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
Black and Blue: A Musical Revue Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800. $15-32. Previews Thurs/8-Sat/10, May 15, 8pm; Sun/11, 2pm. Opens May 16, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through June 8. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents the Broadway revue that pays tribute to African American legends of jazz and blues, with a cast that includes acclaimed vocalist Faye Carol.

Cocksucker: A Love Story Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $20-30. Opens Thurs/8, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (starting May 18, also at 3pm). Open-ended. Writer-director Ronnie Larsen presents a tale about marines who act in gay porn videos.

Dead Heads Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402. $10-15. Opens Fri/9, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sun, 8pm. Through May 25. Jon Sims Center for the Arts presents Joe Besecker's dark comedy about an ex-porn star driven to acts of desperation and double-crossing.

Norton I (Being the Most Noble Tale of Joshua Abraham Norton, First Emperor of the United States of America and Protector of All Mexico) Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. $13-20 (Mon/12 and Thurs, pay what you can). Opens Thurs/8, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat and Mon/12, 8pm. Through May 31. Theatre of Yugen's ensemble performs Yugen joint artistic director Luis Valls's new play about the colorful San Franciscan.

Oh My Goddess! Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. $15-20. Opens Thurs/8, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 31. See 8 Days a Week.

Bay Area

Beatbox: A Raparetta Black Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; www.onelovehiphop.com. $10-15. Opens Fri/9, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm (also May 17, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through May 18. Felonious: One Love Hip Hop and DJ Raw B perform Dan Wolf and Tommy Shepherd's play about two brothers, written entirely in verse.

Virginia Woolf's Night and Day Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby, Berk; (510) 883-0305. $20 (Sun, pay what you can). Opens Fri/9, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through June 8. Transparent Theater performs Tom Clyde's world premiere stage adaptation of Woolf's second novel.

Visions of Kerouac Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $25-43. Previews Thurs/8-Sat/10, 8pm; Sun/11, 2 and 7pm. Opens Tues/13, 8pm. Runs Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also May 22, 1pm; May 31 and June 7, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through June 8. Marin Theatre Company performs Martin Duberman's beat generation drama.

Ongoing

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.

'BATS Improv Long-Form Festival' Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935, www.improv.org. $12-15. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through May 31. This week: special guests Start Trekkin' (Fri) and True Fiction Magazine (Sat).

The Beginning of August Actor's Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter, second fl; 296-9179. $5-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 24. Actor's Theatre of San Francisco presents Tom Donaghy's play about a single dad who creates a makeshift extended family from the neighbors and friends around him.

Blue Surge Magic Theatre, Bldg D, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822. $17-37. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through May 25. Rebecca Gilman's new play deconstructs an ideal couple against the economics of sex. Curt (John Flanagan), a working-class cop, plans to marry Beth (Corie Henninger), an upper-middle-class artist. They have their future well planned – but things are not as solid as they seem. After a botched raid on a massage parlor, Curt takes an avuncular interest in a young prostitute named Sandy (Kirsten Roeters); their ability to relate to one another rests on their mutual class background. Clearly cowed by his relationship with Beth, Curt not only feels comfortable sharing his dreams with Sandy, but he also seems eager to assume the role of male guardian. Amy Glazer, who directed the Magic Theatre's premiere of Gilman's The American in Me, gets the most from the playwright's vigorous, incisive, frequently witty dialogue while ensuring a lively pace. (Avila)

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. $15. Performances include "A Celebration of Silliness!" with Fred Anderson (Sun, 3 and 7pm; through July 31).

*Darwin's Finches Thick House, 1695 18th St; 821-4849, www.encoretheatreco.org. $15-20. Thurs/8-Sat/10, 8pm; Sun/11, 5pm. Billed as "a romantic comedy for the depressed," Claire Chafee's intelligent, humorous, and very American new play, Darwin's Finches, is more than just a recapitulation of cultural stereotypes; it draws on her own clouded childhood for inspiration. In Encore Theatre Company's well-cast world premiere, three adult siblings wrestle with a shared legacy of childhood trauma – survival of the questionably fit, the title suggests. Though the play ends a little abruptly, Chafee (author of the 1993 hit Why We Have a Body) deploys a considerable flare for language and a sharp sense of humor in limning each of her damaged characters, which keeps things rolling along. (Avila)

*Hedwig and the Angry Inch Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St; 392-4400. $25-35. Wed/7-Fri/9, 8pm; Sat/10-Sun/11, 7pm (also Sat/10, 10pm). 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)

*LibidOff Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 776-7427. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through May 17. Forget Viagra. From the depths of masculine depravity comes LibidOff – a new wonder drug that will rid every heterosexual male of that most humbling of assets: his libido. In Dawson Moore's dark and fluent comedy presented by Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company and Unidentified Theatre Company, a depressed scientist's antidote to his own frustrated sexuality falls into the hands of a nutty misogynist with potentially frightening results. LibidOff is the middle play in the writer's Bile trilogy – all revolving around a character so cartoonishly vile that he makes Frank T.J. Mackey, the dick-driven male empowerment coach in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, look like the Pope. Moore's compact, controlled dialogue skirts deliciously close to the hem of taste, and under the astute direction of Christopher Jenkins, the spunky cast of six manages to pull off a pretty formidable theatrical feat: a comedy about sex that is as febrile as it is funny. (Veltman)

A Long Drink of Silence Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 820-3910. $10-15. Fri/7-Sat/10, 8pm; Sun/11, 3pm. 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 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. (Avila)

Manifest: The Battle of Intergalactic Farces El Teatro de la Esperanza, 2940 16th St; 285-5275. $12-20 (Mon/12, pay what you can). Fri-Sat and Mon/12, 8pm. Through May 17. The Surreal Foolz presents Serene Zloof's original comedy about the unwitting star of the first universally broadcast reality TV show.

Musical Genius Potrero Hill Neighborhood Playhouse, 953 De Haro; 385-7293. $15-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 18. Not Quite Opera presents the story of a troubled Depression-era songster and veteran, John Crumbe (Len Shaffer), who composes atonal music to convince the world that war is hell. Most of the 20-odd songs in writer-director A.E. Nygren-Doherty's trifling musical comedy don't seem to mind "modulating back to the tonic," as one of the titles has it, and in the end neither does John, thanks to a pretty dame (Gina Latimerlo), a brush with a gangster (Douglas Mandell), and a little Capra-esque divine intervention. But if Crumbe, sickened by the groundless optimism of popular music (especially when it's in a major key), set out to "communicate the pain of existence," Musical Genius inadvertently completes the mission thanks to a tedious script and some atonal direction. Only about half the songs are worthy in this overly long show, and the acting rarely measures up to the singing, which is competent. Still, one can hail the arrival of a new company devoted exclusively to the presentation of original works of musical theater, even if their first effort falls flat. (Avila)

Mysterious Skin New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $18-38. Wed-Sat, 8pm; May 18, 25, June 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2pm. Through June 28. See "Inner Space."

Othello Buriel Clay Theater, 762 Fulton; 1-866-462-2838. $17-22 (preview $5). Thurs/8-Sat/10, 8pm; Sun/11, 2pm. The African-American Shakespeare Company performs an updated version of the Bard's classic, set in the cutthroat world of corporate law.

Queer Theory Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; (510) 464-4468. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through May 17. Welcome to Queer Theory 101, where you are what you theorize and Jeff Webster (Matt Weimer), prof and America's leading queer theorist, unexpectedly practices what he teaches. Courted by Harvard as well as his ravenous Berkeley students, Dr. Webster's office hours already resemble a film by Bruce LaBruce, but when his work on Elizabethan gender slippage translates into the inversion of his own sex organs, it's good-bye, Mr. Chips! Former-brother Henry, now sister Renee (Matthew Martin) struggles to help (unravel?) the situation, while writer-director John Fisher works the light switch in some silent-film-era hocus-pocus ushering in the old gender switcheroo. Although the show condemns this sort of thinking, I feel compelled to ask: Does this plot make me look fat? Fans of Fisher's plays know he offers the thinking man's camp (or woman's, or, what you will), but the attempt to work the concept of "identity drift" only leads to story drift here. Among Impact Theater's likable if uneven cast, strong performances from Martin and Weimer put the most fun in an otherwise uninspired and overworked geni-tale. (Avila)

R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe Project Artaud Theater, 450 Florida; 626-DOME, www.foghouse.com. $25-35. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through May 25. 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)

*Roberta Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 978-2787. $15-29. Thurs-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 6pm (also May 17, 1pm); Sun, 3pm. Through May 18. "Although rarely performed today, Roberta was one of the biggest hits of the 1930s," is not the most auspicious of program notes that a theater reviewer sitting in the stalls in 2003 could ever hope to read. Yet 42nd Street Moon's impeccable semistaged production of Jerome Kern's 1933 musical comedy about the adventures of a stylistically challenged football star in the Parisian world of haute couture is no museum piece. Bouncy, jolly, and beautifully performed, this swell little musical feels as fresh and airy as a chiffon gown. The company, which specializes in presenting shoestring productions of "lost" musicals, aptly demonstrates that strong voices and physical energy do not require the services of splashy sets, sequined costumes, and a 100-piece orchestra. This is particularly true of Lesley Hamilton, whose turn as the lascivious and slightly loopy Countess Scharwenka is at the kernel of all that is great about Kern. (Veltman)

Bay Area

Fig Leaf: Tales of Truth and Transgressions La Val's Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10. Mon/12-Tues/13, 8pm. Shotgun's Theater Lab, devoted to developing new material, presents this eclectic and breezy collaboration blending dance, live music, poetry, and drama into a series of personal revelations and sometimes subtle morality tales. As a "tell-all cabaret" devoted to the sharing of guilty secrets, the five-person ensemble promises more than it delivers. But maybe beginning with "The Beginning" – a lightly choreographed retelling of Eve's temptation in the Garden of Eden – sets our sites too high. The confessions offered up by the ensemble, mixing the prosaic with the unfamiliar, are of varying degrees of interest, but benefit from the hip musical transitions and accompaniment by Daniel Ari (on a mean accordion, as well as percussion) and Aaron Krasner (guitar and percussion). The penultimate segment, also the longest, tells the comical story of two sides in an "amicable" divorce. Smooth and clever direction by Shotgun choreographer Andrea Weber and a flirtatious cast make it a worthwhile evening of mainly light comedy at a lively but unrushed pace. (Avila)

Finding Claire Mills College, Lisser Hall, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 534-9529. $12-20. Fri/9-Sat/10, 8pm; Sun/11, 2pm. Also, Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St, SF. Opens May 16, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm (also May 24, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through May 25. Oakland Public Theater presents Kim Merrill's play about motherhood.

The Maids Ann Davlin Dance Studio, 2311 Stuart, Berk; (510) 644-1889. $8-10. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 18. 1 Foot 2 Players present Jean Genet's drama about a pair of maids obsessed with their employer.

*Partition Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-38. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through May 18. The world premiere of Ira Hauptman's Partition at Berkeley's Aurora Theatre draws on the real-life collaboration at Cambridge, starting in 1914, between English mathematician G.H. Hardy (David Arrow) and the self-taught Indian prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan (Rahul Gupta). The title refers to Hardy and Ramanujan's most successful mathematical collaboration, but also to the various borders that separate the two characters in a story that turns on a cultural divide between East and West, aggravated by both personality and the colonial relationship between England and India. A well-written and witty play, graced with a solid and moving production helmed by Aurora artistic director Barbara Oliver, its nearly mystical appreciation of mathematical theorizing pits a morally neutral "pure" science against the worldly imperfection of organized belief. (Avila)

*Surface Transit Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949. $38-54. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/10, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also May 18, 2pm; no show May 14). Through May 18. Playing eight interrelated characters, the charismatic Sarah Jones approaches her subjects with impeccable technique and a rollicking sense of humor, garnering different perspectives on the hateful and violent prejudices separating people who in fact have much more in common than they like to admit. Berkeley Repertory Theatre's dazzling and dexterous production, directed by Tony Taccone, provides a wonderful platform for Jones, though her energy and grace would succeed in any setting. (Avila)

The Vampires La Val's Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10-20. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through May 17. Shotgun Players presents Harry Kondoleon's vicious but delicious family farce, a suburban nightmare haunted by a frustrated nonconformist, Ian (Patrick Dooley), making the short career hop from misanthropic theater critic to vampire. Joan McBrien directs a cast with solid comic timing and a relish for their roles. At the black heart of this story is Kondoleon's clever if not always successful satire of suburbia's spiritual death, and the longing for purpose among the characters takes on absurd manifestations that prove all too familiar. (Avila)

dance

*Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 305-8912. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $12-15. If you think you have seen it all, don't miss Alma Esperanza Cunningham's show (shared with works by Todd Courage and Mary Armentrout) at Dance Mission Theater this weekend. Cunningham's is a genuinely new voice in the Bay Area – she's quirky, self-confident, and in control of the material. She choreographs to music, and she choreographs to silence. Favoring gestural language that is detailed and articulated without ever becoming literal, she also designs space clearly and with a wonderfully fluid sense for variety. Her dancers move from a high center of gravity, which at times makes them look like birds about to take off. At this point the solos, and the solo and duets in the ensemble pieces, are the best worked out, but experience and time should take care of that. Overall there is a cool smartness about Cunningham's work that is most welcome. (Felciano)

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon; 392-4400. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. $45-55. See Critic's Choice.

Harupin-Ha SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan; 864-4120. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $15. The Butoh company performs Eclipse.

Lizz Roman and Dancers Danzhaus, 1275 Connecticut; 970-0222. Fri-Sat, 8 and 9:30pm. $20. The company performs Here Is Good: Playing in Stable Places II, a site-specific work featuring dancers making use of the entire venue.

'Michael Flately's Lord of the Dance' Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 1 and 5:30pm. $31-81. Traditional and modern Celtic music and dance highlight this touring show.

Nancy Karp and Dancers Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $18-40. See 8 Days a Week.

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; (415) 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Program Seven: Thurs and Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm). Program Eight: Wed, 7:30pm; Fri, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $8-120. Both programs are mixed-repertory. Program Seven: Continuum, Jinx, and S.F. Ballet premiere Paquita; Program Eight: world premieres by Julia Adam, Alexei Ratmansky, and Stanton Welch.

'San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest' Brava Theatre, 2781 24th St; 674-2822. Fri-Sun, 8pm. $22. SoulForce, under the direction of Micaya, presents its annual festival of hip-hop dance.

Scott Wells and Dancers 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero; 931-8648, www.848.com. Thurs-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 7:30pm. $15. Recently master contact improviser Scott Wells got a little more living in the moment than even he might like. During the latter part of his maybe appropriately named Untitled, a transformer went out and, despite the supportive audience's cheering and clapping, refused to kick back in. The playful Untitled had been riding a series of fleeting relationships that were funny, touching, and sensual. We'll never know whither those relationships went. However, the company looks fabulous. The dancers' full-bodied attacks and buttery releases, their nanosecond timing and intense presence, and above all their generosity of spirit, are inspiring. (Felciano)

Smuin Ballet Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard; 978-2787. Wed/7-Sat/10 and May 14-17, 8pm (also Sat/10 and May 17, 2pm); Sun/11, 2pm; May 18, 4pm. $35-55 (May 18 gala, $50-250). The company performs the premiere of Michael Smuin's Zorro.

Bay Area

Diablo Ballet Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; (925) 943-SHOW. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm). $26-38. The company performs Nikolai Kabaniaev's world premiere version of Carmen.

Fellow Travelers Performance Group Ehmann Hall, Oakland YWCA, 1515 Webster, Oakl; (510) 451-7900. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through May 17. $10-15. The dance theater company presents Tales of a Woman, featuring four solos by artistic director Cynthia Adams.

performance

'Bleacher Bums' Voice One Studio Theatre, 1119 Mission; 626-1386, Vone@aol.com. Fri-Sat and May 15, 8pm. Through May 17. $10-15. Voice One Studio Theatre performs Joe Mantegna's play set in the bleachers during a 1998 Cubs game.

'The Cure' Locus 1640, 1640 Post; 543-5738. Fri, 8pm. $7-10. The Asian American Theater Company presents a workshop production of Joel Tan and Ginu Kamani's tragicomedy about AIDS profiteering.

'Fauxgirls!' Marlena's, 488 Hayes; 864-6672. Sat, 10pm. Free. Victoria Secret and Anjelica Devarox host the gala second-anniversary show of their drag cabaret, featuring special guest stars and a new cast.

Flash Family Blue Bear Performance Hall, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 885-5678. Sat, 8pm. $7-14. The company performs improv theater.

'9 Muses' Odeon Bar, 3223 Mission; 550-6994. Fri-Sat, 9pm. $10. See 8 Days a Week.

'Stretch Marks: Growing into Motherhood' Phoenix Theater, 414 Mason, Ste 601; 289-2289. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 1pm. $15-20. The Drama Mamas present their new play about motherhood.

'Waiting for Godot' MadCapp Studios, 238 Capp; 861-3966. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $10-12. OddBird Productions and MadCapp Studios perform the Beckett classic.

'Women on the Way Festival' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. Tues, 8pm. Through May 27. $8-10. This week's lineup: Kerry Laitala's short, experimental films "Retrospectroscope" and "Hallowed"' Roberta D'Alois's solo play about baseball and love, I Already Combed My Hair; and the Kook Troupe's Vena Cava, a multimedia variety show directed by Kristin Neidlinger.

Bay Area

'La Casa Azul' Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 3pm. $36-52. Writer-performer Sophie Faucher portrays Frida Kahlo in this biographical play.

'Shylock' Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro, San Rafael; (415) 444-8000. Sun/11, 6pm; May 18, 7pm. $12-24. Gareth Armstrong performs his solo show based on The Merchant of Venice.

'What Mama Said about "Down There" ' La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2568. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $12-15. Sia Amma performs her solo comedy in honor of Mother's Day.

comedy

'Those Improv Guys' Contact for location info: (415) 455-5848, jerry@thoseimprovguys.com. Sat, 8pm: improv comedy, $15.

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

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 821-1102, ext 2. Fri-Sat, 10pm: "The Best of I Can't Believe It's Not Comedy!," sketch comedy revue, $10. The troupe's name unfortunately points to the disappointment you may feel, despite the occasional yuks earned from this Sacramento-based sketch comedy act presenting highlights from their 2003 shows plus some new material. The sharp musical duet "Xenophilia" adds spice to an otherwise bland series of skits involving, among other things, a Home Shopping Channel addict in the delivery room, the adventures of a semiclad man, and an interminable men's room sequence featuring a lineup of shy bladders. Meanwhile, unexceptional performances from an uneven cast add little to material still in need of development or at least some judicious cropping. (Avila)

Bay Area

Cafe Eclectica 1309 Solano, Albany; (510) 527-2334. Sat, 8pm: Platypus Jones improv comedy show, free.

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Fri, 8pm: "An Evening with Scott Capurro," $20.

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. La Peña Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2568. "Cafe Poetry" and open mic with Isolated Compound, 7:30pm, free. Balazo/Mission Badlands Gallery 2811 Mission; 920-0896, darksandal@hotmail.com. "Angry Dog Press Midget Editions Book Release Reading and One Night Art Show," 7:30pm, $5. See 8 Days a Week.

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, SFSU, 1600 Holloway; 338-2227. Todd Baron and Dawn Michelle Baude read poetry, 4:30pm, free. Dalva 3121 16th St; 753-8091. "Poetry Mission," with featured reader Ishle Park and open mic, 7pm, free.

Saturday: New College Cultural Center 777 Valencia; 338-2227. "Derivations: Celebrating Poetics at New College 1978-2003," reading and video screening, 2pm, $5. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 527-9753. "Rhythm and Muse presents Young Writers/Musicians," part of the Berkeley Art Center's Youth Arts Festival, with open mic for writers 25 and under, 7pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash!," with Jack Marshall and Eric Gudas, 7:30pm, $2. Bird and Beckett Books and Records 2788 Diamond; 586-3733. Poet Larry O. Dean reads, followed by open mic, 4:30pm, free.