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

Triptych Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $24-38 (previews $20; opening night $50). Previews Tues/2 and Dec 3-5, 8:30pm. Opens Dec 6, 8:30pm. Dec 7-21: runs Tues-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through Dec 21. Dec 22-Jan 4: runs Fri-Sat, 5 and 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Magic Theatre stages the world premiere of Edna O'Brien's drama about three women who share an obsession with one man.

Bay Area

Endgame Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 841-7287 or (510) 644-9940. $10-20 (opening night $25; Wed, pay what you can). Opens Fri/28, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat and Dec 15, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Dec 21. Wilde Irish Productions performs Samuel Beckett's poetic exploration of heartbreak, longing, and loss.

The Tale of the Allergist's Wife The Stage, 490 South First St, San Jose; (408) 283-7142, www.sanjosestage.com. $20-42. Previews Wed/26 and Fri/28, 8pm. Opens Sat/29, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Dec 21. San Jose Stage performs Charles Busch's adult comedy about a woman's midlife crisis.

Wintertime San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7255, www.sjrep.com. $18-52. Previews Sat/29 and Dec 3-4, 8pm (also Dec 3, noon); Sun/30, 2 and 7pm. Opens Dec 5, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, Dec 16, 22, and 29-30, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm; Dec 10, noon; no shows Dec 24-25 or Dec 31-Jan 1); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no shows Dec 14; Jan 4, show at 2pm only). Through Jan 4. San Jose Rep performs Charles L. Mee's comedy about three couples who find their romantic getaways unexpectedly complicated.

Ongoing

*Alegria Pacific Bell Park, parking lot, 74 Mission Rock; 1-800-678-5440, www.cirquedusoleil.com. $35-70. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Thurs-Sat, 4pm; no show Tues/2); Sun, 1 and 5pm. Through Dec 14. Cirque du Soleil and its very big tent return to the Bay Area with another incomparable display of human ingenuity, virtuosity, and theatrical magic. Sylvan nymphs and gaudy equine creatures suggest an enchanted-forest theme this time, but Alegria, which premiered in San Francisco in 1994, eschews a specific narrative in favor of a loose assortment of acts. The more thrilling ones include two intersecting lines of tumblers disdaining gravity with a rapid sequence of complex trajectories; and two acrobats twirling high above flexible planks shouldered by their colleagues. René Dupéré's marvelous score evokes much of the "joy" of the show's Spanish title, while adding a scintillating layer to feats whose courageous defiance of limits leave one spellbound. (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.

The Book of Liz Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 273-4115, www.unidentifiedtheatre.org. $15-35. Thurs/27-Sat/29, 8pm; Sun/30, 7pm. Unidentified Theatre Company presents the California premiere of a cheeseball comedy by Amy and David Sedaris. Elizabeth Donderstock (Danielle O'Hare) is an unappreciated and heavily perspiring member of the Squeamish – a separatist religious community of buggy-riding folk whose women wear bonnets and men hideous chin-curtain beards. When Reverend Tollhouse (Joel Bischoff) transfers the responsibility for making Sister Elizabeth's famous cheese balls (the economic mainstay of the community) to an interloper, the righteous kiss-ass Brother Brightbee (Sam Shaw), Liz decides to take her chances in the outside world. While the play's wryer lines don't always get the subtlety they require, director Laura E. Woods's energetic cast (in multiple roles) plays hard and finally wins us over. (Avila)

Broke Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $12-22. Fri/28-Sat/29, 8pm. Writer-performer Merle Kessler, in the guise of his nationally known alter ego, cranky radio and TV commentator Ian Shoales, takes stock of the new century – the only stock, needless to say, a cash-poor dot-com dreamer can put his hands on these days – in an evening of song and shtick humorously structured as a desperate PowerPoint-enabled business pitch. There's plenty of unevenness to this nervy, nerdy material – especially around the stale subject of the rapidly receding dot-com era. But Kessler rants against the aughts with well-established charisma (not to mention an undeniable dread), and the harmonies are always solid. (Avila)

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. $15. Upcoming performances include "A Celebration of Silliness: Holiday Madness," with Fred Anderson (Sun, 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm through Jan 4; no 5pm shows Dec 21 and 28); Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe (Dec 5, 12, and 19, 10pm); "An Evening with Olaf: Physical Comedy!" (Dec 21 and 28, 5pm).

The Construction Cabaret New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $15-20. Wed-Sat, 8pm (no shows Wed/26-Thurs/27, Dec 24-26, 31, and Jan 1). Through Jan 3. Liebe Wetzel's Lunatique Fantastique puppeteer ensemble performs its new (not for kids) show.

Date Me Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; www.ticketweb.com. $15. Fri-Sun, 8pm. Through Dec 21. Eleanor Scott performs her solo comedy about what happens when "the art of love meets love of art."

Dirty Story Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179. $5-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Dec 20. Actors Theatre of San Francisco performs John Patrick Shanley's allegorical tale about violence.

The Exonerated Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; 512-7770, www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. $39-68. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm; Wed/26, show at 2pm only; no show Thurs/27); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/30, 7pm). Through Dec 21. Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's play – based on true stories of innocent survivors of death row – features a rotating cast of stars (Wed/26-Sun/30: Robin Williams and Amanda Plummer; Dec 2-7, Aidan Quinn and Montel Williams; Dec 9-14, Stockard Channing and Brian Dennehy; Dec 16-21, Peter Coyote and Penn Jillette).

*Firebird Motel Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081, www.thickdescription.org. $15-25. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Dec 7. In Firebird Motel, a haunting new chamber opera by composer David Conte and librettist David Yezzi commissioned by Thick Description, the graveyard shift in a lonely Mojave Desert motel literally becomes a graveyard. After being visited by the ghost of a young woman who was murdered, Ivan, the seedy motel's shy night clerk, tries to save the life of another girl destined to meet the same fate. Weaving influences of ragtime jazz and baroque cantata into strands of weeping, dissonant strings, and melodious clarinet and vocal lines, Conte's music is as mesmerizing as the eerie purple light that shrouds the stage every time the dead girl's specter appears. Gutsy performances by Mark Hernandez, Milissa Carey, Julie Queen, Shawnette Sulker, and Micah Epps counterpoise Mikiko Uesugi's soulless set and Cassandra Carpenter's trailer trash costumes to create an arresting balance between the squalid and the sublime. (Veltman)

Friends Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 989-0023. $20 (Thurs and Sun, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/27). Through Dec 6. Peter Levy's bittersweet comedy charts the fragile beginnings of a relationship destined to become a lifetime companionship. When Ruth (Beverly Elkan), a lonely but outgoing senior, finds herself accompanied on her Central Park bench by Max (John Hutchinson), a once successful crossword puzzle writer fallen on hard times, she notes aloud, "I usually sit here alone." Not exactly an inviting opening line, and it seems as though things might end before they've even begun. But she's only making an observation, and Ruth is actually eager to have a friend. Thus commences a tender if sometimes cantankerous relationship between two people in their twilight years who each find they have something to offer the other. The plot developments require a pretty generous suspension of disbelief, and Max's character is fairly implausible (not to mention a romanticized version of homelessness), but some delightful dialogue and two genuinely engaging presences on stage make this simple piece an intimate, often touching, pleasure to watch. (Shalson)

*A Little Night Music Post Street Theatre, 450 Post; 321-2900, www.ticketmaster.com. $50-75 (previews, $35). Tues-Sat and Dec 22, 8pm (also Sat and Dec 26, 2pm; no shows Thurs/27, Dec 24-25); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no 7pm show Sun/30). Through Jan 11. TheatreWorks artistic director Robert Kelley has another musical hit this season, following last summer's Bat Boy, with his revisiting of Stephen Sondheim's witty and wistful paean to romantic love (a semiridiculous affair worthy of clowns, as the show's most famous song has it). Inspired by Ingmar Bergman's only film comedy, the play studies romance through the eyes of Fredrika (Courtney Stokes), 13-year-old daughter of the aging free spirit and actress Desirée (an enchanting Charlotte Cornwall), who lives with her grandmother (Norma Hughes), a wealthy former courtesan. With Sondheim's tripping melodies and marvelous lyrics garbed in an exquisitely detailed production, Night casts a powerful spell early on and sustains it to the end. (Avila)

Noises Off Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 1-877-771-6900. $40-60. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Jan 11. San Jose Repertory Theatre brings its hit production of the Michael Frayn comedy to San Francisco.

*Oil! (Chapter One: The Ride) Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775. $27 (Wed, pay what you can). Wed-Sun, 8pm (also Sun, 3pm). Through Dec 7. J. Arnold Ross (Robert Parsons) sits at the wheel with J. Arnold Ross Jr. (Max Napier) at his side. The year is 1912, and father and son, spiffy in matching driving outfits, peel across a gently rolling southern California highway on their way to Dad's business appointment. The Ride is but the first chapter of Oil!, Upton Sinclair's sweeping California saga, a portentous opening brought gleefully to life with customary fidelity to the original text in Word for Word's revival of its 2001 production. The four-person ensemble – which also features Gendell Hernandez and Stephanie Hunt in a rapid-fire succession of animate and inanimate roles – play exuberantly. And if the dark side of industrialism is, thematically speaking, a shadow only just beginning to grow across the otherwise sunny scenery, it's doubly sly of director Delia MacDougall to have transformed the car's Engine (Hernandez) and Speedometer (Hunt) into characters in their own right. (Avila)

Sizwe Bansi Is Dead and The Island Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 333-6389, www.wehavemet.org. $15-20. Fri/28-Sun/30, 8pm. Multi Ethnic Theater presents two one-acts by renowned South African playwright Athol Fugard. In the first, a timely twist on the perils of the identity card, we meet Styles (Vernon Medearis), an affable portrait photographer proudly recording the dreams of his people, including today's customer, a desperate migrant worker (David Stewart) befriended by a savvy local (Fred Pitts). Next, two inmates of the notorious Robben Island prison camp (Myers Clark and Stewart) rehearse a performance of Antigone, which is the continuation of their struggle by other means. Both plays grew out of improvisations with Fugard's actor-collaborators John Kani and Winston Ntshona in Capetown in the early 1970s – when the reality of apartheid was such that the script for Sizwe Bansi Is Dead, the story goes, could not be written down (lest it end up in a South African court as evidence of subversion) – and director Lewis Campbell's capable cast achieves solid results in these demanding roles. While echoing the plight of migrants and colonized the world over, these luminous sketches contain a surprising amount of humor and joy, bringing home the horror of an unjust system precisely by being consummately human portraits. (Avila)

A Streetcar Named Desire Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $5-15. Fri-Sat, 8:30pm. Through Dec 14. UStikeEm Productions performs an "alternatively gendered" version of Tennessee Williams's classic drama.

StretchMarks: Growing into Motherhood Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; www.dramamamas.com. $17-22. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no shows Thurs/27-Sat/29). Through Dec 13. The felicitous arrival of a mother's first born – not necessarily what the brochure would lead you to believe. For a better idea of what's to come, or to commiserate with those who understand all too well, there's the Drama Mamas (Christine Armand DiBiasi, Christine Garofoli, Sarah Cluff, and Jodi Schiller) and their light but soulful comedy celebrating "the joy and the madness of mothering." Three very different personalities – Leda, the artist (DiBiasi); Saundra, the businesswoman (Garofoli); and Annie, the nurse (Deborah Banks) – are first-time moms in the same prenatal yoga class, and over the next several years support one another with an understanding that transcends differences of class and temperament. In addition, Mother Nature (Anna Melillo) jumps in with the kind of experience you can't buy. While the script can prove jarringly uneven, director Alice Shikina strikes a nice overall balance between the show's humor – some of it predictable, some of it fresh – and the emotionally cogent portraits intelligently drawn by DiBiasi, Garofoli, and Banks. (Avila)

Trucker Rhapsody Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 821-2481, www.ticketweb.com. $15-20 (Thurs, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no shows Thurs/27-Sat/29). Through Dec 13. First Seen presents the West Coast premiere of Toni Press-Coffman's drama about the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

You Should Be So Lucky New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Jan 4. The New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Charles Busch's screwball comedy.

Bay Area

'Continental Divide: Mothers Against and Daughters of the Revolution' Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Mothers: Sat/29, Dec 5, 9, 13, and 26, 8pm; Sun/30, Dec 6, 14, 21, and 27, 2pm; Wed/26, Dec 7, 10, and 28, 7pm. Daughters: Fri/28, Tues/2, Dec 4, 6, 11-12, 16, 19, 23, and 27, 8pm; Sat/29, Dec 7, 13, 20, and 28, 2pm; Sun/30, Dec 3, 14, 17, and 21, 7pm. Berkeley Rep performs two interconnected plays by David Edgar about a gubernatorial campaign.

Lobby Hero Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822. $34-36. Wed-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/27); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Dec 21. Aurora Theatre Company performs Kenneth Lonergan's modern morality tale set in a Manhattan high-rise.

Macbeth La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/27). Through Dec 13. Impact Theatre performs a "fast-paced, bloody take" on Shakespeare's classic tale of ambition gone awry.

*The Pavilion Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208, www.marintheatre.org. $28-45 (Tues, pay what you can). Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/29 and Dec 6, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Dec 7. Marin Theatre Company presents Craig Wright's clever and overall enjoyable play about a high school reunion that brings former sweethearts Peter (John Flanagan) and Kari (Deborah Taylor) together after 20 years, though it may prove still too soon to bridge the pain of their decidedly messy breakup. Rather than let a sentimental premise grow maudlin, Wright wraps his wistful little drama in an exuberant existential cosmology, introduced by the Narrator (Joan Mankin) in a short history of the universe that, replete with visual aids, traces the course of evolution to the condemned pavilion in Pine City, Minn., where the reunion gathers. Danny Scheie's astute direction coaxes engaging performances from Flanagan and Taylor, while Mankin, who doubles hilariously as the full range of Kari and Peter's barely maturated classmates, lends the production an irresistible energy. (Avila)

dance

Theatre Flamenco Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.ticketweb.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $26-55. The veteran company performs Diseños, featuring special guest artists from Spain, guest soloist La Fibi, and a premiere by Theatre Flamenco's Miguel Santos.

Bay Area

Diamano Coura West African Dance Company Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 733-1077, www.diamanocoura.org. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. $5-20. The company presents Bodeor – High Priest, the Ancient Way.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $8-12. This week: "King-of-the-Hill Theatresports" (Fri, 8pm); "Romantic Comedy" (Sat, 8pm); "Theatresports Tournament" (Sun, 8pm).

'Mystery Box House' OmniCircus, 550 Natoma; 701-0686. Sat, 9:30pm. Through Dec 13. $10-15. DeusMachina performs a surreal show with live music, actors, and artists, plus a cast of life-size robots.

'The Play of Daniel' St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. Dec 1-6, 8pm. $15-24. Aurora Theatre Company and the Pacific Mozart Ensemble perform the 12th-century work exporing the biblical tale of Daniel in the lion's den.

'Unisexy' Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St; www.robbied.com/unisexy. Thurs, 11pm. $5. Recording and performance artist Robbie D. performs an evening of "twisted electro-cabaret."

Bay Area

'In the Magical Forest ...' Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Fri-Sun, 2pm. $8-15. Splash Circus Theatre performs an all-ages circus adventure exploring an epic tale of good versus evil.

'Noh Body' 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263. Wed, 8pm. $6-10. Opera Viva performs a "neo-dada topless impropera" created through structured improvisation.

comedy

Climate Theater 285 Ninth St; 863-1076. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Improv Jam," presented by the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative, $5.

Cobb's Comedy Club 915 Columbus; 928-4320, www.cobbscomedy.com. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): Jake Johannsen with Clark Taylor and Mike Larsen, $15-20. Mon-Tues, 8pm: "All Pro Comedy Showcase," $7.

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 821-1102. Fri, 10pm: "Two Years and Still Not Famous," sketch comedy by Uphill Both Ways, $10. Through Dec 12.

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, S.F.; (415) 440-5530. "Spoken Word Salon," with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, S.F.; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free.

Thursday: Coppa D'Oro Cafe 3166 24th St, S.F.; (415) 826-8003. "Poetry on the Patio," spoken word and acoustic music open mic with host Charlie Getter, 6:30pm, free.

Sunday: Rite Spot Cafe 2099 Folsom, S.F.; (415) 552-6066, www.ritespotcafe.com. "Truth Is Fiction," reading series spotlighting short story and nonfiction writers, including Bucky Sinister, Alvin Orloff, and Roger Pinnell, 5pm, $3.

Monday: Pegasus Books 2349 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-1320. "The Last Word Poetry Reading Series," with Garrett Murphy and Marianne Robinson, plus open mic, 7pm, free.

Tuesday: Shooting Gallery 839 Larkin, S.F.; (415) 931-8035. "Electric Muse," featuring Scott Lettieri and open mic hosted by April Martin Chartrand, 7pm, $3.

Cafe Niebaum-Coppola 916 Kearny, S.F.; www.all-story.com. "Francis Coppola's Zoetrope: Live Story," dramatic short story reading series; this month's feature is "The Snow Frog," by Arthur Bradford, 6pm, free.

World Ground Cafe 3726 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 261-6792, www.worldgrounds.com. "Poetry Diversified," with featured reader Felicia Thompson, plus open mic hosted by Chokwadi and Mark G., 7:30pm, free.