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

The Beat Baha'i Center Theater, 170 Valencia; 431-9870, ext 99999, www.universalarts.org. $15-20. Opens Fri/1, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm). Through Aug 23. Universal Arts presents a new dance-theater work created by veterans of Stomp and Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk.

Plays on Words Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 810-7304. $15-17. Opens Thurs/31, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Aug 23. This performance includes eight original short comic plays by three playwrights.

Bay Area

Mother Courage and Her Children John Hinkel Park, Southampton between San Diego and Somerset, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. Free (Sat/2, opening-night fundraiser, $20). Opens Sat/2, 4pm. Runs Sat-Sun, 4pm (no show Aug 9; Sept 13 show at Live Oak Park, Berryman between Shattuck and Walnut, Berk). Through Sept 14. The Shotgun Players perform the war-themed Brecht play with live music.

Ongoing

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/31-Sun/3 and Mon/4 (actors' benefit performance), 8pm. In this world premiere, playwright-director Octavio Solis and Campo Santo theater company embark on a slippery, compassionate exploration of the darkness of the human heart. New York journalist Lee Rosenblum (Sean San Jose) arrives in El Paso for a story on Mateo Buenaventura (Luis Saguar), recently released from prison for the brutal slaying of a high school girl (Anna Maria Luera), whose heart he cut out before having sex with the body. To bridge the cultural gap between New York and El Paso and win an interview with Mateo, Lee reveals his secret roots as a Mexican American and his abuse by his father. Under Mateo's spell, however, Lee blurs the line between his subject's past and his own. San Jose and Saguar brilliantly play off one another as they markedly build to the play's violent climax. An inspired vision is at work in this investigation of human frailty. (Avila)

Cocksucker: A Love Story Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $20-30. Extended run: Wed/30-Sat/2, 8pm; Sun/3, 3pm. 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 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).

Dangerous Corner Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179. $5-20. 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.

'DykeDrama Festival' Luna Sea Theater, 2940 16th St; 863-2989. $12-14. Fri/1-Sat/2, 8pm. 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.

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

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

Love and Taxes Magic Theatre, Bldg D, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775, www.zspace.org. $25-27. Extended run: Wed/30-Sat/2, 8:30pm; Sun/3, 2:30pm. 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; Sun/3, 5pm. Through Aug 16. 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 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)

Phantom of the Opera Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770. $30-85. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Aug 7. Andrew Lloyd Webber's irrevocable musical theater juggernaut returns to San Francisco for a limited engagement in a new touring production, after the first tour's historic five-year run at the Curran, which ended back in 1998. The show is, of course, based on Gaston Leroux's novel about a masked musical maniac (Brad Little) hovering along the flies and under the floorboards of the Paris Opera House, wreaking mischief and worse, who falls recklessly in love with his protégée, a beautiful soprano (Lisa Vroman). Little's Phantom is an imposing, tear-jerking treat, while Vroman's return as Christine feels charmingly fresh yet reflects a subtlety and force clearly born of deep understanding of the role. Tim Martin Gleason as Phantom-rival Raoul is suitably charismatic without questioning our urge to root for the Phantom. Directed by Harold Prince, Phantom wields quite an array of eye-widening sets, costumes, and effects (including, in addition to the infamous chandelier, the elaborate opéra bouffe, the spooky boat ride across a foggy lagoon, and the impressively decked-out "Masquerade" sequence). Given the limits of the story and the music (and why, anyway, would a creature laden with musical genius indulge so many sappy songs?) it is the spectacle that haunts. (Avila)

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/31-Sat/2, 8pm. 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; Sat/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/30-Sat/2, Aug 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, and 26-30, 8pm (also Wed/30, Sat/2, Aug 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

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 16. See "American Gothic," page 176.

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. Wed/30-Sat/2, 8pm (also Sat/2, 3pm); Sun/3, 2 and 7pm. 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. Sat/2, Aug 8, 10, 16-17, 8pm; Sun/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/1-Sun/3, 7:30pm. Aug 9-24, runs Sat-Sun, 7:30pm, Memorial Park Amphitheater, across from De Anza College, Stevens Creek between Mary and N. Stelling, Cupertino. 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. Fri/1, Sun/3, Aug 9, 15, 8pm; 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: Sat/2, 1pm, Memorial Park, 24176 Mission Blvd, Hayward; (510) 420-0813, www.womanswill.org. Free. (Also Sun/3, 1pm, Rengstorff House, 3070 N. Shoreline, Mountain View). 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: Wed/30, 7pm (music at 6:30pm), Montclair Park, 6300 Moraga, Montclair; (415) 285-1717, www.sfmt.org. Free. (Also Sat/2, 2pm, live music 1:30pm, Peacock Meadow, JFK Dr. between McLaren Lodge and the Conservatory of Flowers, S.F.; Sun/3, 2pm, live music 1:30pm, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission at Third St, S.F.) 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)

Savage Eye Phoenix Theater, 414 Mason, Sixth Flr; 364-3070. $20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Aug 16. Savage Eye Productions performs four one-act plays by Hal Savage inspired by film noir.

dance

Danville Ballet Company Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; (925) 943-7469. Fri, 7:30pm. $16-20. "Summer Showcase 2003" includes a short lecture-demonstration and performances of various styles of dance, including ballet, jazz, and modern.

June Watanabe in Company Headlands Center for the Arts, 944 Fort Barry, Sausalito; (415) 835-2115. Sun, 4pm. $8-10. The company performs the work-in-progress Noh Project II (working title).

Marin Ballet College of Marin Fine Arts Theater, 835 College, Kentfield; (415) 721-9622. Sat, 2 and 7pm. $14-22. See 8 Days a Week.

Suhaila Salimpour Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; (925) 943-7469. Sat, 8pm. $29. The belly dancer performs solo to live music.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $5-12. This week: "Summer Games Semi-Finals" (Fri-Sat, 8pm); "Micetro" (Sun, 8pm); "Theatresports Raw," (Mon, 7:15pm workout, 8pm free show).

'Bay Area Playwrights Festival' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 263-3986. $12-20. Staged readings and events this week: Slow Falling Bird by Christine Evans (Fri, 8pm); Spin Movies by Ken Weitzman (Sat, 11am); Sweet Home by Keith Josef Adams (Sat, 3); The Supers by Sara Moore with composer Marc Ream (Sat, 8pm); "Playwrights Jam" (Sat, 10:30pm); Over the Mountain by Brian Thorstenson (Sun, 10:30am); Big Death and Little Death by Mickey Birnbaum (Sun, 2pm).

'The Faultline Festival' New College of California, 777 Valencia; 437-3487. Thurs, 8pm; Fri-Sat, 7:30pm. The Experimental Performance Institute hosts this weekend of experimental theater and dance performances ($7-12, times listed above) and workshops, panels, and parties (free, call or go to www.epiarts.org for details).

'Sharky's Den of Sunken Pleasure' CELLspace, 2050 Bryant; 561-1465. Thurs, 7pm. $12-20. This event kicks off with a "Fair of Oceanic Wonders" interactive science display, followed by an aquatic-themed burlesque play, and finishing with a "GlamourFest" go-go dance party.

'Wigfield' Post Street Theatre, 450 Post; 321-2900, www.ticketmaster.com. Wed-Thurs, 8pm. $35. Comedians Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert perform a page-to-stage version of their book Wigfield, The Can-Do Town That Just May Not.

Bay Area

'Dane's Dames Burlesque' 19 Broadway, 19 Broadway, Fairfax; (415) 485-0375. Sat, 9:30pm. $10. Eddie Dane hosts a tiki-themed burlesque show.

'The Tragedy of Macbush' Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 465-0076, www.womenforpeace.org/macbush.htm. Fri-Sun, 8pm (also Sun, 2pm). $15.50-20. The Before Columbus Foundation sponsors this production of Michael Hettinger's Bush administration-influenced rewrite of Macbeth.

comedy

Mock Cafe 1074 Valencia; noychromosome@yahoo.com. Fri, 9pm: "No Y Chromosome Comedy Showcase," $7.

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 Bill Taylor, 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.

Saturday: Caffe Sempione 641 Vallejo; 362-6317. "Caffe Sempione Reading Series," with featured reader Julia Vinograd, followed by open mic, 7pm, 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, 7pm, free.