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

Elaine Stritch: At Liberty Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; www.ticketmaster.com. $35-78. Opens Tues/15, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through July 27. Theater legend Elaine Stritch looks back at her life on the stage with songs and stories.

Scabaret! Xenodrome, 1320 Potrero; 285-9366. $10-15. Opens Fri/18, 9pm. Runs Fri-Sat (no shows Aug 1-2), 9pm. Through Sept 27. The performance troupe presents their eponymous "shock-rock opera," an exploration of the dark side of America.

Bay Area

Bat Boy Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Previews Wed/16-Fri/18, 8pm. Opens Sat/19, 8pm. Runs Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Aug 10. TheatreWorks presents the Weekly World News-inspired musical about a half-boy, half-bat.

Don Juan Forest Meadows Outdoor Amphitheater, Dominican University, Grand Ave, San Rafael; (415) 499-4488. $15-25. Opens Fri/18, 8pm. Runs Sat/19, July 25, 27, Aug 2, 8, 10, 16-17, 8pm; Sun/20, Aug 3, 4pm. Through Aug 17. The Marin Shakespeare Company presents a new translation of the black comedy.

Love's Labour's Lost Amador Community Park, Santa Rita at Black, Pleasanton; www.sfshakes.org. Free. Opens Fri/18, 7:30pm. Runs Fri-Sun, 7:30pm. Through Aug 3. Show continues at various Bay Area parks through Oct 5. The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival presents its annual "Free Shakespeare in the Park" offering.

Ongoing

*Akin Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 435-7571. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through July 26. RIPE Theater presents a fresh and cleverly crafted thriller about an eccentric family composed of several sets of twins (played by writer-performers Noah Kelly and Sarah McKereghan) and the myriad decisions that go into making up a complex and imperceptible fate. A series of short nonlinear scenes begins with one pair of siblings packing up their childhood home after the death of their parents, during the course of which they receive an alarming letter that triggers the following sequences and their slow unraveling of a dark family secret. Persuasively directed by Michael Lindsay, Kelly and McKereghan's wry and sophisticated realism complements the play's almost metaphysical slant. In the wake of a terrifically eerie and ominous first act, the second half lacks some of the same dramatic force, as the unfolding mystery finally gives way to more pity than awe. But the play's ideas, as well as Kelly and McKereghan's performances, remain intriguing throughout, ultimately suggesting a notion of destiny that moves beyond a particular bloodline to embrace us all inextricably. This full-length departure from the sketch-based routines of their four previous shows represents a fruitful turn in the evolution of an unusually intelligent and able young company. (Avila)

Antigone Zeum Theatre, 221 Howard; 1-888-462-2838, www.acteva.com/go/shakes. $17-22. Thurs/17-Sat/19, 8pm (also Thurs/17, 2pm); Sun/20, 2pm. The African American Shakespeare Company performs a hip-hop adaptation of the classic Sophocles tragedy.

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $20-22. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical-comedy revue.

Bethlehem Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311. $9-15. Thurs-Sun and Aug 4 (actors' benefit performance), 8pm. Through Aug 4. Campo Santo and Intersection present Octavio Solis's tale of a journalist who returns to his west Texas hometown to investigate a paroled killer.

Cocksucker: A Love Story Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $20-30. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Aug 3. Theater Rhinoceros presents writer-director Ronnie Larsen's double tale about a man named Isaac (the sympathetic Octavio Saez De Ibarra) with a unique penchant for fellatio who cross-dresses solely to maximize his opportunities, and two childhood friends, Joshua and Jimmy (Joshua Feinman and Ronnie Kerr), who join the Marines only to wind up victims of a porn movie scam. The two main story lines (the latter one based on an actual incident involving Marines at Camp Pendleton) take a while to get rolling and never quite intersect convincingly. But there are some surprisingly compelling moments in this otherwise fitful comedy. (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 Aug 30); "Heavy Petting Zoo" with Drunken Monkey Improv (Sun, 8:30pm; through July 27).

Death and the Maiden Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-20. Thurs/17-Sat/19, 8:30pm; Sun/20, 3:30pm. Mystic Bison Theatre performs Ariel Dorfman's play about a woman who confronts a man she believes tortured her years before.

Devil in the Deck Climate Theater, 285 Ninth St; 364-1411. $15-25. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through July 26. Paul Nathan stars in his one-person show about a con artist named Jack Swindle who travels the world performing magic and cheating at cards. Combining card tricks with stories, Nathan weaves the tale of a life that begins with an inauspicious tarot reading, an experience that instills in its protagonist an obsession with cards and the determination to cheat them (and life) at every turn. The fusion of mysticism, magic, and straight-up duplicity is pleasing, and when Nathan shows us exactly how his mesmerizing tricks are done, we are reminded that just because it's artful deception, doesn't mean it's not magic. However, Nathan's storytelling is less beguiling than his card manipulations, and Swindle's character remains as two-dimensional as the Jack of Spades that slips between his fingers, while his studied smarminess turns the women who fill his stories into little more than paper dolls. (Shalson)

'DykeDrama Festival' Luna Sea Theater, 2940 16th St; 863-2989. $12-14. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Aug 2. The festival features "short plays by and about dykes." This week: The Drum Lesson, by Carolyn Gage; P.A., by Dr. Shirlene Holmes; and WitchHunt, by Trish Cole.

Fire on Pier 32 Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission; 437-4040, www.laborfest.net. $20. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through July 27. LaborFest presents Jack Rasmus's new play about the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and its influence on labor in San Francisco.

Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $18-38. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through July 27. The last theatrical extravaganza created by costume designer extraordinaire Howard Crabtree and his longtime collaborator, lyricist Mark Waldrop, before Crabtree's death in 1996, this zany musical revue depicts Crabtree's dream autobiography. The familiar setup opens on a series of campy sketches, borrowing from a range of musical genres, about finding joy in the face of adversity. The rainbow-colored sensibility feels dated at times, but Waldrop's new pieces written for this production – torch songs for the likes of Dick Cheney and Pat Robertson, performed with eye-fluttering sincerity by Jeff Manabat – are clever and timely. (Shalson)

I Look like an Egg, but I Identify as a Cookie Chez Spencer, 82 14th St; 646-0924, www.subvert.com. $12-20. Sun-Mon, 7:30pm. Through July 28. One part comedy, one part memoir, and just a pinch of cable-access-show flavor go into San Francisco comedian Heather Gold's unconventional, site-specific cooking class – in truth a breezy account of her coming of age in the '80s in the small Jewish community of Niagara Falls, before negotiating the subtleties of Bay Area queerdom. Availing herself of Chez Spencer's enormous wood-burning oven while reminiscing about her "shtetl" upbringing, Gold's search for "wholeness" in the fracturing logic of contemporary identity politics finds literal as well as metaphorical meaning in a communal bout of cookie baking (the echo of an upbringing that not only emphasized cooking, but also obsessed itself with a neighbor's well-guarded honey cake recipe). In humorously sorting out the complexities of modern sexuality in baking's simple truths, Gold's relaxed and genuine style overrides the clunkiness of her metaphor. An engaging narrative, seasoned with Yiddishisms, impromptu asides, easy banter with the audience, and during specified performances, a special guest chef (as in opening night's winning collaboration with Citizen Cake's Elizabeth Falkner), allows a veritably social atmosphere to emerge. As the evening culminates in a cookie mixer, the end result is a whole-hearted treat. (Avila)

If You Ever Leave Me ... I'm Going With You Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 1-877-771-6900. $25-45. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Aug 3. Husband-and-wife comedy team Joe Bologna and Renée Taylor perform their autobiographical comedy.

In the Neighborhood Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 794-4848, plethorashow@yahoo.com. $15. Thurs-Sat, 7 and 9pm. Through July 26. Plethora Comedy Troupe performs a comedy set in "Dejaville," a surreal town populated by bizarre characters.

Killing My Lobster GOOOAL!!! Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 558-7721, www.killingmylobster.com. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through July 27. San Francisco-based sketch comedy troupe Killing My Lobster go not-so-deep with a new sports-themed extravaganza, lashing with their accustomed bonhomie the playground culture that animates America's various and sundry favorite pastimes. Buttressed by the KML cheerleading squad and refereed by the hard-nosed Tonya Glanz, the proceedings range from a fairly conventional spoof of a pickup game to the bizarre unfolding of an extraterrestrial spelling bee. Paul Charney directs sharp performances from jocular jocks Melanie Case, Glanz, Mitch Goldman, John Kovacevich, Daniel Lee, Allison White, and Jon Wolanske, which, together with Jennifer Chien's choreography and Kaytar!'s musical accompaniment, create a contagious mood. Taken as a whole, these vignettes fall short of the troupe's best efforts, and the writing reflects a propensity to punt rather than try for more yardage. Still, the revue's revelry goes down like apple pie chased by great swigs of flat and tepid ballpark beer, which is to say not badly at all. (Avila)

Let's Pretend I'm Not Your Mother Climate Theatre, 285 Ninth St; 364-1411. $20. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 9:30pm. Through July 26. Titillation Theatre helps inaugurate Climate Theatre's new venue with writer-director Jennifer Hotcher's cabaret: a smorgasbord of sex in the city that kicks off with a course on how to undress for your lover, conducted by a professional stripper (Hotcher), and pulsates right through 10 more sexy, frequently funny vignettes. The show has been bouncing around a number of small venues for the last year (between police raids), and the momentum has paid off. The sketches may be uneven in conception, but the cast is aces and consistently pleases. (Avila)

Love and Taxes Magic Theatre, Bldg D, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775, www.zspace.org. $25-27. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through Aug 3. Bay Area "outsider" Josh Kornbluth premieres his latest monologue, recounting the famed nonconformist's "detour into the system" through the U.S. tax code. In his familiar conversational style, replete with acute observations, Spaulding Gray-like epiphanies, and visual aids, Kornbluth revisits his relationship with his beloved father, the eccentric communist celebrated in Red Diaper Baby. Unfortunately, in measuring the distance he must travel from his father's ideals to cope with a new relationship and new responsibilities, the show ends up dwelling on a less interesting cast of characters. (Avila)

'Maid Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 675-5995, www.crowdedfire.org. $15-20. Fri-Sat and Aug 7, 14, 8pm; Aug 3, 5pm. A sea of metaphors churns metamorphoses in Crowded Fire's world premiere of Erik Ehn's darkly poetic mermaid fable, ever so loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. In a menacing aquatic war zone, Amanda (Beth Wilmurt) is a mermaid who gets a devious fish fairy (Mollena Williams) to change her into a human, at great personal cost, so she may pursue the nearly drowned sailor (Jason Wong) she loves. Emily (Juliet Tanner), meanwhile, a teenager dangerously obsessed with mermaids, applies razors and sewing needles to refashion her unappealingly bipedal flesh. Directed in a neatly contrived theater-in-the-round format by Rebecca Novick, Ehn's story expresses a set of evocative ideas about change and desire against a backdrop of humanmade ruin. But the play's heightened language (which includes snatches of song and accompaniment by David Rhodes's piano score) doesn't always get the power it needs from the uneven cast and has a tendency to get in the way of plot and character. Land and sea meet in James Mulligan's impressive set design, which incorporates a watery surface and a vertical system of ropes and swings to simulate motion through the depths. In such relatively cramped space, however, Dawn Frank's choreography can come over awkwardly despite the skill of her gravity-tempting performers. (Avila)

Nora (A Doll's House) Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 820-1460. $10-20. Thurs/17-Sat/19, 8pm. Second Wind Productions presents Ingmar Bergman's modern adaptation of the Ibsen classic.

Orphans Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary; 487-7994, www.orphansf.com. $10. Opens Fri/18, 7pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 7pm; Sun, 3pm. Through July 27. Shari Carlson Studio presents a new interpretation of Lyle Kessler's drama about a pair of struggling brothers who stumble upon an unlikely father figure.

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. Ongoing. 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)

Sex Kittens in Hi-Fi New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $15-35. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun/20, July 27, Aug 3, and 10, 2pm. Through Aug 10. This musical revue about a trio of women in search of the ultimate bachelor includes a score of retro tunes ("Kiss of Fire," "Never on a Sunday") given new arrangements by Cockettes veteran Richard "Scrumbly" Koldewyn.

Spike Heels Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2260, www.inquiline.org. $15. Thurs-Sat and Mon/21, 8pm. Through Aug 2. Inquiline Theatre Company performs Theresa Rebeck's Pygmalion-style tale about a man who transforms a waitress into a businesswoman, then falls for her.

'Summer Shorts: Crossed Wires' Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 1-877-838-7601. $10-25. Fri-Sat and Aug 7, 14, 8pm; Aug 3, 5pm. Through Aug 16. Isis Arts Collective performs nine short, politically themed one-acts that "reflect fragments of a fragmented country."

*Urinetown: The Musical Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228. $16-66. Wed/16-Sat/19, July 22-26, 29-31, Aug 1-2, 5-9, and 12-16, 8pm (also Wed/16, Sat/19, July 23, 26, 30, Aug 2, 6, 9, 13, and 16, 2pm); Sun/13, July 20, 27, Aug 3, 10, 17, 2pm. Through Aug 17. Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis's subversive fringe-fest-to-off-Broadway-to-Broadway production (presented here by American Conservatory Theater) has reaped vast praise despite its unlikely premise. Set in a "Gotham-like city" in the aftermath of "the Stink Years" (vernacular for a worldwide ecological disaster that delivered the last few wells of fresh water into the hands of a mighty corporation), Urinetown imagines a world where, for the majority of people, micturition takes place in public pay-per-pee facilities. Worth the hype, Urinetown is devastatingly clever musical theater, spoofing conventions while paying inspired homage to the form, with everyone from Bertolt Brecht to Bob Fosse passing through its depression-era tableaux. (Avila)

*The Vomit Talk of Ghosts Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 419-3584, www.cuttingball.com. $12-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Aug 16. From Cutting Ball comes the world premiere of a play so profane, so lubricious, and so fundamentally demented that it's easily one of the most satisfying theatrical evenings around. While no one onstage actually vomits, pubescent Amber (a sexily dangerous Elizabeth Bullard) is the human channel for a ghost, the Deadman (a Frankensteinian Garth Petal), who has also begun to possess her sexually, a situation to envied by her friend Chloe (vivacious Jessa Stanens) but of no deep concern for her parents (Paige Rodgers and Richard Bolster, having a ball), who happen to worship him as their messiah. From that point, the relationship begins to get tricky. Although playwright Kevin Oakes should properly get his mouth washed out with soap, that doesn't stop his dialogue from being coruscatingly brilliant, and Rob Melrose's stylish production is at its best when the characters exult in Oakes's uninhibited language and action. (Baghdachi)

Bay Area

*Arms and the Man Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, off Hwy 24 at Shakespeare Festival Wy/Gateway Exit, Orinda; (510) 548-9666, www.calshakes.org. $13-49. Tues-Thurs, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 4pm. Through July 27. George Bernard Shaw's antiromantic romantic comedy enjoys a lively and infectious production at the California Shakespeare Theater. Set during the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885 in the home of a wealthy Bulgarian family, the play tells the story of Raina (Stacey Ross), who finds an enemy soldier hiding in her bedroom. The charming Captain Bluntschli (Anthony Fusco) proceeds to turn all of the young woman's (and our) romantic notions of war, heroism, and love upside down. Lillian Groag's spirited direction falters only slightly in mocking too well the romantic habits of her characters, since it leaves less for the antihero, Bluntschli, to deflate. Nevertheless, with the arrival of Fusco's first-rate Chaplin-esque Bluntschli, the pace gets rolling and doesn't slacken for a minute, building steadily to a comic-romantic crescendo that makes fine use of Groag's excellent cast. (Avila)

Attempts on Her Life La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berk; 1-866-GOT-FURY, www.foolsfury.org. $15-20. Fri/18-Sat/19, 8pm. foolsFURY remounts their acclaimed production of Martin Crimp's avant-garde play about the various identities of a mysterious woman.

Barefoot in the Park Playhouse, 27 Kensington, San Anselmo; (415) 892-8551, www.mctheatre.com. $10-18. Thurs/17-Sat/19, 8pm; Sun/20, 2pm. Marin Classic Theatre performs Neil Simon's comedy about New York newlyweds.

A Comedy of Errors Shakespeare at Stinson, Highway One at Calle Del Mar, Stinson Beach; (415) 868-1115, www.shakespeareatstinson.org. $16-23. Fri-Sat, 7pm; Sun, 6pm. Through Aug 31. Shakespeare at Stinson performs the Bard's mistaken identity comedy.

Cookin' at the Cookery: The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7255, www.sjrep.com. $26-66. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Aug 3. San Jose Repertory Theatre presents the musical, starring Tony winner Ann Duquesnay as the late blues legend Alberta Hunter.

Kiss Me Kate Woodminster Amphitheater, Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller, Oakl; (510) 531-9597, www.woodminster.com. $17-29. Thurs/17-Sun/20, 8pm. Woodminster Summer Musicals presents the Cole Porter play.

The Merry Wives of Windsor Forest Meadows Outdoor Amphitheater, Grand Ave, Dominican University, San Rafael; (415) 499-4488. $15-25. Sun/20, July 26, Aug 1, 3, 9, 15, 8pm; July 27, Aug 10, 17, 4pm. Through Aug 17. The Marin Shakespeare Company performs Shakespeare's comedy, resetting it in 1970s Marin County.

The Rover This week: Live Oak Park, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 420-0813, www.womanswill.org. Sat/19-Sun/20, 1pm. Free. At various Bay Area parks through Aug 24. All-female Shakespeare company Woman's Will performs Aphra Behn's 1677 rowdy carnival tale.

San Francisco Mime Troupe's 'Veronique of the Mounties' Next performance: Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto near E. Blithedale, Mill Valley; (415) 285-1717, www.sfmt.org. Free. July 23, 7pm (live music at 6:30pm). At various Bay Area parks through Sept 1. Inaugurating their 42nd year of free theater in the park, the Mime Troupe serves up Michael Gene Sullivan and Bruce Barthol's punchy tale, which posits the inevitable redirection of the war on terror northward to Canada. The country's only hope is the Ameri-phobic super-Mountie Veronique Du Bois (Velina Brown) and her American contact, a rebel librarian (Keiko Shimosato). Complete with half a dozen musical numbers (backed by composer-musical director Jason Sherbundy's cookin' three-piece band), the wacky but wise story suggests that peace lies in international solidarity as much as homegrown opposition to flag-waving pseudopatriots. (Avila)

Thérèse Raquin Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822. $28-38. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through July 27. Aurora Theater presents Emile Zola's closet melodrama, adapted from his scandalous and very popular second novel about an infidelity gone horribly wrong. Thérèse (Stephanie Gularte), adopted daughter of Madame Raquin (Joy Carlin), slowly suffocates in a loveless marriage to her benefactress's sickly son Camille (Jonathan Rhys Williams) until she takes his strapping friend Laurent (Mark Elliot Wilson) as her lover. Together they have a good enough time of it to plot Camille's murder. But after marrying with Madame Raquin's blessing, the haunted, miserable couple grow increasingly paranoid and guilt-ridden until they finally wreak the dead man's revenge on themselves. This early work from the father of naturalism, for all its presumption of cold scientific objectivity, obviously has a hefty moral streak to it, while its psychological and gothic aspects bring to mind a sexy French version of Edgar Allan Poe. Tom Ross's meticulous direction gets nice performances all around, though Williams's Camille plays so well against the conspiring lovers that it's a shame he gets bumped off in the first act. Owen Murphy, Stephen Pawley, and Danielle Rae Levin lend admirable support as the annoyingly ever-present houseguests. (Avila)

dance

Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 6pm. $18-20. The company performs the world premiere Global Heart, featuring guest Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir.

Haruko Nishimura Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. Mon-Tues, 8pm. $10-15. The Butoh perfomer presents Thirteen, a solo work with live musical accompaniment by members of the Degenerate Art Ensemble.

'Summerfest/dance West Wave Dance Festival' ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 345-7575, www.summerfestdance.org. $18-20. The annual festival, which runs through July 27, highlights contemporary dance by West Coast choreographers. This week: "OneNightOnly!," featuring works by Abigail Hosein, Carmen Carnes/Veda Dance, Banafsheh Sayyad/Namah Ensemble, Erica Rebollar, and Nora Chipaumire (Wed, 8pm); and works by Megan Nicely and Company, Dandelion Dancetheater, Huckabay McAllister Dance, Michael Lowe, and Rebecca Salzer Dance Theater (Fri-Sat, 8pm). See 8 Days a Week, page 52.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $8-12. This week: "BATS Summer Games" (Fri-Sat, 8pm); "The 60s Experience" (Sat, 10:30pm); and "Micetro" (Sun, 8pm).

'The Fire Garden { Dream' Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; (510) 601-6269. Fri-Sat, 9pm. $20. This performance features fire sculptures, belly and fire dancers, a stilt-walking violinist, and more.

'The Frilly Crucifictions' Bindlestiff Studio, 185 Sixth St; 974-1167. Thurs-Sat, call for time. $10-15 (sliding scale). Through July 26. The Bindlestiff Pinay Collective presents their latest show, which uses comedy, masks, and "politically incorrect theatrics."

'The Kinsey Sicks: Get Off Your Fat Ass and See Our Show!' Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. Sat, 8pm. Through July 26. $20-32. "America's favorite dragapella beautyshop quartet" returns to San Francisco for a show of new songs and audience favorites.

'A Little Distracted' Spanganga, 3376 Mission; 341-1604, ext 2. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10. Sketch comedy group Uphill Both Ways performs their newest revue.

'Porch Light' Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market; aklatte@sbcglobal.net. Mon, 6:30pm (party), 8:30pm (stories). $10. See 8 Days a Week.

'Short Leaps 2' Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 776-7424, www.threewisemonkeys.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10-20. Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company presents a minifestival of 19 short plays (all less than 15 minutes long) by Bay Area playwrights.

'Travel(mono)logues' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $8-22. This series, performed by travel writers, includes Tales from the Edge with Jeff Greenwald and Jesse Kalisher.

Variety show Center for Variety Arts, 608 Taraval; 242-4433, thecenterforvarietyarts@yahoo.com. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm. $10. This show includes a "Blacklight Theatre" performance, circus acts, and other unusual talents.

'Wheel of Fortune' Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-2787. Mon, 7:30pm. $5-15. Campo Santo's "Open Process Series" presents a reading and discussion of John Steppling's work-in-progress play.

'Women's Work' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. Tues, 8pm. Through July 29. $8-10. This week: Kate Corby and Dancers perform The Wavering and War Bride; San Francisco Women's Drum Troupe perform Women's Work and Women's Play; and monologuist Erica Lann-Clark and jazz musician Penny Hanna perform Cooking Up Your Real Self – Who Knew?

Bay Area

'The ERPies' Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway, Oakl; www.emeraldrain.com. Wed, 8:30pm. $5-20 (sliding scale). Emerald Rain Productions celebrates its 10th birthday with a concert and mock awards show.

comedy

Chronicle Pavilion 2000 Kirker Pass, Concord; www.ticketmaster.com. Sat, 8pm: "Second Annual Black Comedy Explosion Under the Stars" with Steve Harvey, Adele Givens, Arnez J., and more, $40.50-69.50.

Glenview Performing Arts Center 1318 Glenfield, Oakl; (510) 531-0511, www.theoaklandplayhouse.com. Sat, 8pm: The Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe performs, $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 spoken word events and featured readers:

Wednesday: BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 440-5530. "Spoken Word Salon," with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave; 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, 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.

Friday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash!," with Alicia Suskin Ostriker and Jenny Factor, 7:30pm, $2. Presentation Theater USF, 2350 Turk; 1-877-537-8073. Lucille Clifton, Brenda Hillman, Sharon Olds, and Tom Sleigh read poetry to benefit the poetry scholarship fund of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, 7:30pm, $15-20.

Saturday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash!," with Joseph Di Prisco and Brian Young, 7:30pm, $2. Caffe Sempione 641 Vallejo; 362-6317. "Caffe Sempione Reading Series," with featured reader Monique Magdalena, followed by open mic, 7pm, free.

Sunday: Hyena Playhouse 2390 Mission, Ste 10; 821-3601. "Hubbub: Queer Spoken Word" with host Larry-bob and featured readers Lloyd Stensrud and Jennifer Argle, 3pm, $3.

Monday: Sweetie's Cafe and Bar 474 Francisco; sciaf@yahoo.com. Poetry open mic hosted by Susan Birkeland, 8pm, free. Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore; 931-5260. "Celebration of the Word," open mic hosted by Jeanne Powell with featured readers Elz Cuya, 7pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave; getbooked@yahoo.com. "Lit at the Canvas: A Celebration of San Francisco Literature," 8:30pm, $7.