stage

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

Cats Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $22-74. Opens Tues/16, 7:30pm. Runs Tues-Sat and Dec 22, 7:30pm (also Wed, Sat, Dec 23, and Dec 26, 2pm; no shows Dec 24); Sun, 2pm. Through Dec 28. The T.S. Eliot-inspired, Andrew Lloyd Webber-penned feline megamusical returns.

Ongoing

*Alegria Pacific Bell Park, parking lot, 74 Mission Rock; 1-800-678-5440, www.cirquedusoleil.com. $35-70. Wed/10-Sat/13, 8pm (also Thurs/11-Sat/13, 4pm); Sun/14, 1 and 5pm. 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.

*Christmas with the Crawfords Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $15-25. Wed-Sat, 8pm (no shows Dec 25 and 31); Sun, 4 and 7pm. Through Jan 3. Christmas is a wonderful drag, so in the interest of having yourself a scary little one, slay bells are ringing at Theater Rhinoceros, where Joan Crawford (Hedda Lettuce) and "perfect children" Christina (Jef Valentine) and Christopher (David Bicha) prepare to host Hedda Hopper (Drew Todd) and her annual Christmas show for 1944. In truth, the evening in the immaculate, powder-blue Crawford living room mixes murderous glances from Mommie Dearest with even more Yuletide mirth. Liberace (musician Tom Shaw) is at the piano, at the portable bar Baby Jane Hudson (an indelible Mathew Martin, doubling as Judy Garland), and as the live radio broadcast begins, an assortment of stars – including Carmen Miranda (Mark Enea), Gloria Swanson (Trauma Flintstone), and Ethel Merman (Mark Sargent) – wander in looking for Gary Cooper's bash next door. Naturally, seasonal songs (shot through with career-defining routines) roll out inexorably from these wayward partygoers. But frosty Joan, bent on resuscitating her moribund career, will not be outdone, and the forecast is for a meltdown. Donna Drake directs with flair a powerhouse cast of outsized personalities in creator Richard Winchester and writer Sargent's effervescent spectacle, replete with bold and buoyant choreography, great singing, and a festive holiday mixture of the macabre and the carefree. (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 (Fri, 10pm through Dec 19); "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. Fri-Sat, 8pm (no show Dec 26). 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. Without knowing in advance that the characters in John Patrick Shanley's allegorical drama Dirty Story are not in fact New York City residents but nation states engaged in political and physical warfare, audience members might think they are watching a lumpy, two-dimensional play about the antagonistic relationship between a bookish old pervert and a naïve, bossy student. It is only when actress Rachel Klyce – in a baffling echo of the opening line of Moby-Dick – defiantly exclaims, "Call me Israel!" just before the end of the first act that audience members without the benefit of forewarning realize, inescapably, they are watching a lumpy, two-dimensional play about the latest episodes of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite the fact that this gargantuan subject is reduced by Shanley to a set of facile tropes including the depiction of the Jews as a damsel in distress, Israel as a New York City apartment and the United States as a gun-toting cowboy, the strong visual images, funny one-liners, and enthusiastic performances make Dirty Story somewhat watchable. (Veltman)

The Exonerated Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; 512-7770, www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. $39-68. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. 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/10-Sun/14, Stockard Channing and Brian Dennehy; Dec 16-21, Peter Coyote and Penn Jillette).

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 3376 19th St; www.acteva.com, www.spanganga.com. $11.50-15. Fri/12, 8pm; Sat/13 and Dec 18-20, 10pm. Through Dec 20. Spanganga presents a stage adaptation of the Douglas Adams sci-fi classic.

It Had to Be You Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, reservations@sfplayhouse.org. $30. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Dec 31. Kimberly Richards and Bill Parnell star in Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna's comedy about the contentious relationship between a struggling actress and a successful commercial director.

*A Little Night Music Post Street Theatre, 450 Post; 321-2900, www.ticketmaster.com. $50-75. Tues-Sat and Dec 22, 8pm (also Sat and Dec 26, 2pm; no shows Dec 24-25); Sun, 2 and 7pm. 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)

A Night of Extreme Vaudeville Theatre Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.carnivalofchaos.org. $12-22. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Dec 20. Comedy troupe Carnival of Chaos performs circus acts, songs, stunts, and more, with live music by Madam Noir.

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.

A Streetcar Named Desire Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $5-15. Fri/12-Sat/13, 8:30pm; Sun/14, 3:30pm and 7:30pm. 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/11-Sat/13, 8pm. 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/11, pay what you can). Thurs/11-Sat/13, 8pm. First Seen presents the West Coast premiere of Toni Press-Coffman's drama about the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Triptych Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $24-38. Dec 7-21: runs Tues-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. 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.

Uncle Dickie's Wicked Little Christmas Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 776-7427, www.ticketweb.com. $15-20. Wed-Sat, 8pm. Through Dec 20. Whether it was Sartre or Santa who said "the holidays are other people," it's easy to believe it watching Richard J. Bernier and Three Wise Monkeys' evening of subversive seasonal one-acts, eyeing the hell and/or heaven that Christmas can bring. It's a mixed bag, however. John Dixon directs two one-note skits: Ken Slattery's Christmas Gift – about two couples (P.A. Cooley and Sarah Mitchell; David Breaux and Karina Racz) destroying a bachelor friend (W. Jay Moore) whose singularity has become an insufferable holiday downer – is well acted, but the humor gets stretched thin over a dearth of ideas. Margery Kreitman's lightly amusing Holding, meanwhile, featuring Cooley spending Christmas around the automated phone tree of a suicide hot line, feels rehashed. Anthony Neilson's subtler Night before Christmas, set during a break-in at a toy warehouse, easily walks off with the evening. Directed by Ryan Montgomery, it has three gritty working-class Brits (the funny and engaging Alexia Burland, Brian L. Perkins, and Jon Wolanske) flummoxed and divided by a smiley intruder in green felt (Elan Freydenson) offering them three wishes in exchange for being allowed to scamper back to the North Pole. (Avila)

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. Christopher (Patrick Michael Dukeman) is a reclusive gay man and semi-employed electrologist whose lonely life turns around after he is befriended by a wealthy and hirsute Jewish senior citizen. Mr. Rosenberg (Richard Wenzel) takes a fatherly shine to him over the course of several hair removal sessions in Christopher's modest, if eccentrically furnished Greenwich Village apartment. Rosenberg sends his new protégé to a big charity ball – whence he returns with a prince of a guy, Walter Zuckerman (Scott Cox) – and finally leaves him a major inheritance, which the ghost of the former financial adviser insists on overseeing. In its mishmash of styles, playwright Charles Busch's screwy 1994 comedy, presented by New Conservatory Theatre Center, somehow resembles Christopher's monstrous sense of decor (a farcical mélange by set designer Cat Stevans), and yet it's an approach that works quite well over all, especially as director Christopher Jenkins and his sharp cast bite into the material with affable glee. (Avila)

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/13 and Dec 26, 8pm; Sun/14, Dec 21, and 27, 2pm; Wed/10 and Dec 28, 7pm. Daughters: Thurs/11-Fri/12, Tues/16, Dec 19, 23, and 27, 8pm; Sat/13, Dec 20, and 28, 2pm; Sun/14, Dec 17, and 21, 7pm. See "Divided We Stand."

The Death of Meyerhold Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. $10-18 (opening night, $20). Opens Thurs/11, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Dec 25); Sun, 7pm. Through Dec 28. Also: Jan 8-25, Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no shows Jan 2-3); Sun, 7pm (no show Jan 4). Shotgun Players perform Mark Jackson's epic work – a "tragedy with a smile on its lips" – about the great Russian theater director.

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

The Fourth Wall Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/13 and Dec 20, 2pm; no shows Dec 24-25); Sun, 2 and 7pm; Tues/16, 7:30pm. Through Dec 28. TheatreWorks presents A.R. Gurney's satire of art and politics.

*Lobby Hero Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822. $34-36. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Dec 21. Aurora Theater triumphs with the Bay Area premiere of New York playwright Kenneth Lonergan's 2001 off-Broadway hit. In the interest of getting his wayward young life back on track, Jeff (T. Edward Webster) works the wee hours as a security guard in the lobby of a Manhattan high-rise (its late-night austerity a compellingly familiar image of limbo in set designer Richard Olmsted's exquisite realism). Garrulous by nature and lonely as hell, Jeff desperately draws out conversation with his itinerant, no-nonsense supervisor William (Brent StClair). The only other visitors are two beat cops, consummate veteran Bill (Howard Swain) and his rookie partner, Dawn (Arwen Anderson). Like an overgrown pup, Jeff forces his way into everyone's business through a combination of earnestness, playful charm, and a steady fraying of nerves, until a comical patchwork of confidences unexpectedly gives rise to a dramatic moral dilemma. Lonergan's funny, beautifully detailed work falters only in its final note, which, though expertly played, feels slightly contrived. Otherwise it rides aloft on artful dialogue and discerningly human characters, brought near to perfection by director Tom Ross and an exceptional cast. (Avila)

Macbeth La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468. $10-15. Thurs/11-Sat/13, 8pm. Impact Theatre performs a "fast-paced, bloody take" on Shakespeare's classic tale of ambition gone awry.

The Tale of the Allergist's Wife The Stage, 490 South First St, San Jose; (408) 283-7142, www.sanjosestage.com. $20-42. 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. Wed-Sat, Tues/16, Dec 22, and 29-30, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm; Wed/10, noon; no shows Dec 24-25 or Dec 31-Jan 1); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no show Sun/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.

dance

El Color de Flamenco Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.ticketweb.com. Sat/13, 8pm. $25-30. Illume and Carola Zertuche present color-themed flamenco works choreographed by Zertuche and featuring guest dancers, singers, and musicians.

Leigh Evans Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 695-8889. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $15. Drawing on her eclectic training in Butoh, Odissi, Suzuki, and Authentic Movement – and her broad interest in Asian performance traditions – Evans performs her first full-evening solo work, When Day Became Night, which follows the tale of a journalist in denial who is confronted with ghosts of the past.

Mna Rua Dance Productions 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero; 922-2385. Fri-Sun, 8:30pm. $14. Tara Brandel and her company perform Love Dances, a dance theater piece that explores the tenacity of love during difficult times.

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); "Holiday Musical" (Sat, 8pm); "Sunday Players," (Sun, 8pm).

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

'Poets Theater' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Thurs, 6pm. Free with gallery admission, $3-6). Poets Kevin Killian and David Buuck present new short plays.

'Va Va Voom Room' Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. Fri, 10:30pm. Through Feb 27, 2004. $20. The New York City-based ensemble performs a live burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

*'Working for the Mouse' Off-Market Theater, 965 Mission; 896-6477. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $12-20. Ask the man behind the curtain, or the heatstroke victim in the dog suit: at Disneyland, not seeing is believing. Hence, you may not believe your ears (or Pluto's) on this unofficial guided tour behind the scenes of the nation's theme park – "amusement" park doesn't do justice to America's mythical-mechanical self image, repressed warts and all. On the other hand, Trevor Allen's reprise of his nifty 2002 solo show can with justice be called amusing, skillful, and contagiously warmhearted. This last aspect is perhaps the biggest surprise. The Bay Area actor-playwright recounts three years spent as a part-time cast member in Anaheim, after all – a.k.a. "the happiest place on earth"? – working his way up the side of a bleak and humorless corporate Matterhorn, a never-never land to anything smacking of progressive social engineering. But for all its passing digs at Disney, Allen's slyly unassuming coming-of-age story prefers to celebrate the characters behind the characters: his fellow workers young and old, stoned and misshapen, or, like Snow White, just dangerously cute. C is for "See it real soon." Y? Because it closes this weekend. (Avila)

'Zamora's Sideshow of the Bizarre' Climate Theater, 285 Ninth St; www.kabaretstore.com. Wed, 9:30pm. $15. Zamora "the Torture King" performs sideshow stunts, weird science, and other unusual acts.

Bay Area

'Heavy Days' La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. Mon/15-Tues/16 and Dec 18-19, 8pm. $10. Shotgun Theatre Lab performs a collaborative ensemble piece about four women battling madness.

'A Little Puppet Show, with Music' Oakland Noodle Factory, 1255 26th St, Oakl; (415) 905-5958. Wed/10, 8pm. $5-10 (sliding scale; kids $3). See 8 Days a Week.

'Love in Action' McClymonds High School, 2607 Main, Oakl; (510) 597-1619, www.destinyarts.org. Sat/13, 7pm. Free. A diverse group of performers ages 3 to 30 celebrate Destiny Arts Center's 15th anniversary with a show that combines dance, martial arts, and spoken word.

'Worldspirit' Sweet's Ballroom, 1933 Broadway, Oakl; www.abastructure.net. Fri, 8pm-4am. $25-30. Visual artist Alex Grey and musical act ABA Structure collaborate on this performance, which features storytelling, poetry, dancers, live music, projected art, and other elements.

comedy

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

Climate Theater 285 Ninth St. Fri-Sat, 9:30pm: "Night Shift Comedy Program," offbeat and experimental stand-up with Brent Weinbach, Jasper Redd, Alex Koll, and Forest Freeman, $7-10 (sliding scale; for this show: 415-441-5108). Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Improv Jam," presented by the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative, $5 (for this show: 415-863-1076).

Cobb's Comedy Club 915 Columbus; 928-4320, www.cobbscomedy.com. Wed and Mon-Tues, 8pm: "All Pro Comedy Showcase," $7. Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): D.L. Hughley with Brian Copeland and Kevin Avery, $25-30.

Fillmore 1805 Geary; www.cc.com. Wed-Thurs, 8pm: "The Greedy Bastard Tour," with Monty Python's Eric Idle, $30-50.

Hyena Theater 2390 Mission, Ste 304; 821-3601. Sat, 8pm: "Hyena Comedy All-Stars," $6.

Java Beach 1396 La Playa; 665-5282. Wed, 8pm: "Doug Ferrari and Friends," stand-up comedy, free.

Noh Space 2840 Mariposa; www.4exhale.org. Wed, 8pm: "Guilt-Free Comedy: Because Laughter Is Therapy," benefit for Exhale – a post-abortion counseling hotline – with Killing My Lobster and Laura Swisher of TechTV, $25.

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

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. La Peña Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2568, www.lapena.org. "Cafe Poetry," with host Kira Allen, 7:30pm, donations accepted. Edinburgh Castle Pub 950 Geary, S.F.; (415) 885-4074. "Word Dancing Project," with Lewis Jordan, James Cagney, and Simone Ledward, 7:30pm, $5. 21 Grand 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263. "New Brutalism Poetry Series," with Aidan Thompson and Barbara Joan Tiger Bass, 7pm, $4.

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. Hotel Cosmo 761 Post, S.F.; www.artworksf.com. "Poetry (and More) at the Cosmo," with hosts Jeanne Powell and Philip T. Nails; this week: film feature and open mic, 6pm, free. Dalva 3121 16th St, S.F.; (415) 753-8091. "Poetry Mission," with featured reader Jeanne Powell and open mic hosted by Elz, 7pm, free. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco 200 Larkin, S.F.; (415) 581-3500, www.asianart.org. "Inspired by San Francisco: An Evening of Haiku and Shakuhachi," 7pm, $5-10. New College of California Cultural Center 766 Valencia, S.F.; (415) 437-3460. "Writing and Consciousness Graduate Program Faculty Reading," with Sarah Stone, Eric Martin, Melinda Misuraca, and Calla Devlin, 7pm, free. Pegasus Books Downtown 2349 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 653-9529. "Indie Mag All-Stars Cross-Bay Duel: Invasion: East Bay vs. West Bay," celebrating the release of Kitchen Sink 5: KS Attacks! and Bay Area independent press; this week: readings from "West Bay mags" Kitchen Sink, The Believer, Hyphen, Watchword, and Other, with music by Rogue Wave, 9pm, free.

Saturday: Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 527-9753. "Rhythm and Muse," open mic, 7pm, free.

Monday: Priya Restaurant 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," with featured reader N-Side, 7pm, free. Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore, S.F.; (415) 931-5260. "Celebration of the Word," with featured reader Camincha and host Jeanne Powell, 7pm, free.