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

Ain't It So and The Hundred Years War Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 364-3073. $20. Opens Thurs/4, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. CJ Productions presents two one-acts: the first the tale of a friendship between two elderly African American couples, the second about a black man encouraged to vote for the first time in 1965.

Barriers Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; www.asianamericantheater.org. $20. Opens Thurs/4, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Sat-Sun, 2pm). Through Sept 14. Asian American Theater Company and Despina Productions present Rehana Mirza's play about a South Asian family who experience backlash after Sept. 11.

'San Francisco Fringe Festival' Various venues; (415) 673-3847, www.sffringe.org. $8 or less per show (10-show pass, $55). Sept 3-14: Mon-Fri, 7, 8:30, and 10pm (also Fri, 11:30pm); Sat, shows run 1-11:30pm; Sun, 11:30am-8:30pm. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

3 For All Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, third fl, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935. $12-20. Opens Fri/5, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. The improv group 3 For All performs its world premiere "movie with no script" – unique each performance.

Yohen Zeum Theater, Fourth St at Howard; 749-2228, www.act-sfbay.org. $11-24. Previews Sat/6, Sept 10-11, 8pm; Sun/7, 7pm. Opens Sept 12, 8pm. Runs Wed-Thurs, 7pm (also Sept 17, 1pm); Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sept 14, 7pm). Through Sept 27. ACT performs Philip Kan Gotanda's new play about a couple – an African American World War II veteran and his Japanese wife – who reevaluate their marriage after 30 years.

Bay Area

Me and My Girl Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $28-45 (Tues, except opening night, pay what you can). Previews Thurs/4-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 2 and 7pm. Opens Tues/9, 8pm. Runs Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sept 18, 1pm; Sept 13 and Oct 4, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Oct 5. Marin Theatre Company and Allegro Theatre Company perform the musical about a Cockney lad who unexpectedly becomes an earl.

My Gypsy Mills College, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (650) 960-3536. $20-25. Previews Fri/5-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 2pm. Opens Sept 10, 8pm. Runs Sept 12-13, 8pm (also Sept 12, 2:30pm); Sept 14, 2pm. Continues at various Bay Area venues through Oct 26. A young Roma woman struggles with accepting her upcoming arranged marriage.

Nickel and Dimed Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Previews Wed/3-Fri/5, 8pm. Opens Sat/6, 8pm. Runs Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Sept 28. (Also, Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St, SF; 415-647-2822. $18-32. Previews Oct 8-10, 8pm. Opens Oct 11, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Nov 9.) Brava! for Women in the Arts and TheatreWorks present Joan Holden's adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich's book about a woman working undercover in low-wage America.

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Previews Fri/5-Sat/6 and Tues/9, 8pm; Sun/7, 7pm. Opens Sept 10, 8pm. Runs Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sept 13, 20, 27, and Oct 11, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through Oct 19. Berkeley Rep performs director Mary Zimmerman's adaptation of the Renaissance genius' notes on mathematics, philosophy, and other topics.

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.

'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 Sept 28); Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe (Sept 19-20 and 26-27, 10pm).

The Complete Condensed History of the Bay Area: Seafarers to Silicon Valley Aboard the Balclutha, Fisherman's Wharf, Hyde St. Pier; 561-6662, ext 11. $10-15. Sat, 8pm (no show Sat/6); Sun/7, 7pm. Through Sept 20. Michael and Renee Oakes of Live Oakes Educational Theatre lead a fast-paced historical journey "from Ohlone to dot commers."

Daughter of the Floods Embarcadero Auto Showroom, Sansome at Broadway; 263-0414. $20-28. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Sept 14. Tearany Theatre performs Marilee Talkington's site-specific play about a woman's journey toward enlightenment.

The Fall River Axe Murders Magic Theatre, Northside stage, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775. $27. Wed/3-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 3pm. Word for Word's verbatim staging of gothic writer Angela Carter's take on Lizzie Borden, America's own gothic sweetheart, casts light on the question in the darker regions of the Protestant ethic and on the spirit of decapitation. A subtle and darkly funny tale unfolds in a sweltering New England town in 1892 that, in probing the enduring mystery of the motive, fingers not only the deranged Lizzie (a dangerous-looking Stephanie Hunt), her voracious stepmother (Amy Kossow), and her miserly but indulgent father (an impressively severe John Balma), but also a patriarchal order as stifling as those preposterous Victorian outfits. While not quite explaining Lizzie, Carter does make her of our world, not some ghost story. (Avila)

The Graduate Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; 512-7770, www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. $37-75. Wed/3-Sat/6, 8pm (also Wed/3 and Sat/6, 2pm); Sun/7, 2pm. See A&E review.

Kilt New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-38. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Oct 12. Jonathan Wilson's romantic comedy reconciles a mother and son through their mutual acceptance of the past. Esther (Cheryl Smith), a stern Scottish dance instructor and Canadian immigrant, drags her culturally Canadian son, Tom (Colin Stuart), away from his job as a kilt-clad table dancer at a gay nightclub, to the Glasgow funeral of his grandfather, a war hero he never knew. There are few real surprises under Kilt's colorful but predictable patterns. Moreover, the relationships don't always feel credible, and the second act sprawls a bit. But director Stephen Rupsch gets a lot from the snappy dialogue thanks to five sharp, sympathetic performances, especially Smith's proud but well-meaning Esther. (Avila)

Love's Labour's Lost New venue: Golden Gate Park, West of the Conservatory of Flowers; www.sfshakes.org. Free. Sat-Sun, 1:30pm. Through Sept 21. Show continues at various Bay Area parks through Oct 5. The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival presents its annual "Free Shakespeare in the Park" offering.

ManLady New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Wed/3-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 2pm. In his autobiographical solo, George Weiss Vando demonstrates his talent for moving between multifarious identities: from himself as a boy running around in a Superman cape (which in his imagination is really a Wonder Woman cape), to the mother who wants to understand her son, to himself as an attractive, seven-feet-tall-in-heels drag queen lip-syncing to Alanis Morissette. Weiss, with the help of Sue Hamilton's direction, displays a keen awareness of the subtleties that form an integral part of anyone's outward personality. But while Weiss shifts adroitly between accents, postures, facial expressions, and gestures to tell his stories, the anecdotes themselves don't always come together as smoothly. The first third of the show, despite a tender portrayal of maternal angst, is a familiar coming-out narrative. Things pick up when Weiss, donning a sexy red dress and showing off his pole-dancing skills from years of professional drag, talks about misogyny in the gay community and seeks new definitions of masculinity. His answers aren't revolutionary, but the questioning itself adds something worthwhile to a familiar genre. (Shalson)

'Pandemonium! An Evening in Hell with David Mamet and Gertrude Stein' Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $12-15. Thurs-Sat, 8:30pm (no show Thurs/4); Sun, 7:30pm. Through Sept 14. Custom Made Theatre Company performs Bobby Gould in Hell (by David Mamet) and Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights (by Gertrude Stein).

Phantom of the Opera Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770, www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. $30-85. Wed/3-Sat/6, 8pm (also Wed/3, Sat/6, 2pm); Sun/7, 2pm. Andrew Lloyd Webber's irrevocable musical theater juggernaut returns to San Francisco for a limited engagement in a new touring production. 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). 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)

Scabaret! (Scab in the Family) Xenodrome, 1320 Potrero; 285-9366. $10-15. Wed/3-Sat/6, Sept 10-13, 19-20, 26-27, 9pm. Through Sept 27. The performance troupe presents their eponymous "shock-rock opera," an exploration of the dark side of America.

Sleeping with Straight Men Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $20-30. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 3pm). Through Sept 21. Dan Renzi (of MTV's The Real World) stars in Ronnie Larsen's comedy.

Spanked! New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $15-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 10pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sept 14, 4pm). Through Sept 14. The New Conservatory Theatre Center presents real-life couple Ian MacKinnon and Aaron Hartzler in their play about their relationships with their fathers.

Thirst Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081, www.thickdescription.org. $15-25. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Sept 21. Thick Description performs the world premiere of Neena Beber's play set in the world of contemporary art collecting (loosely based on the Henry James novel Roderick Hudson).

A Thunderbird Night of Terror Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason, Ste 601; 289-6766, www.ticketweb.com. $17. Thurs-Mon, 8pm. Through Sept 20. Thunderbird Theatre Company's Night of Terror lives up to its name. During six shorts, the cast machetes its way through a variety of gory themes that would make any B-movie aficionado foam at the mouth. By staging – and using liberal dashings of fake blood and fright masks – the ritual sacrifice of virgins, drill-wielding homicidal maniacs running amok, and Satan sodomizing unsuspecting Satanists, very little is left to the imagination. The actors, as if obeying a constant stage direction to "ham it up and shout a lot," rush around madly, yelling their overlabored lines as if performing before an audience of 500 rather than 50. About as subtle as a severed ear swimming about in a vat of blood (and considerably less amusing), the performance, though misguided and ill-conceived, makes plain the violent strain in our hysterical, gore-mongering society. (Veltman)

Bay Area

'Impact Briefs 6: Shock and Awe' La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. Impact Theatre presents an evening of ultrashort comedic plays.

Love and Taxes Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.zspace.org. $25-40. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2:30 and 7pm. Through Sept 14. 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)

*Master Harold ... and the Boys Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 534-9529, www.oaklandmetro.org. $10-18. Fri/5-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 7pm. Based on an incident from his childhood in the early days of apartheid, Athol Fugard's most personal play is also one of his most supple: the story of a fateful day in the relationship between a white South African teenager and the two black family servants who raised him; a damning portrait of a barbaric social system; a subtle and compelling exploration of the psychology of power; a meditation on parenting, the nature of social reform, and the role of education, and more. The fruitful collaboration between Oakland Public Theater and Second Wind Productions has resulted in a powerful, altogether impressive treatment that shows small theater at its best. Director Manu Mukasa coaxes beautifully measured performances from his fine cast, capturing the humor, compassion, and unswerving honesty of the play, while building seamlessly to its wrenching climax and wistful, agonized denouement. (Avila)

A Midsummer Night's Dream Forest Meadows Outdoor Amphitheater, Grand Ave, Dominican University, San Rafael; (415) 499-4488. $13-25. Fri/5-Sun/7, 8pm (also Sun/7, 4pm). Marin Shakespeare Company performs Shakespeare's romantic comedy, with a cast that includes a trained canine named Bonzer as Starveling's Dog.

*Mother Courage and Her Children John Hinkel Park, Southampton between San Diego and Somerset, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. Free. Sat-Sun, 4pm (Sept 13 show at Live Oak Park, Berryman between Shattuck and Walnut, Berk). Through Sept 14. Judging by Shotgun Players' terrific production, Bertold Brecht's antiwar masterpiece Mother Courage and Her Children remains as fresh and vital to our day as it was to the war-wracked 1940s. The play, set in the wasting decades of the 17th century's Thirty Years War, focuses on Anna Fierling (a witty and commanding Trish Mulholland), a merchant woman known as "Mother Courage" because she once raced her canteen wagon across a battlefield to rescue her perishable inventory. Offering Mother Courage as its annual free outdoor performance, Shotgun Players knows what it's doing with Brecht, both politically and aesthetically. Under the astute care of artistic director Patrick Dooley, Mother Courage resists the maudlin and, for all of the genuine sadness the play evokes, conveys a stirring wit. (Avila)

Twelfth Night, or What You Will Old Mill Park, 375 Throckmorton, Mill Valley; (510) 845-4007. Free. Sat/6-Sun/7, 2pm. Curtain Theatre takes Shakespeare's cross-dressing comedy outdoors.

dance

Company C Contemporary Ballet Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $25-65. The company performs The Soldier's Tale by Charles Anderson, plus repertory work by James Sewell.

ophelia's stage dance company Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 6pm. $15-20. Under the direction of choreographer Abigail Hosein, the new company performs five premieres and four repertory pieces.

'Pilot 41: Seams Like These' ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. Wed, 8pm. $12. Six emerging choreographers (Brittany Brown, Defne Enç, Yukie Fujimoto, Kelly Kemp, Sarah Sass, and Jamie Ray Wright) present new works.

Tere O'Connor Dance Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $13-25. The YBCA Wattis artist in residence and his company perform. Thurs-Fri, the program includes Choke and Winter Belly, and Sat-Sun, the program includes world premiere Lawn. Part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival.

Bay Area

Ballet Folklórico Cutumba La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2568. Fri, 8pm. (Also Sat, 8pm, Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice, Oakl; 510-272-0478). Call for price. From Santiago de Cuba, the dance company performs pieces with Haitian, African, and Cuban influences.

Dance Romanesque Eighth Street Studio, 2525 Eighth St, Berk; (707) 217-2682. Sun, 7pm. $5-10. The company performs new modern dance works.

Krasnoyarsk Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center, San Rafael; (415) 499-6800. Sun, 3pm. $18-32. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

Mark Morris Dance Group Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Sept 14. $32-56. See Critic's Choice.

performance

'AfroSolo Arts Festival: Voices from the Black Diaspora' African and African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton; 771-2376. Sat, 8pm. $15. Sia Amma, Nora Chipaumire, Derique, and Uchiche Kalu perform solo monologues, music, and dance.

'TilFriday' Club Rendez-Vous, 1312 Polk; 309-CLUB. Fri, 10:30pm and midnight. $5. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

'Women's Work' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. Tues, 8pm. Through Sept 30. $8-10. This week in the ongoing multimedia performance series: Kavita Bali's Namaste Papaje (Welcome Grandfather), a film about a multigenerational friendship; Christi Denton's sound collage Working Girl; and Congolese and modern music by the HeartRhythms DrumChoir.

Bay Area

'Say It: Talking About Race' Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Fri, 8pm. $5-8. Hawaiian-Filipino comedian Andy Bumtai, "Latin Lezbo" comic Monica Palacios, Chicano musician Lalo Guerrero, and others perform pieces about and discuss race in America.

comedy

Bazaar Cafe 5927 California; 831-5620. Tues, 8pm: "Doug Ferrari and Friends," stand-up comedy, free.

'Blue Blanket Improv' Check Web site for times and locations. www.blueblanketimprov.com. Blue Blanket Improv presents a free workshop and improv show. Ongoing.

BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 8pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free.

Java Source 343 Clement; 387-8025. Fri, 10:30pm, and Sat, 10pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free.

Luggage Store Gallery 1007 Market; 255-5971. Tues, 8pm: Comedy workshop with Tony Sparks, $3.

The Mock Cafe 1074 Valencia; noychromosome@yahoo.com. Fri, 9pm: "No Y Chromosome Comedy Showcase," all-female comedy showcase, $7.

Bay Area

Pinole Playhouse 601 Tennant, Pinole; (510) 964-0571. Fri, 8pm: East Bay Improv performs, $5.

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. Savoy Tivoli 1434 Grant; 905-8837. "Savoy Tivoli Reading Series," with host Mark Schwartz and featured reader J.R. Brady, 8pm, 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. Morrison Library UC Berkeley, Doe Library, Berk; (510) 642-0137, www.berkeley.edu/calendar/events/poems. "Lunch Poems," with host Robert Hass and poetry readings by campus figures from various UC Berkeley departments, 12:10pm, free.

Friday: Escape from New York Pizza 333 Bush; poetryandpizza.homestead.com. "Poetry and Pizza," with Lucille Lang Day and Jack and Adele Foley reading to benefit Scarlet Tanager Press, 7:30pm, $5. San Francisco Center for the Book 300 De Haro; 565-0545. "Poets Pulling Prints ... with Music," featuring Karen Holden, 7pm, free.

Saturday: Caffe Sempione 641 Vallejo; 362-6317. "Caffe Sempione Reading Series," with featured reader Philipe Bouchet, followed by open mic, 7pm, free. Civic Center Park MLK Jr. Way at Center, Berk; (510) 526-9105, www.poetryflash.org/WS03.html. "Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival," with readings by Robert Hass, Sherman Alexie, B.H. Fairchild, Geau Brechin, and others, noon-5pm, free. St. Francis Lutheran Church 152 Church; 626-1395. "From Herbs to Verbs," with Jessica Prentice, Stephen Kopel, and Andrew Griffin, 7:30pm, free. Berkeley Public Library West Branch, 1125 University, Berk; (510) 527-9905. Bay Area Poets Coalition hosts an open reading, 3-5pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. Martha Ronk and Jean Day read poetry, 7:30pm, $2.

Monday: Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore; 931-5260. "Celebration of the Word," open mic hosted by Jeanne Powell, 7pm, free. Priya Restaurant 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," open mic hosted by Mark States and featured reader Allison Seevak, 7pm, free.