Talk about Me Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $16-18. Thurs-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 7:30pm. Through Sept 22. Three inspired one-acts compose a cool, quirky, and intimate portrait of San Francisco's underground. Punk rock veteran Jennifer Blowdryer directs and co-narrates Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, her schlock-horror adaptation of Scott Thorson's tell-all memoir of five years with the vain, extravagant, controlling entertainer. Nathan Tucker plays the aging star's phlegmatic 18-year-old protégé, the object of insatiable appetites and petty obsessions brilliantly brought to life by cabaret dabster Phillip R. Ford, decked out in Sue Fox's marvelous costumes. Next, Ford directs the equally accomplished Arturo Galster as drag queen legend Doris Fish (until her untimely death in 1991 a fixture on the city's stages, afterward immortalized in the cult film Vegas in Space, directed by Ford and costarring both Galster and Blowdryer). Galster's Fish – immaculately polished but relaxed and inviting – is a charming, very funny tribute and a bravura act all its own. Finally, Laurie Bushman directs scenes from Blowdryer's autobiographical White Trash Debutante, a paean to the punk rock '70s that conveys the spirit of its subject in its playful irreverence. Throughout, unflappable performances and a contagious joie de vivre ensure this unique trip down S.F.'s memory lane will be remembered in its own right. (Avila)

My Dinner with Lunatique Fantastique New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $15-25. Wed/11-Sat/14, 8pm; Sun/15, 2pm. Liebe Wetzel and her collaborators in Lunatique Fantastique can wed a disarmingly artful technique – marvelous illusions spun from everyday objects like newspapers, clothes, and bare feet – to dramatic narratives of subtlety and force. The company's latest show delivers its trademark humor, compassion, and riveting theatrical magic, offering an assortment of characters made from normally inanimate materials on or around the dining table. In one winning vignette, for example, a dish towel, baguette heel, menu, and pair of white gloves suffice to conjure a stuffy French maître d'. Equally compelling is the risqué sketch "Hand Job," a romantic encounter between (Wetzel's) right and left hands that will breathe new life into onanists everywhere. Here, Lunfan intentionally seems to be blurring the line between "puppet theater for adults" and "adult theater." The show also features more serious parts excerpted from three works in progress, together conceived as the "War Trilogy." These pieces evince a marvelous simplicity with truth at the core, but they lack the dramatic force and sophistication of the company's more specific narratives of the past. But since they are still-evolving parts of larger works, future productions may well revise this impression. (Avila)

PINS Walker Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $18-38. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun/15, Sept 22, 29, 2pm. Through Oct 13. One of the more insidious things about homophobia is that it's not always obvious who the homophobe is. Sometimes it's a gay kid whose internalized self-hatred makes him lash out at other queers. Without perpetuating the stereotype that gay-bashers are usually gay bashers (because if it's believed that only queers attack other queers – and this is certainly not the case – it's much too easy to dismiss it as a "gay problem"), Jim Provenzano (who writes the Sports Complex column in the Bay Area Reporter) explores the nuances of this phenomenon in his sensitive work on the unlikely topic of high school wrestling. Joey Nicci (Nick Tagas) is in love with a fellow wrestler but still participates in the ostracizing of another openly gay teammate, with tragic results. The treatment of adolescent sexuality and the pressures and pleasures of team sports is perceptive and honest, and offers a unique view of growing up gay. (Shalson)

Rebel Without a Pause Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St; 647-2822. $24-28. Tues-Sun, 8pm. Through Sept 29. New York-based comedian Reno brings back her popular show, a firsthand account of the events of Sept. 11.

'San Francisco Fringe Festival' Exit Theatre and Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; plus various other S.F. venues. All shows $8 and under. Show times Wed/11-Fri/13, 7, 8:30, and 10pm (also Fri/13, 11:30pm); Sat/14, 1-11:30pm; Sun/15, 11:30am-8:30pm). 673-3847, www.sffringe.org. Originality reigns at this annual festival of works by local, national, and international companies. See Web site for schedule.

*Stories by Tobias Wolff Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775. $25 (Wed, pay what you can). Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Sept 29. Under this unassuming title, Word for Word triumphantly stages three tales from the oeuvre of the masterful short story writer. In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, directed by Sheila Balter, follows a frumpy, undistinguished academic (Susan Harloe) through a humiliating job interview at a snooty East Coast university. In a wonderful send-up of academic pomp, Wolff allows his underdog the last word and affirms the individual against vain intellectualism. Next, Stephanie Hunt directs Lady's Dream and Bullet in the Brain. The first explores love's necessary illusions, as a Southern belle (Nancy Shelby) and her overbearing husband (Joel Mullennix) reflect separately on their courtship many years before. In the final piece, a snide and pompous book critic named Anders (Paul Finocchiaro) is toppled in a bank line by his own uncontrollable penchant for sarcasm. The audience partakes of his final moments courtesy of Anders's corpus callosum. Throughout, intelligent, imaginative staging and fine ensemble performances (led by Word for Word stalwarts Harloe, Shelby, and Finocchiaro) mesh with Wolff's crystalline prose and playful wit to elicit our lively and unflagging interest. (Avila)

The Winter's Tale Golden Gate Park, West of the Conservatory of Flowers, www.sfshakes.org. Free. Sat-Sun, 1:30pm. Through Sept 29. The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival celebrates 20 years of Free Shakespeare in the Park with a performance of the Bard's tale of jealousy and forgiveness.

Bay Area

Beatbox: A Raparetta Black Box Theater, 1298 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932. $7-10. (510) 451-1932. Wed, 8:30pm. Through Sept 18. Felonious: One Love Hip-Hop and DJ Raw B remount their acclaimed hip-hop theatrical production.

The Drawer Boy San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7255. Call for price. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm; Sept 25, noon); Sun, 2 and 7 (no 7pm show Sept 29). Through Sept 29. San Jose Repertory Theatre presents Michael Healey's play about two Canadian farmers who share a secret from their days in World War II.

Henry IV: The Impact Remix Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. $10-15. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Sept 21). Impact Theatre performs their take on the Shakespeare classic.

Julius Caesar LaVal's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 234-6046. Call for price. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Oct 12. Subterranean Shakespeare performs the Bard's tale, set in this version in 1935 Italy.

Macbeth Forest Meadows Outdoor Amphitheater, Grand at Acacia, Dominican University, San Rafael; (415) 499-4488. $12-22. Fri-Sat and Sept 22, 8pm; Sun/15, 4pm. Through Sept 28. The Marin Shakespeare Company presents Shakespeare's drama.

The Music Lesson Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $24-40 (Tues, pay what you can). Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm; Sept 19, 1pm. Through Oct 6. Marin Theatre Company performs Tammy Ryan's play about two Bosnian music teachers who flee to Pittsburgh.

That Ugly Month in September La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10. Mon-Tues, 8pm (through Sept 17); Sept 23-24, 10pm. Through Sept 24. Shotgun Theatre Lab presents two new plays by Dana Vinger.

Twelfth Night Highway One at Calle del Mar, Stinson Beach; (415) 868-1115, www.shakespeareatstinson.org. $13-23. Fri, 7pm; Sat-Sun, 6pm (Oct 5-6, shows at 5:30pm). Through Oct 6. Shakespeare at Stinson presents Shakespeare's gender-bending comedy.

dance

Element Dance Theater and Steamroller ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. $15-17. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. ODC's Flight Program presents Steamroller in Young Gods (Revisited) and Element Dance Theater in Scale; both works explore "the parallels between fashion and fascism."

Jo Kreiter and Flyaway Productions William B. Scott Facility, 1849 Harrison; 626-3311. Sat-Sun, 2 and 4pm. Through Sept 22. Free. See Critic's Choice.

Mary Carbonara Dances Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $15-17. In this program, titled "Dwellings," the company performs world premieres by Carbonara (Picture Me Running, Wishing Well), plus her 2000 work Tiny Violence, her 2001 Impact of Buildings, and special guest Heidi Schweiker's Coming To.

Bay Area

Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988. Sun, 3pm. $20-36. See 8 Days a Week, page 54.

Oakland Ballet Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 625-8497, (415) 421-8497. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $15-49. The company begins its 37th season with a world premiere, Charles Anderson's A Night in Tunisia, plus Lew Christensen's Jinx and Michael Lowe's Bamboo. All dances performed to live music.

performance

'At the Hawk's Well' Presentation Theater, 2350 Turk; 345-7575. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $22.50-25. Theatre of Yugen and Tokyo's Theatre Nohgaku present a fully staged Noh production of the Yeats play.

'Dream Rock Yogi' Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575. Mon-Tues, call for times. $25. Tripsichore Yoga Theatre, a group that blends yoga, art, and theater, presents a new piece that traces the journey from life to death.

'Fray Day 6' Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St; www.fray.org/6/sf. Sat, 7pm-midnight. $10-15. Contributors to the online storytelling site {fray} perform live, with art installations, music, open mic, and more.

'The Life Game' Bayfront Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935. Fri, 8pm. Through Oct 4. $15. Fratelli Bologna and BATS Improv present improvised theater that celebrates the life of a different volunteer guest each week.

'Live Naked Minds' Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402. Fri, 8pm. $5-10 (sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds). As part of the Jon Sims Center's Fall 2002 AIRspace artists-in-residence series, Heather Gold performs improv comedy based on current events and audience suggestions.

'Professor Terry's Circus Band' Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $10-20. See 8 Days a Week, page 54.

'Red Diaper Baby' Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Fri, $15-20; Sat, $100 (benefit for Z Space Studio). Monologist Josh Kornbluth (Haiku Tunnel) performs a piece that will be filmed as a Sundance Channel movie.

'Slow Art' Union Square, Powell at Geary; 923-1338. Sat, 1:30pm. Free. This ongoing series features free concerts (this week the San Francisco Symphony performs), plus exhibits mounted by Red Umbrella designed to "slow the world down."

'When the Stars Begin to Fall' Bethany United Methodist Church, 1268 Sanchez; 554-0402. Tues, 8:15pm (also Sept 22, 2pm). The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band performs music of hope in honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

'Women's Work' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. Tues, 8pm. Through Sept 24. $8-10 (sliding scale). See 8 Days a Week, page 54.

Bay Area

'Guys 'R Dolls' Glenview Performing Arts Center, 1318 Glenfield, Oakl; (510) 551-9785. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Ongoing. $39.95. A cast of drag divas performs, led by MC Brian Keith.

'Son con son' Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 233-8015. Sat, call for time. $12-18. Groups from Veracruz, Mexico, and Cuba, including Mono Blanco and Son de Madera, join to perform traditional music and dance.

comedy

BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 8pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free.

The Field 524 Union; 377-1662. Wed, 8pm: "Comedy Club," with host Ian Jensen, $5.

Java Source 343 Clement; 387-8025. Fri, 10:30pm and Sat, 10pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free.

Luggage Store 1007 Market; 255-5971. Tues, 8pm: Comedy workshop with Tony Sparks, $3.

New Pisa 550 Green; 207-0285, www.northbeachimprov.com. Fri, 9pm: "North Beach Improv," with host Uncle Vinny Rizzo, $10.

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 1800 Market; 865-5633. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Gay Comedy" with host Maureen Brownsey, $8-15 (no one turned away for lack of funds).

Bay Area

Black Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 595-5597. Thurs, 8pm: The Oakland Playhouse improv troupe performs improv comedy, $5.

Skyline College Main Theater, 3300 College, San Bruno; (650) 738-4280. Fri, 8pm: "Comedy Comes to College," a benefit for the Disabled Students Scholarship Fund at Skyline College, with comics Diane Amos, Tanyalee Davis, Mike Lee, and Robert Martinez, $10-15.

spoken word

Open mics take place almost every night in cafés throughout the Bay Area. If you want to perform, show up about half an hour before start time to put your name on the list. A day-by-day guide to word events and featured readers:

Wednesday: La Peña Cultural Center La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2566. "Café Poetry," with open mic and host Kira Allen, 7:30pm, $2. Mama Bears Women's Bookstore 6536 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 506-3717. "SheSpeaks," open mic night for women 18 and up, 7:30pm, $5. Starry Plough 3101 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 841-2082. "The Berkeley Slam!" with hosts Charles Ellik and dani eurynome, 8pm, $7. BrainWash Cafe 1122 Folsom; 864-3842. "Spoken Word Salon," open mic with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free.

Thursday: Café 1428 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 239-2239, ext 2899. "Poet Skool," open mic with host Paradise, 7pm, donations accepted. San Francisco State University Poetry Center, 1600 Holloway; 339-2227. Poetry reading with Erin Mouré and Kent Johnson and discussion of "Possibilities of Translation," 3:30pm, call for price. Café Espresso Bravo 663 Valencia; 706-9128. "SF Antislam," with prizes for worst original poem, hosted by Heinous Pablo, 7:30pm, free. Jon Sims Center for the Arts 1519 Mission; 554-0402. Cedar Sigo and Cathy Arellano read from their works, 8pm, $7-12 (no one turned away for lack of funds). See 8 Days a Week, page 54.

Friday: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre Nevo Education Center, 2071 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2972. "Better Living Through Slam" featuring local high school poets, 7:30pm, free.

Saturday: Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 527-9753. "Rhythm and Muse," open mic with featured reader Indigo Moor, 7pm, free.

Monday: Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore; 931-5260. "Celebration of the Word," with featured readers Bill Vartnaw, Q.R. Hand, Kathy Buys, Carrie Rehak, and Avotcja, 7pm, free. Rasselas Jazz (Fillmore) 1534 Fillmore; 346-8696. Open mic for instrumentalists, singers, and poets, featuring the Dee Spencer Trio, 8pm, free.