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

Cirque Do Somethin' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $5-15. Previews Sun/21-Tues/23, 3 and 8pm. Opens Dec 26, 8pm. Runs Dec 28-30, Jan 2-4, and 8-11, 8pm (also Jan 2-4 and 10-11, 3pm). Through Jan 11. Clowns Unique Derique and Moshe "YooWho" Cohen perform a new show that blends circus traditions with physical comedy.

7 Fingers Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. $20-30. Opens Wed/17, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sun, 8pm (also Sun, 2pm; no show Dec 25; Dec 24 and Dec 31-Jan 1, shows at 2pm only). Through Jan 3. The Canadian "new circus" company combines dance, theater, music, comedy, and video with world-class circus acts.

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.

*Black Nativity Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.cityboxoffice.com. $25-32. Thurs/18-Sat/20, 8pm; Sun/21, 4pm. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents its annual production of Langston Hughes's gospel song play, featuring the impeccable Arvis Strickling Jones (musical director and gospel artist in residence) and a wonderful cast of singer-performers. Framed by Hughes's folk-conscious verse (narrated by Andre C. Andree), act one tells the story of the nativity through a traditional Christmas pageant whose boisterous gospel score includes inspired original compositions, favorites like "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and a crowd-pleasing comical segue about a "No Good Shepherd Boy" (told through some lyrically hotwired funk, soul, and R&B classics). Act two continues the sincere yet lighthearted vein as a modern-day black urban church service, full of so much song and personality that things seem just on the verge of getting carried away. Directed with smooth precision by Stanley E. Williams, and with several musical and dance numbers newly arranged, this is the familiar winner slightly improved, a rousing and irresistible evening of "joyful noise" that really will bring the spirit down into you. (Avila)

Broke Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $12-22. Extended run: Thurs/18, 8pm. (Also, Jan 15-31, runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm, $15-22). 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)

Cats Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $22-74. Tues-Sat and Mon/22, 7:30pm (also Wed, Sat, Tues/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.

*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 Sun/21 and Dec 28); Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe (Fri/19, 10pm); "An Evening with Olaf: Physical Comedy!" (Sun/21 and Dec 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/19-Sun/21, 8pm. 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/18-Sat/20, 8pm. 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. Wed/17-Sat/20, 8pm (also Wed/17 and Sat/20, 2pm); Sun/21, 2pm. Guantanamo and the USA PATRIOT Act are now catchwords for the growing arbitrariness of state power, but the justice system has had an ironic ring to it for a while. Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's Exonerated uses a crackerjack 10-person ensemble (through which two big-name stars rotate each week) to relate the true stories of six persons wrongfully convicted and sent to death row, usually for many years, before being spit out of the lion's mouth once more without so much as an excuse me. The words – alternately moving, harrowing, and humorous – come verbatim from court transcripts and interviews. They reflect six very different people with one thing in common: they were all poor and thus entirely at the mercy of the system. While documentary theater has become a major trend (Anna Deavere Smith's work, Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues, and Moises Kaufman's Laramie Project being popular examples), it can feel at odds with itself, a vaguely suspect form of realism that tries to balance theatricality in presentation with a documented fidelity to stories of urgent social significance. It's to director Bob Balaban's credit that he keeps things straightforward here, while ensuring empathetic performances do justice to voices that have received so little of it. (Avila)

*Foiled Again: A Wrapping Paper Caper IV New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $10-12. Mon-Thurs, 10 and 11:30am; Sun, Sat/20, Mon/22-Tues/23, Dec 27, 29-30, and Jan 3, 2pm. New Conservatory Theatre Center and Liebe Wetzel's found-object theater Lunatique Fantastique present a holiday family show that may have children more interested in the boxes than the gifts this year. That's because no sooner are they left to themselves than they're snatched up by a mad lab coat called Dr. Strange Glove and his packing-peanut sidekick, becoming the ever-changing center of a detective story that also includes a trench-coat gumshoe and a buxom mass of gift paper with a French accent. Wetzel directs the latest installment of the company's "wrapping paper caper" series, written by the six-person ensemble. Together they turn box tops, rubber gloves, ribbon, and of course wrapping paper into a series of funny, often breathtaking scenes, as the chase leads characters over rooftops and across the city skyline. After the relatively brief show, the performers invite children in the audience to try out for themselves the art of turning the ordinary (including their own jackets or scarves) into the extraordinary. (Avila)

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 3376 19th St; www.acteva.com, www.spanganga.com. $11.50-15. Thurs/18-Sat/20, 10pm. 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 (Jan 1, $75). Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Jan 9. 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 Mon/22, 8pm (also Sat and Dec 26, 2pm; no shows Dec 24-25); Sun, 2 and 7pm. 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)

A Night of Extreme Vaudeville Theatre Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.carnivalofchaos.org. $12-22. Fri/19-Sat/20, 8pm. 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. In Michael Frayn's popular comedy, a troupe of third-rate actors rehearse and perform a third-rate play three times. Revolving, like a typical French farce, around a multi-doored set, flying props, and the whirligig antics of a bunch of half-wit characters, this virtuosic piece of meta-theater demands absolute precision from the cast. But that's not all: with repetition being something of an obsession of Frayn's (the plot of his later play, Copenhagen, displays similar Groundhog Day tendencies), the director's challenge is to go beyond the ostinato of the action and sustain the audience's interest through every repetition. Although immaculately choreographed to milk the script's funniest moments, Richard Seyd's production often flags. As energetic as the performances are – Jane Carr is particularly adorable as daffy actress/housekeeper Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett – the lack of variety in the pace and pitch of the production sacrifices the subtleties of Frayn's work for a hectic melee of frenzied voices, flailing limbs, and flying sardines. (Veltman)

*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 25: runs Fri-Sat, 5 and 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. See "Three Faces of Edna."

Uncle Dickie's Wicked Little Christmas Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 776-7427, www.ticketweb.com. $15-20. Wed/17-Sat/20, 8pm. 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: Sun/21 and Dec 27, 2pm; Dec 26, 8pm; Dec 28, 7pm. Daughters: Fri/19, Tues/23, and Dec 27, 8pm; Sat/20 and Dec 28, 2pm; Wed/17 and Sun/21, 7pm. British playwright David Edgar's ambitious two-play cycle, Continental Divide, parties like its 1999 (i.e., four years ago). Exploring the contemporary American political landscape from the vantage point of the '60s generation now come of age as the establishment, Mothers Against and Daughters of the Revolution are built around the final days of a gubernatorial race in an unnamed Western state. Together they unravel a kind of incestuous baby-boomer family drama in a network of former New Left leaders and lovers crisscrossing the current political spectrum. And yet, in the recycling of formulas and themes ultimately friendly to the status quo, neither play captures nor meaningfully addresses the urgency of the present moment. Edgar, who has done much to revive political theater on the English stage, is a rapt observer of American politics and conducted numerous interviews with political animals of various stripes in developing his scripts. The surprise is that after six hours of flamboyant political and historical excavation, we are left with so little of an impression. Strong performances across the large cast and director Tony Taccone's nimble staging mean those hours are far from grueling, but their peaks and frustrations never add up to much of consequence. (Avila)

The Death of Meyerhold Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. $10-18. 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/17-Sat/20, 8pm; Sun/21, 5pm. 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/20, 2pm; no shows Dec 24-25); Sun, 2 and 7pm. 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/17-Sat/20, 8pm; Sun/21, 2 and 7pm. 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)

The Tale of the Allergist's Wife The Stage, 490 South First St, San Jose; (408) 283-7142, www.sanjosestage.com. $20-42. Wed/17-Sat/20, 8pm; Sun/21, 2pm. 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, Mon/22, and Dec 29-30, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm; no shows Dec 24-25 or Dec 31-Jan 1); Sun, 2 and 7pm (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

'Pilot 42: Closer to Present' ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834, www.odctheater.org. Wed-Thurs, 8pm. $12. ODC Theater presents works by six emerging Bay Area choreographers: Kara Davis, Todd Eckert, Samantha Giron, Kelly Kemp, Paul Laurey, and Kiesha Minyard.

Samba do Coração Peña Pachamama, 1630 Powell; 646-0018. Fri, 8pm and 10pm. Call for price. The Brazilian dance and drumming ensemble performs at the supper club.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $10. This week: "BLIP," long-form shows by BATS Long-Form Improvisation Program grads (Thurs-Sat, 8pm).

'Counterfeit' Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St; www.tickets.com. Thurs, 8pm. $15. Genderbending performance artist Vinsantos performs his debut multimedia show, an exploration of "living authentically" through music, film, and storytelling.

'Student Works in Progress' New College Theater, 777 Valencia; 437-3487. Thurs-Fri, 6pm and 8pm. $5-10. The Experimental Performance Institute presents original works in progress exploring activist and queer themes.

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

Bay Area

'Heavy Days' La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. Thurs-Fri, 8pm. $10. Shotgun Theatre Lab performs a collaborative ensemble piece about four women battling madness.

'Wind in the Willows, Chapter Three' Mills College, Lisser Hall, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 534-9529. Fri, 6pm and 8pm; Sat-Sun, 3pm (also Sat, 7pm). $6-10. Oakland Public Theater performs the classic tale. Call for additional, free performances at Berkeley and Oakland library branches through Dec 30.

comedy

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

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. Wed and Mon-Tues, 8pm: "All Pro Comedy Showcase," $7. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 10:15pm): "Fleshpot Follies," burlesque performance, $20-25.

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

Uptown 200 Capp; 355-9932. Wed, 8:30pm: "Uptown Comedy Open Mic," with host Eric Peterson, free.

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 Paradise, 7:30pm, donations accepted. Edinburgh Castle Pub 950 Geary, S.F.; (415) 885-4074, www.castlenews.com. "New Writing from the Bloc," reading with Mary Potter, Alan Black, Luke James, Amy Itzert, and more, 8pm, free. Il Piccolo Cafe 1219 Broadway, Burlingame; (650) 631-5732. "Il Piccolo/Saturday Poets Reading Series," with featured poet Gail Clark, 7pm, 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. 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's feature is Oakland Down, a one-act play by poet Charles Curtis Blackwell, 6pm, free. Adobe Books 3166 16th St, S.F.; (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 "East Bay mags" Kitchen Sink, ReadyMade, Hyphen, Oaklandish, and Bitch, with music by Nervous Breakdowns, 8pm, free. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission, S.F.; (415) 978-ARTS. "Smut Night: New Erotic Literature," reading with m.i. blue, Carol Queen, Mark Growden, and Bay Guardian contributor Michelle Tea, 6pm, free with gallery admission ($3-6). Oakland Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932, www.oaklandbox.com, www.oaklandpoetry.net. "Oakland Poetry Slam and Verbal Kre-â'shen," open mic and featured readers, plus slam competition, 8pm, $10.

Sunday: Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, S.F.; (415) 905-8837. "Sunday at Cafe Prague Reading Series," with featured reader Tom Hill, hosted by Mark Schwartz, 4pm, free.