April 2, 2003

stage

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

theater

Opening

Betrayal Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. $10-25. Previews Thurs/3 (pay what you can dress rehearsal) and Fri/4, 8pm. Opens Sat/5, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 26. See 8 Days a Week, page 54.

Calculus "Newton's Whores" San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, 401 Van Ness, Fourth fl; 255-4800. $18-20. Previews Thurs/3, 8pm. Opens Fri/4, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; April 13 and 27, 2pm. Through April 27. Djanus presents director Andrea Gordon's site-specific staging of Carl Jjerassi's play about the feud between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz.

A Long Drink of Silence Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 820-3910. $10-15. Opens Fri/4, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through May 11. Jill Jackson performs her solo autobiographical show.

28 very short scenes about love Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. $15. Opens Fri/4, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through April 26. Linda Carr directs and performs in an ensemble-created dance-theater piece about love and dating.

Bay Area

Talking with Angels: Budapest 1943 Theater Aria, 142 Throckmorton, Mill Valley; (415) 389-8975. $20-25. Opens Thurs/3, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through April 27. Shelley Mitchell performs her solo show, which follows four young women's search for enlightenment and refuge during the Holocaust.

Ongoing

A-A-America Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 675-5995. $10-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 12. See "Halfway Home," page 37.

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $15-18. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical-comedy revue.

Blue Surge Magic Theatre, Bldg D, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822. $17-37. Previews Wed/2-Thurs/3, 8pm. Opens Fri/4, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2:30pm (also April 13 and 20, 7:30pm). Through April 20. Magic Theatre presents Rebecca Gilman's comedy about a Midwestern cop whose pursuit of the American dream is complicated when he befriends a prostitute.

Boys' Life Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 436-9400, www.boyslifesf.com. $10-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 12. Howard Korder's Boys' Life tells the story of three useless men. When they're not splayed on the couch in their underwear smoking dope, they're having difficulty controlling their dicks. Unfortunately, the material is as flaccid as the boys' members. Despite some enthusiastic if self-conscious acting by the young cast, BaldyRock's production doesn't pack much testosterone. (Veltman)

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. $15. Performances include "Prop Comic!" with Fred Anderson (Sun/6, April 13, and May 4, 3pm; April 20, 27, 3pm and 8:30pm); and "Pushing 40," a solo play about the male midlife crisis (Sun, 7pm, through May 4).

The Constant Wife Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-61. Opens Wed/2, 8pm. Runs Thurs/3-Sat/5, April 9-12, 15-19, and 22-26, 8pm (also Sat/5, April 12, 16, 19, 23, and 26, 2pm); Sun/6 and Tues/8, 7pm (also Sun/6, 2pm); April 13, 20, and 27, 2pm. Through April 27. American Conservatory Theatre performs W. Somerset Maugham's comedy about marriage, infidelity, gossip, and the double standards by which men and women are judged.

The Dance on Widow's Row Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800. $25-32. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 13. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents Samm-Art Williams's comedy about four wealthy African American women on a quest to remarry.

*Hedwig and the Angry Inch Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St; 392-4400. $25-35. Wed-Fri, 8pm; Sat-Sun, 7pm (also Sat, 10pm). Open-ended. Kevin Cahoon assumes the title role originated by John Cameron Mitchell in his 1998 Obie-winning glam musical, later a celebrated film. And while die-hard fans show up prepared to sing along, the show is so instantly contagious that no homework is necessary on the part of the uninitiated. For all its value as camp, Hedwig is a cabaret act of subtle sophistication; the story, like the best glam rock, has a quiet force that is the undercurrent of its self-conscious banality and cutting humor. (Avila)

in3 Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 673-3847, www.theexit.org. $10-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 19. The Exit Theatre's new resident artist series hosts this "original performance avalanche," a three-part, mathematics-inspired work "instigated" by j. ries.

Opening to You A Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 399-1809, www.atjt.com. $12.50-25 (Thurs/3, pay what you can). Thurs/3-Sat/5, 8pm; Sun/6, 2 and 7pm. A Traveling Jewish Theater presents director Corey Fischer's boldly original theatrical adaptation of the biblical psalms, based on Norman Fischer's Zen-influenced translations. Three contemporary characters with divergent backgrounds (played by Annie Kunjappy, David Roche, and Rhonnie Washington) relate experiences of alienation and compassion through the poetry of ancient authors who were themselves suffering the sometimes bitter, sometimes rapturous clarity that comes with dispossession and displacement. The fresh and appealing translations (which substitute You for the various names for God in the original) further strengthen Fischer's compelling bid for the enduring relevance of these poems to our fractured world. (Avila)

Never Far from the Tree Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 668-7313. $12-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 12. Pass the Hat Presents performs Dave Garrett's play about a family trying to come to terms with its past, present, and future.

Paint Your Wagon Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 978-2787. $15-29. Thurs-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 6pm (also April 12, 1pm); Sun, 3pm. Through April 13. 42nd Street Moon opens its season of "lost musicals" with a rare production of Lerner and Lowe's 1951 musical about the California gold rush. When gold is discovered in the mining camp of Ben Rumson (Kelly Houston), the area booms into a town of 4,000 men. Fearing that his daughter Jennifer (Marcie Henderson) – the only woman in town – might be a source of frustration for the sex-deprived men, Rumsfeld arranges to send her east for school. But before leaving, she falls in love with a Mexican miner (Brian Gillespie) who lives several miles out to avoid the town's racism. Billed as a staged concert, the music is clearly this production's priority: most of the actors work with script in hand (which is less distracting than one might expect), and the dance numbers lack the choreography to produce more than forced enthusiasm. However, Henderson and Gillespie share some lovely duets (including the delightful "I Talk to the Trees"), and the ensemble succeeds with moving renditions of the great western-themed songs, "They Call the Wind Maria" and "Wanderin' Star." (Shalson)

The Producers Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 551-2020. $39-81. Through April 20: runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. April 21-26: runs Mon-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat, 2pm). Through April 26. The musical version of the much-treasured 1967 film repackages Mel Brooks's spasmodic genius for Generation Xanax, with lots of Broadway sugar helping the medicine go down. Nebbish and social phobic Leo Bloom (Don Stephenson) has a CPA's playful epiphany while doing the books for washed-up theatrical producer Max Bialystock (Lewis J. Stadlen): why gamble on a Broadway hit when raising more money than you need for a Broadway flop is a surer thing? Stephenson is charming if not very edgy as sidekick and basket case to Stadlen's larger-than-life, Gleason-esque Bialystock. If the stereotypes are hoary in this long, exuberant show, Brooks's nimble, good-natured tightrope dance over the chasm of bad taste remains somehow irresistible. (Avila)

R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe Project Artaud Theater, 450 Florida; 626-DOME, www.foghouse.com. $25-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun, 2pm. Open-ended. Fuller was one of the great brainiacs of the 20th century, a philosopher, mathematician, inventor, and idealist who devoted his life to finding the best fit between nature and humanity. In D. W. Jacobs's fitful, two-hour monologue based on the life and writings of Fuller, actor Ron Campbell dexterously pings from one of the visionary's obsessions to another, inhabiting Fuller's eccentric soul with physical and verbal intensity. (Veltman)

Red, Hot and Cole New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctsf.org. $15-35. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 13. This is the kind of the show that could run indefinitely: a two-act revue tracing the posh life of Cole Porter, and stringing together some 30 crowd-pleasing numbers from his classic songbook, like "You're the Top!," "Miss Otis Regrets," "I Love Paris," and "My Heart Belongs To Daddy." The cast of eight lounge around languidly in evening attire, impersonate different figures from Porter's life (Dorothy Parker and George Kauffman make appearances), sing songs, and, of course, drink many, many cocktails (be warned: this makes you very thirsty by intermission). The show's informal style avoids hero worship, as does its nudge-nudge approach to certain topics, like Porter's homosexual affairs; but a revue stands on its songs, and here the show teeters at times, with some songs performed more out of duty than talent. Of the cast, only Stephanie Temple consistently stands out with her Ethel Mermanesque brassiness and a sly and irresistible mirth. (Amir Baghdachi)

Richard 3 Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081. $15-25 (sliding scale). Thurs/3-Sun/6, 8pm. Actor L. Peter Callender is a talented, graceful, and muscular performer, and the chance to see him in a stripped-down three-person, one-act production of Shakespeare's Richard III in the intimate confines of the Thick House is loaded with possibility. Would that the production – fast paced though it is – could keep up with him. Though Selana Allen is solid as the lamenting Queen Elizabeth, as is Rodrigo Breton as Richard's brother, each appears in multiple roles – and neither actor can consistently engage Callender. (Avila)

Strangers in Paradox: The True Story of Casey and the Kidd Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $15-25. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun/6, 7pm). Through April 12. The blood spurts and flows in Kate Bornstein's Grand Guignol-Japanese anime style piece about two lesbian serial killers (who kill only those who ask to die) and the mysterious woman who knows all of the details before they even happen. The setup is a bit slow as we fluctuate confusingly between the asylum and the set of a reality TV show, but as the layers come together, the play becomes a pleasurably provocative and personal, if at times awkward, exploration of desire and the death drive, the messy interplay between wanting and wanting to be, and the sometimes murderous tendencies that underlie our deepest identifications. (Shalson)

Strictly Convenience Second Stage Theatre, 533 Sutter; 970-2425. $10-12. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 12. You gotta hand it to local theater groups like Fourfold Productions for keeping contemporary theater alive and fresh by writing and producing original work. Additional kudos are due to this group for constructing a new 70-seat theater as well. The space – with freshly spackled walls – is unfortunately more polished than Conan Moats's play, which suffers from an inanely wacky script. The premise is solid: a contemporary love story between a bank teller and a convenience store clerk, it suggests a tale of wry humor and thought-provoking ennui. The initial scenes are interesting, but Convenience quickly degenerates into an irritatingly irrelevant plot of unlikely infidelity and ridiculous espionage. However, the versatile acting by the small cast is excellent; the actors have far more potential than the gratuitous groping and senseless stage combat allow. (Kerry Rodgers)

What Is Love? Next Stage Theatre, 1620 Gough; 345-7575. $17. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through April 12. Theatre of the Soul performs a new play that explores the beginning stages of love.

Bay Area

The Great Celestial Cow Oakland YWCA, 1515 Webster, Oakl; (510) 436-5085. $16-19. Thurs/3-Sat/5, 8pm; Sun/6, 3pm. With The Great Celestial Cow, TheatreFIRST has come to deliver us from clunking and cliched plays about cultural prejudice and prohibition. In 1975, Sita and her two children leave behind India and their cow to join their family in London. In the hands of playwright Sue Townsend (comic novelist of the Adian Mole series), this well-worn theme of culture clash is reshaped into a very clever and intelligent narrative spanning ten years and brimming with observation. Ekow Daniels and Lauren Grace are boisterous and witty in at least five roles each, but our attention never wavers from the Indian family, where Ruchira Shah gives as sharp a portrait of a rebellious teenage daughter as Rishi Shukla does of a spoiled and selfish son. With only two actors not playing more than three parts, the acting is understandably uneven, but, in the end, the play is a classic of its kind. (Baghdachi)

Humpty Dumpty San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7255. $20-48. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun, 2pm (also April 13, 20, 7pm). Through April 20. Eric Bogosian knows the schizoid landscape of fear and helpless isolation that is the Land of the Free better than anyone, and can usually deliver it with insight, humor, and just barely contained chaos. In the West Coast premiere of his surprisingly tame new play, two thirtysomething couples – caffeinated, cell phone addicted, overachieving urbanites – embark on a vacation in upstate New York, in a house furnished with enough accoutrements to amount to a big bourgie picnic blanket between tenderfeet and the great unmanicured outdoors. It suits first arrivals Max the writer (Saxon Palmer) and Nicole the editor (Elizabeth Hanley Rice) as less "colonial" and "more patriotic" than the Caribbean. Things get cozier when hip Scrabble partners Troy (Louis Lotorto) and Spoon (Amy Brewczynski) arrive. Meanwhile, Max idealizes groundskeeper Nat (Andy Murray) as nature's ultimate rube. But things change when the power goes out and their supercilious postmodern armor melts away amid the creeping fear that it might never go back on. Director John McCluggage (also San Jose Rep associate artistic director) gives the derivative script a slick production that makes the worn humor and clichéd characterizations as reasonably entertaining as the Hollywood movie you sense is on the horizon, especially in the second act in which the muscular cast gets to stretch out. But for all its resonant post-9/11 apocalyptic gloom, Beckett it is not. (Avila)

The Legacy Codes Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 329-0891. $20-45. Wed/2-Sat/5, 8pm; Sun/6, 2pm. See "Halfway Home," page 37.

Oedipus Rex 8th Street Studio Theatre, 2525 Eighth St, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10-20. Extended run: Thurs/3-Sat/5, 8pm. Shotgun Players try sportingly for the summit of Sophocles' high tragedy, having of late had considerable success with the Greek classics. Director Patrick Dooley, with help from Kimberly Wilday's choreography and Tim Barsky's persuasive sound design, achieves some dynamic effects in making the work vital to a modern audience, but the balance between more naturalistic performances and the sort of pageantry that successfully informed previous renderings of classic texts remains uncertain here. (Avila)

Scab La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468. $10-15. Thurs/3-Sat/5, 8pm. In Sheila Callaghan's darkly comic grad school drama, Anima (the perfect combination of neurosis and deadpan humor played by Alyssa Bostwick) is falling in love with her roommate Christa (a naïve good girl with a lustful streak played by Emily Klein) who is herself secretly sleeping with Anima's ex-boyfriend (a mixture of false sensitivity and outright sliminess portrayed by Noah James Butler). As Anima struggles to understand her attraction to Christa and to come to terms with her father's recent death, she is haunted by dreams of her dysfunctional family and receives visits from one tough Virgin Mary (Eleanor Scott) and two giggling angels in bondage gear (Pete Caslavka and Butler). As the story unfolds, one can't help but feel it's a bit more "freshman year college" than grad school, but Impact Theatre's cast of actors, under the smart direction of Melissa Hillman, bring such fresh energy to the stage that we're easily drawn into their characters' overwrought dramas. (Shalson)

Syncopation Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $25-43 (Tues, pay what you can). Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/5, April 12, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through April 13. The Marin Theatre Company performs Alan Kane's play about a pair of ballroom dancing partners in 1912 New York.

dance

'Co-ExisDance: A Shared Evening of Performance' Xenodrome, 1320 Potrero; 460-5150. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10-20. This shared evening of multicultural, multidisciplinary dance works features works by Carmen Carnes/VadaDance and Priscilla Park/Juju and the Nomadic Performance Ensemble.

Paul Taylor Dance Company Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard; 392-4400. Program A: Thurs/3, 8pm; Sun/6, 2pm. Program B: Fri/4, 8pm. Program C: Wed/2 and Sat/5, 8pm. $35-49 (all three programs, $95-132. The popular ensemble performs three different programs, including the new-to-San Francisco Promethean Fire, A Field of Grass, and Black Tuesday. See "War Memorials," page 39.

'Pilot 40' ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. Wed, 8pm. $12. Six emerging choreographers perform: Brittany Brown, Nora Chipaumire, Faye Driscoll, Schaandra Krown, Susan Marvin, and Rachel Whiting.

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; www.sfballet.org. Program Five: Wed/2, 7:30pm; Fri/4, April 10 and 12, 8pm (also April 12, 2pm); Sun/6, 2pm. Program Six: Thurs/3, Sat/5, Tues/8, April 11, 8pm (also Sat/5, 2pm); April 9, 7:30pm; April 13, 2pm. $8-120. Program Five is a mixed-repertory program with The Waltz Project, Nanna's Lied, and Connotations; Program Six is the full-length Jewels: A Ballet in Three Parts.

Strong Current Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri-Sat and April 13, 8pm. Through April 13. $14-16. Kirstin E. Williams's company performs UnderGround: Behind the Faces, an exploration of women's roles in society over time.

Bay Area

Momix Dance Theater Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm). $20-42. The company, under the direction of choreographer Moses Pendleton, performs Opus Cactus, inspired by the American Southwest.

Randee Paufve and Paufve Dance Western Sky Studio, 2547 Eighth St, Berk; www.paufvedance.org. Sat, 8pm. $10-12. See Critic's Choice.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $14. This week's shows: "Disco Romance" (Fri); "Improv and a Movie" (Sat).

'Code Blue at the Genome Zoo' Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon; 561-0308 (reservations recommended). Sat-Sun, 2pm. Through May 10. $6-10. True Mysteries presents Barbara Damashek's family-friendly play about the hidden world of laboratory science and genetic research.

'Come and Get it!' Peña PachMama, 1630 Powell; 646-0018. Thurs, 7-10pm. $5. Cabaret duo the Kitchenettes perform their monthly musical revue, a show promising "songs of food, love, and lust."

'Dark Night in KarnyTown' DNA Lounge, 373 Eleventh St; www.kabaretstore.com. Sun, 9pm. $12-15. Unusual cabaret acts, naughty clowns, burlesque dancers, and more comprise this circus-themed show.

'Drag Attack!!!' and 'Cave In Cave Out' New College of California Theater, 777 Valencia; 437-3487. Fri-Sun, 8pm. Through April 13. $10-15 (no one turned away for lack of funds). The Experimental Performance Institute presents a "rock theater double feature" with new works by ghosttown productions and Fudim Locomotive Industries.

'EROShambo Surreal Robotic Cabaret' OmniCircus, 550 Natoma; 701-0686. Sat, 9:30pm. Ongoing. $10-15. A cast of musicians, performance artists, and robots appears in this original cabaret show.

'The Experience Junkies' Spanganga, 3376 19th St; 821-1102. Thurs, 8pm. Through April 24. $8. Storyteller and performance artist Zeke Tyrus presents his new show.

'Gorgeous, A Journey of the Body' New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-4914, ext 109. Wed/2, Mon/7, April 8-9, 10am; Sat/5, 2pm. $5. The New Conservatory Theatre's YouthAware Program presents Anna Furse's new "theater-in-education" play about body image struggles among young people.

'An Intimate Evening with Didik Nini Thowok' Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. Mon-Tues, 8pm. $10-15. See 8 Days a Week, page 54.

'Live Mo' Life' Bindlestiff Studio, 185 Sixth St; 974-1167. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 12. $8-15 sliding scale. Bindlestiff Studio presents a sketch comedy show featuring the Overseas Artists and Bindlestiff Players.

'Make Laugh, Not War: An Evening of Political Comedy' Call (415) 522-3737 for location information. Thurs, 8pm. Pay what you can. Will Durst, Josh Kornbluth, Bridget Schwartz, Bill Santiago, Doug Holsclaw, Sara Felder, Lisa Geduldig, Moshe Cohen, Amy Boyd, and other comics perform political comedy. Proceeds benefit SF Indymedia.

'The Original Fat-Bottom Revue's Knock-Down, Drag-Out, Big-Time Cabaret' SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan; 756-5593, www.bigmoves.org. Sat, 8pm. $20-30. "Eye-poppin', bodice-burstin' burlesque" featuring Big Moves' size-diverse dancers, plus live music.

'The Outsider in the Homeland: Tales of Arrival and Identity' Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402. Fri, 8pm. $5-10 (sliding scale). Jon Sims artists-in-residence Dhaia Tribe perform their latest work, which uses poetry, music, and visual art to explore the idea of "the outsider" in America.

'Reservoir Dogs, the Play' Spanganga, 3376 19th St; www.spanganga.org. Fri-Sat, 10pm. Through April 19. $10-15. Monkey Trouble presents the stage version of the movie, adapted by H.L. Nolan.

'They Speak Through Us' and 'The OG and the B-Boy' Buriel Clay Theater, 762 Fulton; 292-1850, www.culturalodyssey.org/season. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 12. $15. Cultural Odyssey presents a double bill of performances featuring Idris Ackamoor and Rhodessa Jones.

'Voci' ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $12-15. Pamela Z performs a new solo multimedia performance work.

comedy

BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 8pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free. Mon, 8pm: San Francisco Improv Co-Operative presents "Monday Night Improv," free.

The Mock Cafe 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, ext 4. Fri, 9pm: "No 'Y' Chromosome Comedy Showcase One Year Anniversary Show," $7.

Palace of Fine Arts outside lawn, Richardson at Bay; www.blueblanketimprov.com. Sun, 11am: Blue Blanket Improv presents a free workshop and improv show. Ongoing.

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 341-16-4, ext 2. Fri-Sat, 8pm: "Uphill Both Ways" sketch comedy revue, $10. Through April 12.

Studio 210 3435 Cesar Chavez; 869-5384. Sat, 8pm: "The Short and Long of It," improv with the Un-Scripted Theater Company, $7-10.

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 spoken word events and featured readers:

Wednesday: BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 440-5530. "Spoken Word Salon," with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free.

Thursday: Coppa D'Oro Cafe 3166 24th St; 826-8003. "Poetry on the Patio," spoken word and acoustic music open mic with host Charlie Getter, 6:30pm, free.

Poetry Center Humanities Bldg, Rm 512, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway; 338-2227. Eileen Tabios and Maureen Owen read, 4:30pm, free.

Morrison Library Doe Library, UC Berkeley, Berk; (510) 642-0137. Cornelius Eady reads poetry, 12:10pm, free.

Friday: Berkeley Public Library Main Branch, 2090 Kittredge, Berk; (510) 981-6121. "First Annual Haiku in Berkeley? Poetry Contest Reading," 7pm, free.

SomArts Cultural Center 934 Brannan; 252-4655, www.writerscorps-sf.org. San Francisco Youth Poetry Slam League hosts a poetry slam, 7pm, free.

Escape from New York Pizza 333 Bush; http://poetryandpizza.homestead.com. "Bitches of All Seasons (BOA) Reading" to benefit the Women's Community Clinic, 7:30pm, $5.

Saturday: Small Press Traffic 1111 Eighth St; 551-9278. Camille Martin reads poetry, 3:30pm, $5.

Berkeley Public Library West Branch, 1125 University, Berk; (510) 527-9905. Bay Area Poets Coalition hosts an open reading, 3pm, free.

Monday: Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore; 931-5260. "Celebration of the Word," with featured reader Joan Brady and open mic, 7pm, free.

Pegasus Books 2349 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-1320. Bert Glick and Geri Digiorno read poetry, 7pm, free.

Tuesday: Spanganga 3376 19th St; 821-1102. "The Spang Bang," open mic for all types of performers, 8pm, $2 (suggested donation).