April 9, 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

God's Donkey: A Play on Moses A Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 399-1809. $12.50-25. Opens Thurs/10, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show April 17); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through April 27. A Traveling Jewish Theatre presents Aaron Davidman, Corey Fischer, and Eric Rhys Miller's update of the story of Moses and the liberation of the Jews from Egypt.

Bay Area

Jane Eyre Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mountain View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-43. Previews Wed/9-Fri/11, 8pm. Opens Sat/12, 8pm. Runs Tues, 7:30pm (no show April 29); Wed-Sat, 8pm (also April 26 and May 3, 2pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/13 and April 27, 7pm). Through May 4. TheatreWorks performs John Caird and Paul Gordon's musical inspired by the Charlotte Brontë novel.

Partition Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-38. Previews Fri/11-Sat/12 and April 16, 8pm; Sun/13, 2pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through May 18. Aurora Theatre presents Ira Hauptman's world premiere play about an early-20th-century Indian magician.

The Vampires La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10-20 (previews, pay what you can). Previews Thurs/10-Fri/11, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 10. Shotgun Players perform Harry Kondoleon's scathing look at family relationships, including a character who may or may not be a vampire.

Ongoing

A-A-America! Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 675-5995. $10-25. Thurs/10-Sat/12, 8pm. Back in 1976, England's brilliant left-wing dramatist and longtime enfant terrible Edward Bond penned a pair of excoriating one-act comedies under the title A-A-America! Racism and outlaw justice are too much with us today to afford forgetting the harrowing history of lynching in this country. But Bond's inspired provocations do more than dredge up the past – there's a larger undercurrent of violence, of moral and social chaos, from which no one ultimately escapes. Far from a pedantic history lesson, Crowded Fire's smart and committed production demands an accounting of social responsibility. (Avila)

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.

Betrayal Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. $10-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 26. Infidelity is an age-old intrigue; the innovation of Harold Pinter's Betrayal is that this story of midlife adultery is told in reverse, so the opening scene, set in the late 1970s, is the end of the affair. The suspense comes not from wanting to know what happens in the end, but rather from the desire to understand why it ended the way it did. This is an excellent framework for psychologically subtle acting, and the actors of Third Rail Power Trip's production rise to the occasion. Beneath the British veneer of polite manners, the characters conceal deep wells of emotion. Despite a few technical difficulties with the unreliable multimedia scene changes, Betrayal comes across as an honest play about a round-robin of lies. (Kerry Rodgers)

Blue Surge Magic Theatre, Bldg D, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822. $17-37. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2:30 and 7:30pm. Through April 20. See A&E review.

Boys' Life Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 436-9400, www.boyslifesf.com. $10-20. Thurs/10-Sat/12, 8pm. 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)

Calculus "Newton's Whores" San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, 401 Van Ness, fourth fl; 255-4800. $18-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun/13 and April 27, 2pm. Through April 27. See A&E review.

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. $15. Performances include "Prop Comic!" with Fred Anderson (Sun/13 and May 4, 3pm; April 20, 27, 3pm and 8:30pm; April 27, 8:30pm show is benefit performance for Art SF, with special guests); "Artifice, Ruse, and Subterfuge," a solo play about gambling by Eric Masters (Sun/13, 8:30pm); and "Pushing 40," David Magidson's solo play about the male midlife crisis (Sun, 7pm, through May 4; no show Sun/13).

The Constant Wife Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-61. Wed/9-Sat/12, April 15-19, and 22-26, 8pm (also Sat/12, April 16, 19, 23, and 26, 2pm); Sun/13, April 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/10-Sat/12, 8pm; Sun/13, 2pm. 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.

A Long Drink of Silence Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 820-3910. $10-15. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through May 11. Jill Jackson's one-woman show blends memoir and song in a 90-minute appreciation of life's inevitable losses and opportunities. The story, ably directed by W. Kamau Bell, revolves around a good-natured but rambunctious Nashville, Tenn., child who chases elusive fame in New York City and temporary enlightenment on a Connecticut ashram cum sheep ranch, before settling for taking things as they come, whether as a children's drama teacher or a veterinary assistant. Accompanying herself on guitar, Jackson punctuates her folksy and energetic account of the people and animals that informed her emotional development with a number of tuneful songs (including several original compositions). Less an actor than a genial ham, Jackson the performer grows on one even as Jackson the subject remains obscure. There's little more than a superficial sense of how she changed over the years, and gaps in the narrative that leave one less than satisfied (one never learns, for instance, anything about the ashram community or why she eventually left, nor do we get any details about her boyfriend in NYC). In the end she offers up familiar wisdom, albeit sincerely felt, but not much to root it in. (Avila)

Never Far from the Tree Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 668-7313. $12-20. Thurs/10-Sat/12, 8pm. 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/10-Fri/11, 8pm; Sat/12, 1 and 6pm; Sun/13, 3pm. 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. The production is billed as a staged concert, and the music is clearly the 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, 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 and Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. April 21-26: runs Mon-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and 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/10-Sat/12, 8pm; Sun/13, 2pm. 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, including "You're the Top!" and "Miss Otis Regrets." 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 out of talent. Among the cast, only Stephanie Temple consistently stands out with her Ethel Merman-esque brassiness and a sly and irresistible mirth. (Amir Baghdachi)

Strangers in Paradox: The True Story of Casey and the Kidd Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $15-25. Wed/9-Sat/12, 8pm. 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/10-Sat/12, 8pm. 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 far beyond funny 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. (Rodgers)

*28 Very Short Scenes about Love Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. $15. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through April 26. Flirting with both theater and dance, this ensemble piece directed by Linda Carr is a visually arresting meditation on the dizzying highs, the despairing lows, the perplexing failures, and the knee-knocking thrills of falling in love. From the opening scene – a chaotic aural montage of chirping birds and out-of-service phone messages that morph into cries of pressing need ("Please hold" becoming a plaintive "Please hold me!") – to the teetering dance-monologue about the delicate balancing act of breaking up without pulverizing the other person's heart (or at least without taking the blame for it), the play's five charming performers render familiar scenarios unique with their grace and humor. The piece suffers, however, from the limitation that, no matter how variegated, it only imagines one type of relationship. It's not until the final scene – a dance with daisies performed to Billie Holiday's "All of Me" – that we catch a glimpse of some of the many other forms that love can take. (Shalson)

What Is Love? Next Stage Theatre, 1620 Gough; 345-7575. $17. Fri/11-Sat/12, 8pm. Theatre of the Soul performs a new play that explores the beginning stages of love.

Bay Area

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 Sun/13 and April 20, 7pm). Through April 20. In Eric Bogosian's surprisingly tame new play, two thirtysomething couples – caffeinated, cell-phone addicted, overachieving urbanites – embark on a vacation in upstate New York. When the power goes out, the group's supercilious postmodern armor melts away amid the creeping fear that it might never go back on. Director John McCluggage 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, where the muscular cast gets to stretch out. (Avila)

Syncopation Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $25-43. Wed/9, 7:30pm; Thurs/10-Sat/12, 8pm (also Sat/12, 2pm); Sun/13, 2 and 7pm. The Marin Theatre Company performs Alan Kane's play about a pair of ballroom dancing partners in 1912 New York.

Talking with Angels: Budapest 1943 Theater Aria, 142 Throckmorton, Mill Valley; (415) 389-8975. $20-25. 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.

dance

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; www.sfballet.org. Program Five: Thurs and Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm). Program Six: Wed, 7:30pm; Fri, 8pm; Sun, 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 Company Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri-Sun, 8pm. $14-16. See "Five Alive."

Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. $15-35. The flamenco company presents world premiere Amor, plus repertory favorites, with featured guest artists from Spain.

Bay Area

The Movement Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Sat, 3pm; Tues, 7pm. $5. The UC Berkeley-based company performs its spring showcase.

Perm State Ballet Theater Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek, Cupertino; (408) 998-8497 or (415) 421-8497. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. $31-61. 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: "Improv and a Movie" (Fri-Sat).

'Cadence and Chaos' SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan; 436-9724. Fri, 10am-2pm. Free. The Very Special Arts Festival presents a day of performances, storytelling, workshops, and other events highlighting artists with disabilities.

'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.

'Conflict: Near and Far: Seventh Annual Youth Theater Festival' Diego Rivera Theater, City College of San Francisco, 50 Phelan; 285-1717. Sat, 7pm; Sun, 2pm. Free. See 8 Days a Week.

Didik Nini Thowok N'Touch, 1548 Polk; 292-3420, ext 348. Thurs, 9pm. $3. The Indonesian cross-gender artist performs.

'Drag Attack!!!' and 'Cave In Cave Out' New College of California Theater, 777 Valencia; 437-3487. Fri-Sun, 8pm. $10-15 (no one turned away for lack of funds). The New College of California's Experimental Performance Institute presents two shows that are as similar as they are different. In Fudim Locomotive Industries' Cave In Cave Out, a scruffy and absorbing "caveman cabaret," little distinguishes the desires of civilized society – so eloquently summed up in the leopard print-clad ensemble's rousing chorus of "I wanna make a lot of money; I wanna have a lot of sex" – from our most primitive instincts. Performed with goofy humor and impeccable timing by choreographer Jessica Fudim and cast, the eclectic mixture of contemporary ballet, homespun rock music, and toilet humor makes us eloquently aware that we are all Neanderthals at heart. Ghosttown Productions' Drag Attack!!! is similarly fluorescent in style; however, it's impossible to make any sense out of this bizarre and overlabored tale about Barbara Bush's love child, for all the preening drag queens, pouting sex kittens, and wobbling pompadour wigs flying around the stage. (Veltman)

'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.

'Fauxgirls!' Marlena's, 488 Hayes; 864-6672. Sat, 10pm. Free. Victoria Secret and Anjelica Devarox host a drag cabaret.

'It Sounds Better in Amharic' Delancey Street Foundation, 600 Embarcadero; 512-6227. Wed, 8pm. $15. Yossi Vassa performs his humorous solo show about one man's journey by foot from Ethiopia to Israel.

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

'Mouthful of Frogs' Spanganga, 3376 19th St; www.spanganga.com. Thurs, 10pm. Through April 17. $6. Spoken word artist Paul Addis presents a solo show about expatriation versus staying 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.

'Seven Inch Heels and a Microphone' San Francisco State University, Cesar Chavez Bldg, Jack Adams Hall, 1600 Holloway; 338-1952. Thurs, 7pm. $5-7. Celestial Haze, Maureen Brownsey, the Disposable Boy Toys, and others perform at this drag and cabaret show. Proceeds benefit the Queer Alliance and the Cindy Kolb AIDS Foundation.

'Show Time on the Old Showboat Mystery' Venue 222, Phelan at Judson; 285-8476. Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2 and 4pm; Sun, 3pm. $5. The California Travel Troupe and Popcorn Theatre present a "good old-fashioned melodrama" set on a Mississippi River showboat.

'Slingers Burlesque Revue' Odeon Bar, 3223 Mission; 642-3483. Sat, 8pm. $5. Singers, comedians, musicians, and burlesque dancers perform at this cabaret show.

'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. $15. Cultural Odyssey presents a double bill of performances featuring Idris Ackamoor and Rhodessa Jones.

'Undressed Phase II' Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402. Fri-Sun, 8pm (also Sat, 10pm). $5-10 (sliding scale). Jon Sims artist in residence Eric Kupers presents his latest work, a dance experiment exploring the idea of public nudity.

Bay Area

Marcel Marceau Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center, San Rafael; (415) 499-6800. Sun, 3pm. $20-50. The "Master of Mime" performs as part of his farewell tour across America.

'Straight Black Folks Guide to Gay Black Folks' Alice Arts Center Theatre, 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 594-4335, www.trustlife.net. Fri-Sat, 7pm; Sun, 3pm. $12-20. Hanifah Walidah presents her multicharacter solo show.

comedy

Blue Bear Performance Hall Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 885-5678. Sat, 8pm: Flash Family performs improv, $14.

Cobb's Comedy Club 2801 Leavenworth; 928-4320. Wed-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10pm): The club hosts a variety of comics, including Patton Oswalt, Will Durst, Greg Behrendt, and others, before closing its doors Sun/13, call for prices.

Double Play 2401 16th St; 821-3601. Fri, 8pm: "Hyena Comedy All-Stars," $7.

Mock Café 1074 Valencia; 820-3237. Fri, 9pm: stand-up comedy with host Tom Smith, followed by improv troupe Too Many Larrys!, $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.

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

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

Bay Area

Cafe Eclectica 1309 Solano, Albany; (510) 527-2344. Sat, 8pm: "Platypus Jones Improv Comedy Show," free.

Temescal Arts Center511 48th Ave, Oakl; (415) 869-5384. Sat, 8pm: "The Short and Long of It," improv with the Un-Scripted Theater Company, $7-10. Through April 26.

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; featured this week is "Laundromat Tales," by Lofat Fiction, 8pm, free. Edinburgh Castle 950 Geary; 928-8904. "The Word Dancing Project," with Avotcja and Reginald Lockett, $5.

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 San Francisco State University, Humanities Bldg, Rm 512, 1600 Holloway; 338-2227. "Across the Line/Al Otro Lado: The Poetry of Baja California," with Elizabeth Algrávez, Francisco Morales, and Heriberto Yépez, 4:30pm, free. Mechanics' Institute Library 57 Post; 393-0100. "The Power of Poetry," with San Francisco Poet Laureate devorah major, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Alejandro Murguía, 7pm, $5. Dalva 3121 16th St; (925) 216-3592. Poetry Mission, with featured reader Dan-O and open mic, 7pm, free.

Friday: A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books 601 Van Ness; 252-4655, www.writerscorps-sf.org. WritersCorps' teen poets read from their new anthology, Paint Me like I Am, 7pm, free.

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

Sunday: Bird and Beckett Books and Records 2788 Diamond; 586-3733. "Cafe Babar Poetry Scene Reunion," with Julia Vinograd, Jerry Ferraz, Kathleen Wood, and others, 3-7pm, free. Book Passage 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera; (415) 252-4655, www.writerscorps-sf.org. WritersCorps' teen poets read from their new anthology, Paint Me like I Am, 7pm, free.

Monday: Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore; 931-5260. "Celebration of the Word," with featured reader Tressa Berman and open mic, 7pm, free. Kepler's 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; (415) 252-4655, www.writerscorps-sf.org. WritersCorps' teen poets read from their new anthology, Paint Me like I Am, 7:30pm, free.