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

Dangerous Corner Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179. $5-20. Previews Wed/23-Thurs/24, 8pm. Opens Fri/25, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Aug 16. Actors Theatre of San Francisco performs J.B. Priestly's 1932 thriller, updated to modern-day Silicon Valley.

Iolanthe Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-2787, www.lamplighters.org. $25-42 (July 30, pay what you can). Previews Fri/25, 8pm. Runs Sat/26, July 30-Aug 2, 8pm (also Aug 2, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Aug 3. The Lamplighters perform Gilbert and Sullivan's fairy opera.

Savage Eye Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason, sixth fl; 364-3070. $20. Opens Thurs/24, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Aug 16. Savage Eye Productions performs four one-act plays by Hal Savage inspired by film noir.

Ongoing

*Akin Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 435-7571. $15-20. Thurs/24-Sat/26, 8pm. 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 compliments the play's almost metaphysical slant. (Avila)

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. See "The Heart of Texas," page 42.

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/27, 8:30pm).

Devil in the Deck Climate Theater, 285 Ninth St; 364-1411. $15-25. Extended run: Thurs/24-Sat/26, 8pm. 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. This festival features "short plays by and about dykes." This week: Desire and the Doll by tatiana de la tierra; Clitty Conversation by Christie N.G. White; and Butch 2 Butch by Aleada Minton.

*Elaine Stritch: At Liberty Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; www.ticketmaster.com. $35-78. Wed/23-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 7pm. Actress, singer, and theater legend Elaine Stritch has one of those larger-than-life lives that demand to be put on the stage. Good thing that's where she's spent most of her life. Who could be better qualified? In this disarming and utterly entertaining look back at her sometimes rocky, always fascinating career, Stritch weaves a program of songs by friends like Noel Coward, Rogers and Hart, and Stephen Sondheim, among others (including her signature rendition of "The Ladies Who Lunch"), with the eye-widening, often hilarious showbiz reminiscences of a born raconteur. The result is a beguiling atmosphere so vivid and colorful it belies the bare stage. Indeed, there are no props either beyond a cumbersome, no-nonsense high stool, which the slight-framed septuagenarian obsessively moves around the stage in between numbers. The show, put together with New Yorker theater critic John Lahr and directed by George C. Wolfe, gradually gives way to a candid and touching, though never maudlin, reflection on life's more difficult passages, its regrets and absences. An indestructible original, Stritch will make you fall in love with the stage and the diminutive powerhouse on it. (Avila)

Fire on Pier 32 Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission; 437-4040, www.laborfest.net. $20. Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 2pm. Jack Rasmus's play looks at the Longshoremen's Union in San Francisco, and American unions in general, and takes as its starting point the 1934 "Bloody Thursday" strike that preceded the San Francisco General Strike of the same year.

Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $18-38. Extended run: Wed/23-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 2pm. 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/27-Mon/28, 7:30pm. One part comedy, one part memoir, and just a pinch of cable-access-show flavor go into San Francisco comedian Heather Gold's 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. 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. (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 Theatre, 533 Sutter; 794-4848, plethorashow@yahoo.com. $15. Thurs/24-Sat/26, 7 and 9pm. 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/24-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 7pm. 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. Taken as a whole, the 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/24-Sat/26, 9:30pm. 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 human-made ruin. But the play's heightened language 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. (Avila)

Orphans Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary; 487-7994, www.orphansf.com. $10. Fri/25-Sat/26, 7pm; Sun/27, 3pm. 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, 2pm. Through Aug 10. The New Conservatory Theater presents an evening of frisky musical entertainment inspired by the "bachelor den" lounge recordings of the early 1960s. The bachelor of the hour (and a half) is Wayne Bruce (Richard "Scrumbly" Koldewyn), who sits decadently at his electric piano in silk pajamas, letting flow a steady stream of sophisticated jazz, while his three naughty-nice neighbors, Lola (Donna Turner), Laurel (Amanda King), and Lily (Ai Ozawa) serve up songs and soak up martinis, with bearing and brio befitting the material. It's light but fun fare, showcasing choice material by Gershwin, Porter, Bacharach, Coward, and others, including an anonymous cat who penned a satisfying bit of Weimar boogie-woogie called "Heut' Spielt Der Willie." The modestly accomplished but definitely spunky chanteuses get a boost from Koldewyn's pleasing arrangements and director Dyan McBride's precise direction, including some smooth and playful choreography. It will slake your desire for cheese while aggravating your thirst for gin. (Avila)

Spike Heels Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2260, www.inquiline.org. $15. Thurs-Sat, 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. Extended run: Wed/23-Sat/26, July 29-31, Aug 1-2, 5-9, and 12-16, 19-23, 26-30, 8pm (also Wed/23, Sat/26, July 30, Aug 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 23, 26, and 30, 2pm); Sun, 2pm (also Aug 24, 7pm). Through Aug 31. 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. Wed/23-Thurs/24, 7:30pm; Fri/25-Sat/26, 8pm (also Sat/26, 2pm); Sun/27, 4pm. 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)

Bat Boy Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. 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.

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. Playwright-director Marion J. Caffey's slick and contagious tribute to blues legend Alberta Hunter starts with her 1977 appearance at Greenwich Village's Cookery at the age of 81, after a 20-year hiatus from a musical career begun in Chicago in the 1920s. Broadway veteran Ann Duquesnay, backed by musical director George Caldwell's smooth-as-silk quartet, channels all of the energy, humor, and heat of the beloved performer in a series of rousing, rocking, and raunchy musical numbers that include several of Hunter's own popular compositions. With help from admirably versatile Janice Lorraine as the young Hunter, Cookery manager Barney Josephson, and Louis Armstrong, among others, Caffey's lovingly crafted portrait retraces the steps of a precocious and intrepid Memphis girl determined to be a world-class singer. With all of Hunter's notable ups and downs, her travels through Europe and later to Korea with the USO, her discovery of her love for women, and her adoring but quietly strained relationship with her mother, Cookin's musical odyssey offers an inspired slice of blues history through the approachable story of an exceptional woman. (Avila)

Don Juan Forest Meadows Outdoor Amphitheater, Grand Ave, Dominican University, San Rafael; (415) 499-4488. $15-25. Fri/25, Sun/27, Aug 2, 8, 10, 16-17, 8pm; 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. 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.

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

Private Lives Theater Arts Main Stage, Heller at Meyer, UC Santa Cruz (use west entrance), Santa Cruz; (831) 459-2159. $10-36. Sat/26, Aug 7, 9, 17, and 23, 2pm; July 30, Aug 6, 12, 14, 19, and 24, 7:30pm; Aug 2-3, 8, 16, and 22, 8pm. Through Aug 24. Shakespeare Santa Cruz performs Noel Coward's comedy about marriage and divorce.

The Rover This week: Frank Ogawa Plaza, near Broadway at 14th St (next to Oakland City Hall), Oakl; (510) 420-0813, www.womanswill.org. Free. Sat/26-Sun/27, 1 pm. (Also Sun/27, 7pm, Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake, Ross). 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' This week: Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto near E. Blithedale, Mill Valley; (415) 285-1717, www.sfmt.org. Free. Wed/23, 7pm (live music at 6:30pm). (Also Sat/26, 2pm with live music at 1:30pm, Mosswood Park, MacArthur at Broadway, Oakl; Sun/27, 2pm with live music at 1:30pm, Mitchell Park, 600 E. Meadow, Palo Alto). 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/23-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 2 and 7pm. Aurora Theatre 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. 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. (Avila)

dance

Kristin Lemberg Lab, 2948 16th St; 864-8855. Fri-Sat, 9pm. $10-20 (sliding scale). Choreographer, dancer, and performance artist performs Wanderlust in FableCity, an evening-length solo work.

'ODC/unplugged' ODC Theater and Gallery, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. Thurs, 7pm (reception, 6pm). $25. ODC/San Francisco's behind-the-scenes series presents Fiendish Variations, a work in progress by Brenda Way.

San Francisco Ballet Stern Grove, 19th Ave at Sloat; 252-6252, www.sterngrove.org. Sun, 2pm (preperformance talk, noon). Free. See 8 Days a Week, page 50.

'Summerfest/dance presents West Wave Dance Festival 2003' Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.summerfestdance.org. $18-20. The annual festival highlights contemporary dance by West Coast choreographers. This week: works by Liss Fain Dance, Mary Carbonara Dances, Heide Schweiker, Michael Kruzich, and Company C. Contemporary Ballet (Thurs-Fri, 8pm); works by Annie Rosenthal Parr and Patricia Jiron; Janice Garrett and Dancers; Amy Seiwert; Laura Elaine Ellis; Mark Foehringer Dance Project/SF; and KT Nelson (Sat-Sun, 8pm). See "New Wave?," page 43.

Bay Area

Offspring Dance Company San Anselmo Playhouse, 27 Kensington, San Anselmo; (415) 454-5759. Sat-Sun, 8pm. $10. The company performs Gestus, a work that incorporates a variety of styles including aerial dance, ballet, modern, jazz, and more.

performance

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

'Bay Area Playwrights Festival' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 263-3986. $12-20. Staged readings this week: Over the Mountain by Brian Thorstenson (Fri, 8pm); "A Tribute to Nilo Cruz" special event (Fri, 10:30pm); Sweet Home by Keith Josef Adkins (Sat, 3pm); Big Death and Little Death by Mickey Birnbaum; "Bay Area Shorts," short plays (Sun, 2pm); Slow Falling Bird by Christine Evans (Sun, 5:30pm); Spin Moves by Ken Weitzman (Mon, 7pm).

'Before/After' New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom; 626-5416. Sat, 8pm. $5-10. See 8 Days a Week, page 50.

Anita Cocktail and the Shakers Hush Hush Lounge, 496 14th St; 241-8844. Sun, 4-8pm. $6. Along with show tunes, this cabaret performance also includes rock, country, gospel, and folk selections; special guests the Kitchenettes also appear.

'826 Valencia, Dave Eggers, and Campo Santo: Staged Narratives' Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-2787. Tues, 8pm. $5-15 (sliding scale). Dave Eggers's play in progress, Velocity!/Sacrament!, is read, along with prose and play excerpts by students at 826 Valencia.

'Fresh Voices IV' Goat Hall, 400 Missouri; 289-6877. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $15-20. This festival of new music highlights Bay Area composers and librettists.

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

'Intimate Magic: An Evening of Enchantment!' Stanyan Park Hotel, 750 Stanyan; 771-6606. Sat, 8pm. $15 (reservations required). Kostya and members of the Magic Dungeon Academy perform tricks and illusions.

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

'Paradise' A Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 399-1809. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10. A Traveling Jewish Theatre's Educational Touring and Outreach Program presents an original play for all ages based on the story of the Garden of Eden.

'To Hades and Back Again' Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 821-2418. Mon, 7pm. $7. First Seen presents a staged reading of Katherine Murphy's updated Greek tragedy.

'Women's Work' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. Tues, 8pm. $8-10. This week: performances by Samantha Blanchard, Susan Evans, Margery Kreitman, and Alyssa Wilmot.

comedy

Double Play 2401 16th St; 821-3601. Fri, 8:30pm: "Hyena Comedy All-Stars," $7.

Ruby Skye 420 Mason; 984-1488. Wed, 8pm: "Asian American Comedy Night," sponsored by the Chinatown Community Development Center and featuring the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, Joey Guila, and more, $20-25.

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 1800 Market; 865-5633. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Gay Comedy" with host Adam Sandel, $8-15 (sliding scale).

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. Savoy Tivoli 1434 Grant; 905-8837. "Savoy Tivoli Reading Series" with host Mark Schwartz and featured reader Jessica Loos, 8pm, free. Barnes and Noble 2352 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 644-0861. "Poetic Justice" with Kathryn Waddell, Kevin Johnson, Deborah Day, and more, plus open mic, 7:30pm, free.

Thursday: New Langton Arts 1246 Folsom; 626-5416. "Diaspora Poetics" with Bhanu Kapil Rider and Arnold J. Kemp, 8pm, $4-6. See 8 Days a Week, page 50. Dalva 3121 16th St; 753-8091. "Poetry Misson" with featured reader Ching-In Chen, 7pm, free.

Friday: Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth St, Oakl; (510) 525-3948. "Divine Madness: Women Poets" with Kathryn Takara, Avotcja, Pireeni Sundaralingam, drea brown, Nicki Love, and Jeanne Powell, 7pm, $3-7.

Saturday: Caffe Sempione 641 Vallejo; 362-6317. "Caffe Sempione Reading Series," with featured readers Will Dodger and Craig Easely, followed by open mic, 7pm, free. Hotel Utah Saloon 500 Fourth St; 546-6300. Avant-garde spoken word with PC Munoz and the Amen Corner, 10pm, call for price.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash!," with Avotcja and Kathryn Waddell Takara, 7:30pm, $2. Bird and Beckett Books and Records 2788 Diamond; 586-3733. Poet Armando Garcia-Davila reads from his work, followed by open mic, 4:30pm, free.

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 reader Kevin O'Brien, 7pm, free.