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
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.

Cats Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $22-74. Thurs/25-Sat/27, 7:30pm (also Fri/26-Sat/27, 2pm); Sun/28, 2pm. 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 Thurs/25 and Dec 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 Theatre 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)

Cirque Do Somethin' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $5-15. Opens Fri/26, 8pm. Runs Sun/28-Tues/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.

'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 show Sun/28); "An Evening with Olaf: Physical Comedy!" (Sun/28, 5pm).

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

Fifty Million Frenchmen Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 788-7469, www.42ndstmoon.org. $20-29. Thurs/25-Fri/26, 8pm (also Fri/26, 2pm); Sat/27, 1 and 6pm; Sun/28, 3pm. 42nd Street Moon reprises one of its first productions, Cole Porter's 1929 hit musical about a rich young American in Paris (Brad Shreve) who takes a temporary vow of poverty as a bet with a compatriot (Bill Fahrner), who doubts his love-struck friend can successfully woo without wampum his American infatuation, Looloo Carroll (Caroline Altman), vacationing in the City of Light with her parents, Emmit (Michael Patrick Gaffney) and Gladys (Christine Macomber) of Terre Haute. Given all the Yanks so far, where, you might ask, are the Frenchmen? (Singing waiters and maître d's mostly, but who's counting.) Directed by Greg MacKellan in the semiformal staged concert format, with piano accompaniment by musical director Dave Dobrusky and choreography by Cindy Goldfield, the large cast performs in a range of musical styles and executes some nice harmonies. While the blatantly silly story line has its moments, it is best thought of as an excuse for songs like "You Do Something to Me" or the hilarious "Find Me a Primitive Man." (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/27, Mon/29-Tues/30, and Jan 3, 2pm. Through Jan 4. 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)

*It Had to Be You Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, reservations@sfplayhouse.org. $30 (Wed/31, $75). Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm (no shows Wed/24-Thurs/25 or Jan 1); Sun, 3pm. Through Jan 9. San Francisco's new Playhouse, which has hung out its shingle in the city's theater district, leads off an eclectic first season with a winning production of Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna's offbeat romantic comedy. Struggling actress and would-be playwright Theda Blau (Kimberly Richards) narrates, via video transmission from the rosy present, the unlikely story of how she found (and cornered) love and fame in one great twofer deal by the name of Vito Pignoli (Louis Parnell), a womanizing TV producer who finds himself trapped in Theda's New York apartment one blizzardy Christmas Eve when hell freezes over. Richards brilliantly realizes the part of the irrepressibly eccentric yet vulnerable Theda, while Parnell's Vito, the dominant male dethroned, manages to grow more sympathetic as he gets progressively churlish and childlike. Artistic director Bill English, who first directed local veterans Richards and Parnell in the roles in 1988, shrewdly reprises a winning formula as this well-paced, consistently funny duet rides aloft on two deft comic performances. Indeed, the intervening years seem only to have added to the chemistry onstage and the poignancy of the heartfelt story of second chances. (Avila)

*Moonwatcher: Return to Chelm for Chanukah Zeum, 221 Fourth St; 285-8080, www.atjt.com. $20-28. Thurs-Sun, 7pm (also Sat-Sun and Wed/24, 2pm; Thurs/25, show at 5pm). Through Jan 4. Chelm, the mythic town of fools in Jewish folklore, is an endless source of good humor and backhanded wisdom. Traveling Jewish Theatre's family Hanukkah show returns to Chelm after last year's premiere of TJT's lighthearted holiday musical, which centers on a sensitive young man, Menachem (Eric Starker), captivated by a lovely, rather bubbly Moon (Annie Kunjappy), who teaches him to dance. Meanwhile, his wacky fellow villagers (Karine Koret, Joan Mankin, and Eric Wenburg) attempt to tap into the Hanukkah tourist trade by raising an artificial moon that will shine all night, thus allowing them the advantage of never sleeping. (You get an idea of the brain power at work 24-7 in Chelm.) Directed by TJT's Corey Fischer and cowritten by Fischer, artistic director Aaron Davidman, and artistic associate Eric Rhys Miller, the newly revised show strengthens its appeal to younger audiences, with lots of loopy physical humor and some playful interaction with the crowd. A smattering of eclectic songs, accompanied by composer Daniel Hoffman and the wonderful San Francisco Klezmer Experience, combine with Annie Hallatt's appealing puppets, masks, and scenery to lift the fools of Chelm to new heights. (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. 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)

Kinsey Sicks: Oy Vey in a Manger New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $25-34. Wed-Fri and Tues/30, 8pm (no shows Wed/24-Fri/26 and Jan 1); Sat, 7:30pm and 10pm. Through Jan 3. The New Conservatory Theatre Center hosts "America's Favorite Dragapella Beauty Shop Quartet" in its world premiere holiday show.

7 Fingers of the Hand Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. $20-30. Tues-Sun, 8pm (also Sun, 2pm; no show Thurs/25; Wed/24 and Dec 31-Jan 1, shows at 2pm only). Through Jan 3. Circus has come a long way since the days of human cannonballs, performing elephants, and bearded ladies. In the opening sequence of 7 Fingers of the Hand, a bunch of roommates potter idly around their makeshift apartment, flossing their teeth, reading the newspaper, and paying little attention as one of their number finds increasingly spectacular ways of interacting with a set of Styrofoam steps. Giving traditional acrobatic and contortionist routines an anarchic twist, this versatile and daring Montreal-based troupe creates an arresting visual and aural landscape that both meets and subverts our expectations of modern circus in the post-Cirque du Soleil era. Despite the distracting and somewhat superfluous use of video and one or two ill-advised moments, including a bizarre knife-fondling dance and a melee of flying Barbie dolls, 7 Fingers' playfully potent production demonstrates that the circus is just not what it used to be. (Veltman)

*Triptych Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $24-38. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 5 and 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through Jan 25. On the surface, Irish novelist and playwright Edna O'Brien's Triptych is about three women in love with the same man; the three being his American wife (Julia Brothers), his teenage daughter (Tro M. Shaw), and his Irish mistress (Lise Bruneau). The object of devotion, Henry, is a famous Irish writer-playwright living in New York City, brilliant and suave, with graying temples and expensive shoes. That's what we're told about him, anyway. And as we never see him, there's no reason not to form a picture of the consummate lady-killer. What we do see, in director Paul Whitworth's engaging world premiere presented by the Magic Theatre, unfolds as part domestic drama, part poetical allegory, and part postmodern psychoanalysis. In addition to being darkly passionate, O'Brien's work is playful, and in more than one sense: it's witty, brimming with literary allusion, and, not least, built so as to call into question the very meaning of the play itself. (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: Fri/26, 8pm; Sat/27, 2pm; Sun/28, 7pm. Daughters: Sat/27, 8pm; Sun/28, 2pm. 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. Fri/26-Sat/27, 8pm; Sun/28, 7pm. Also: Jan 8-25, Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Shotgun Players perform Mark Jackson's epic work – a "tragedy with a smile on its lips" – about the great Russian theater director.

The Fourth Wall Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/27, 2pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/28, 7pm). Through Jan 4. TheatreWorks presents A.R. Gurney's newly revised comedy about an upper-middle-class woman (Kimberly King) who stages a protest against George W. Bush's America – in her living room. Her husband (Jackson Davis), concerned by the furniture rearranged to face a large blank wall (us, that is) and a strange compulsion to be unwontedly histrionic whenever he's in the room, calls in a mutual friend from Manhattan (Suzanne Grodner) to suss out the situation. A visit from the local theater scholar (Danny Scheie) completes a quartet that finds itself inexorably drawn into the conventions of the theater while struggling to determine the course of the plot (give or take a few Cole Porter numbers around the piano). Jules Aaron directs a strong cast in this clever if limited comedy. Gurney takes some well-aimed shots at a degenerating mass culture behind the political bamboozling coming from Washington, and his call for a revitalized culture blends seductively with the play's theatrical metaphor. At the same time, the single act can't help feeling a little like one long skit wearing thinner as time goes on. (Avila)

Wintertime San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7255, www.sjrep.com. $18-52. Wed-Sat and Mon/29-Tues/30, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm; no shows Wed/24-Thurs/25 or Dec 31-Jan 1); Sun, 2 and 7pm (Jan 4, show at 2pm only). Through Jan 4. A young couple (Soraya Broukhim and Joseph Parks) steal away to a secluded mountain getaway only to find the boy's mother (Suzan Hanson) at home with her French lover (Michael Butler), followed quickly by an ever larger assortment of family, friends, lovers, and exes, turning paradise into a winter inferno amid jealousies and passions new and old. Charles L. Mee's fanciful frolic combines an assortment of larger-than-life moderns and classical themes, whimsical musical digressions, and choreographed tantrums – all the while keeping a hard eye on the ruthless engine of Eros. Set designer Giulio Cesare Perrone encloses the strife-ridden group in a winter wonderland to which they are largely oblivious: a crystal palace of a house surrounded by enormous birch trees. Communicating freely with the encroaching snowy outdoors, it's itself an unappreciated snapshot of evanescence. Despite Wintertime's moments of surprising invention and humor, San Jose Rep's production can feel clunky. The characters do not equally compel (in part because the casting is a bit uneven). And while Mee's gestures mean to be anything but subtle, director Timothy Near pushes some operatic moments of merriment or caprice to the point that they start to feel hollow. (Avila)

performance

'Bold and Brassy Blues' Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. Sat/27-Tues/30, 8pm; Dec 31, 9pm. $14-55. Sandra Reaves-Phillips stars in this celebration of the blues.

'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.

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, 8pm: "All Pro Comedy Showcase," $7. Fri-Sat, 8 and 10:15pm: Kathy Griffin, $30.

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.

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