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

King Hedley II Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.ticketweb.com. $25-32. Previews Wed/11, 8pm. Opens Thurs/12, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 14. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents August Wilson's drama, the eighth installment in his decade-by-decade chronicling of African American life in the 20th century.

Levee James Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-68. Previews Fri/13-Sat/14 and Tues/17, 8pm (also Sat/14, 2pm); Sun/15, 7pm. Opens Feb 18, 8pm. Runs Feb 19-21, 25-28, March 2-6, and 9-13, 8pm (also Feb 21, 25, 28, March 6, 10, and 13, 2pm); Feb 22, 29, March 7, and 14, 2pm (also Feb 22, 7pm); Feb 24, 7pm. Through March 14. American Conservatory Theatre performs S.M. Shephard-Massat's love story set amid racial tensions and social changes in the 1920s American South.

Popping the Cherry Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.actorstheatresf.org. $5-20 (opening night, $40; Sat/14, proceeds benefit the Women's Building). Opens Fri/13, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show March 6); Sun, 7pm. Through March 7. Actors Theatre of San Francisco presents the world premiere of Karen Macklin's play about two very different New York City sisters who reluctantly share an apartment.

Troijka Spanganga, 3376 19th St; 752-2084. $10. Opens Thurs/12, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 28. No Nude Men Productions presents Stuart Eugene Bousel's play (based on Jean Genet's The Balcony), set at a brothel caught in the middle of a civil rebellion.

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.

Cinghiale! Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; (650) 712-9850, www.ticketweb.com. $15-20. Fri/13-Sat/14, 8pm. Cinghiale (saying "chin golly" is close enough) is apparently Italian for wild boar. Since my knowledge of Italian comes largely from menus, I rely on Emilie Miller's idiosyncratic one-woman show for the term's proper import, at least beyond the merely zoological. I have no evidence, in other words, for the existence of cinghiale alfredo. Miller's dish seems to be sociopsychological in nature – a bold, sassy, and dangerous delicacy at that – normally closeted at the back of the mind, but here wending its way through the testimonials of a diverse group of women comprising a society of recovering boar hunters. Amid these confessions of stifled female voices finding outlet in firearms, a troubled but gifted girl named Louise tells her tale ("Hello. My name is Louise. And I hunt."), which oscillates, along with Louise's physical and mental health, between an overprotective mother and a demonic inner force (living in her closet). The piece's quirky charm comes as much from Miller's animated delivery as her intriguing theme. Sure-footed comic timing, sharp characterizations, and a clever, playful appeal go some way toward compensating for the story's choppy, slightly muddled design. (Avila)

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. Most shows $15. Upcoming performances include "A Celebration of Silliness," with Fred Anderson (Sun, 3 and 7pm, ongoing); and Oui Be Negroes in "Coal Black Urban Tales," sketch and improv comedy (Fri-Sat, 10pm, through Feb 28).

Cowboy Mouth Actor's Theatre, 533 Sutter; 433-7827, www.vipsf.com. $20. Thurs/12-Sat/14, 8pm. An unlikely couple – based on coauthors Sam Shepard and Patti Smith – are at the center of this drama. The play is performed as part of "Old Ghosts Underground Art Show," a showcase featuring theater, visual art, live music, dance, and more.

Disney's The Lion King Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market; 512-7770, 356-LION, www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. $26-82. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat and June 23, 25, 28, and 30, 2pm); Sun, 3pm (starting March 21, Sun show schedule changes to 1pm and 6:30pm; no shows June 27 and July 4). Through Sept 5. This Tony-winning musical employs hundreds of masks and puppets to weave Disney's tale of a lion cub who grows into a great leader.

Dooley and A Taste of Heaven New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $17-38. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 22. The New Conservatory Theatre Center presents one-act plays by Harry C. Cronin (Dooley, about homophobia in the military) and Alan Quizmorio (A Taste of Heaven, about two men who fall in love despite the confining rules of Victorian society).

Eye Exit Theater, 156 Eddy; 566-1107. $16-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 28. Dynamic Theatre Company performs Jay Levin's drama about the personal and professional struggles of a war photographer.

Gauguin's Shadow Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 21. Fred Curchack's multimedia portrait of French painter Paul Gauguin wins one over (considering the stagy awkwardness of the first minutes) surprisingly early. Part of it is the rebel Gauguin himself, the well-heeled stockbroker turned bohemian and Western civilization dropout ("All I ever wanted was to dare everything"). His words – defiant, petulant, egomaniacal, nakedly forthright – make up the engrossing dialogue as photographs and an increasing number of distinctively bright, bold paintings are projected on an upstage scrim. Highlights include Gauguin's brief but horrifying relationship with Van Gogh, and his wild but inspired years in Tahiti and in the Marquesas, where he finally succumbs to a degenerating bout with alcohol and syphilis. But the strength of the piece can't be divorced from Curchack's frenetic energy: he flits about constantly, acting out his prerecorded narrative or answering it with another line, punctuating words with jagged body parts, manipulating a gangling puppet, illuminating his face with pen lights, casting grotesque silhouettes from behind the screen, catching projected images on his shirt or with handheld panels that turn Gauguin's lush images into a kinetic mobile with an almost cubist three-dimensionality. His flow can get bumpy, but Curchack brings Gauguin, 100 years dead, into vivid relief. (Avila)

The Glory of Living Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, reservations@sfplayhouse.org. $30. Wed-Sat, 8pm. Through March 13. The Playhouse presents the West Coast premiere of Rebecca Gilman's play about a 15-year-old girl who becomes a serial killer.

How We First Met Velvet Lounge, 443 Broadway; 845-4314, www.howwefirstmet.com. $25-35. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 28. Bring your valentine to this show, a night of improvised sketches and songs drawn from tales of romance shared by real-life couples in the audience.

The Last Sunday in June New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 29. For those in the know, the last Sunday in June means one thing: Gay Pride. In Jonathan Tolins's drama, an eclectic group of gay men gather in an apartment in New York City's Christopher Street to watch the festivities below. The Brechtian conceit of having the characters acknowledge that they could be in a "gay play" gives this piece a self-conscious edge, ostentatiously balancing between critique and an earnest attempt to resuscitate the genre with more contemporary concerns. Michael, for one, is "so over the rainbow" (and that's "over it" as in "done with that," not "over it" in the Judy Garland sense). James is so bitter about the gay scene that he's decided to marry a woman. This revelation launches the men into a heated argument about the challenges of gay (white, class-privileged, urban) life today, from monogamy to steroid use. Unfortunately, stereotypes still have a stronghold on these characters' lives, and traces of misogyny and self-hatred seem unwilling to depart the stage. But nice performances by the principle couple, and the more nuanced treatment of their relationship, give this drama its appeal. (Shalson)

Les Fauxlies Fantastique: Showgirls Who Aren't Really Girls at All! Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 248-1942. $35-40. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through March 7. Showgirls take the stage in this Parisian-style drag musical revue.

Noises Off Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 1-877-771-6900. $40-60. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Open-ended. In Michael Frayn's popular comedy, a troupe of third-rate actors rehearse and perform a third-rate play three times. 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; the lack of variety in the pace and pitch sacrifices the subtleties of Frayn's work for a hectic melee of frenzied voices, flailing limbs, and flying sardines. (Veltman)

Play It Again Sam Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; (650) 361-0773. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 28. Mystic Bison Theatre performs this Casablanca-influenced comedy about a man navigating the dating scene with the help of his imaginary friend – Humphrey Bogart.

*Psychos Never Dream Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311. $9-15 (Thurs/12 and Mon/16, pay what you can). Thurs/12-Mon/16, 8pm. A small town in rural northern Idaho is suffering from population attrition. A mother and her seven children have gone missing, as has a local farmer. Deputy Sarah Dubie (Catherine Castellanos) is having trouble locating the farmer's neighbor, Critter (John Diehl), and the mother's husband, Floyd (Cully Fredricksen). Meanwhile, Red (Alexis Lezin), the mentally deranged wife of the missing farmer, waits for her husband at home in bed. It's all very mysterious and somehow expected, part of the natural balance registered by playwright Denis Johnson, Malthus of America's jaded frontier. Psychos Never Dream, his fourth world premiere with Campo Santo at Intersection for the Arts, continues Johnson's lurid and luminous excavation of the American gothic. The play hitches the stalled dreams of outmoded romantics to a careening comedy of terrors; four fearless performances under Darrell Larson's fine direction ensure the forward motion never slackens either but amounts to a giddy, freaked-out joyride, festering energies and swollen appetites riding shotgun to the nihilist at the wheel. (Avila)

Riddance Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary; 608-4338, www.theshee.org. $15-20 (Feb 23, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat and Feb 23, 7:30pm. Through Feb 28. The Shee Theatre Company performs Scottish playwright Linda McLean's drama about a woman and two men bound together by their troubled childhoods.

Seduction New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 28. The New Conservatory Theatre Center presents the world premiere of Jack Heifner's erotic comedy, an all-gay adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde.

Speaking in Tongues Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 789-8221. $20 (Thurs, two-for-$25). Thurs/12-Sat/14, 8pm. Actor's Collective presents the West Coast premiere of Australian playwright Andrew Bovell's craftily constructed drama, a karmic puzzle that's part comedy, part existential thriller. In the first act, two couples (Kevin Rolston, Karen Finch, Daryl M. Lozupone, and Gabrielle Fisher), whom we first see applying themselves haltingly to one-night stands in parallel motel rooms, get more adultery than they bargained for and wrestle with the consequences. In the second act, the story line displaces the two previous couples in favor of another set of characters, though the former remain peripherally involved. How exactly they all fit together is intriguingly vague, and difficult to guess at, until most of Bovell's mischievous story has run its course. What begins as a sharp but comical study of marital infidelity becomes an increasingly eerie unraveling of fate among a far more intricate set of relationships. Jon Drawbaugh's intelligent direction negotiates the twists in the play's narrative to nice effect (aided atmospherically by Noah Kelly's artful video collages). Together with the tortuous plot, a competent and agreeable four-person cast ensures Speaking in Tongues, while not always as effective dramatically, sustains a keen interest throughout. (Avila)

Talking with Angels Actors Center of San Francisco, 3012 16th St; 389-8975, www.talkingwithangels.com. $17-25. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through May 8. Shelley Mitchell performs her solo play, drawn from the diaries of four young women living in Nazi-occupied Hungary.

*Times like These A Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 285-8080, www.atjt.com. $18-30. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 22. (Also, Feb 26-28, 8pm; Feb 29, 2 and 7pm, Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk). In John O'Keefe's Times like These, a famous actress finds herself eclipsed by inferior actors, then by the system, and finally, by life itself. Set in 1930s Berlin at the rise of the Third Reich, the play, loosely based on real events, tells the story of Jewish actress Meta Wolf (Laurie O'Brien) and her Aryan actor husband, Oscar Weiss (Norbert Weisser). Peering voyeuristically into the couple's living room (elegantly designed by Richard Olmsted), we follow Wolf's expulsion from the stage at the pinnacle of her career and her husband's rise to fame, playing the lead in a Nazi interpretation of Hamlet. The play is as intelligently directed by the playwright as it is written, and its only major misfire is the relentless staccato rhythm of its scenes: while the constant blackouts imbue the action with a sense of the unstoppable, marching army outside the couple's front door, the monotonous pacing becomes tiring. Despite this handicap, O'Brien and Weisser's glowing performances are passionate and perfectly matched. (Veltman)

Bay Area

Helen of Troy (Revised) Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-5999, www.aeofberkeley.org. $10. Fri-Sat and Feb 19, 8pm. Through Feb 21. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley performs Wolfgang Hildesheimer's comedy that gets the real story of Helen of Troy from Helen herself.

The Last Schwartz Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208, www.marintheatre.org. $28-45. Extended run: Wed/11, 7:30pm; Thurs/12-Sat/14, 8pm (also Sat/14, 2pm); Sun/15, 2 and 7pm. In Marin Theatre Company's engaging West Coast premiere of Deborah Zoe Laufer's comedy, the four Schwartz siblings gather at the family home in upstate New York to commemorate the one-year anniversary of their father's death. The untenable clan flays itself raw in an often mordantly funny series of confrontations and disclosures, all of which point to the end of the hereditary line for the Schwartzes. If not always original in design, The Last Schwartz is fresh in execution, thanks to some winning dialogue and director Lee Sankowich's sure handling of an especially fine ensemble cast who breathe life into basically familiar character types and situations. (Avila)

The Man of Destiny Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-40. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 7. Aurora Theatre Company performs George Bernard Shaw's "comedy of egos."

Memphis Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Wed/11-Sat/14, 8pm (also Sat/14, 2pm); Sun/15, 2 and 7pm. See "Unfinished Business."

*A Midsummer Night's Dream San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7225. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed/11, noon; Sat, 3pm); Sun, 2pm (also Feb 22, 7pm). Through Feb 22. San Jose Rep presents director Anne Bogart and her renowned, experimental SITI Company in a lively, visually stunning reimagining of Shakespeare's fantastical comedy. A charming eight-person cast handles the play's multiple roles – from the magic-scrambled couples both natural and supernatural to the comic host of worker-thespians – with élan, insouciant humor, and a dexterously physical theatricality. Neil Patel's large, initially empty industrial stage, spread out before a magnificent cloudscape set in a steely framework, gives full rein to and amplifies the action, its slick black surface reflecting the bright objects on it as if after a rainstorm. Christopher Akerlind's ingenious lighting design meanwhile suggests sunlight broken by trees or clouds and refracted through raindrops, casting strange shadows that include those of the play's characters temporarily turned (along with their world) upside down. Moody and romantic, different characters at times pick out T. Griffin's alluringly mysterious score on a banjo, sing a love ballad astride a giant gramophone, or chase one another through a forest of bare freestanding lamps. If some scenes prove more inspired than others, the production hardly flags throughout two rewarding acts. (Avila)

Say You Love Satan La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468, www.impacttheatre.com. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through March 13. Impact Theatre performs Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's comedy about a man who realizes his hot new boyfriend happens to be Satan's son.

*Yellowman Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/14, Feb 19, 28, and March 4, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through March 7. See "Unfinished Business."

dance

Alayo Dance Company Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri/13-Sat/14 and Feb 27-28, 8pm; Sun/15 and Feb 29, 2 and 7pm. $15-18. The company performs two Black History Month tributes, starting with this weekend's Mis sueños mis ideas, featuring Afro-Cuban and Cuban dance, percussion, and song. In two weeks the company performs A Piece of White Cloth, a modern dance work that draws on Cuban and African culture and history.

ODC/San Francisco Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard; 978-ARTS, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. Opening night: Thurs/12, 7pm. Program One: Fri/13-Sat/14, Feb 27, and 29, 8pm. $10-38 (opening night with reception, $75). The company presents "Dancing Downtown 2004." Program One includes three world premieres, KT Nelson's RingRoundRozi and Brenda Way's Noir and Fiendish Variations.

*San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Program One: Thurs/12 and Sat/14, 8pm (also Sat/14, 2pm). Program Two: Wed/11, 7:30pm; Fri/13, 8pm; Sun/15, 2pm. $8-132. Program One is the encore presentation of the full-length Don Quixote, with original choreography by Marius Petipa and additional choreography and staging by Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov. San Francisco Ballet's second program features a great new ballet by company principal Yuri Possokhov. Set to mysterious and lush piano works by Alexander Scriabin, Study in Motion has a boring title but captivating choreography, including a breathtaking central pas de deux. Situated as it is in the middle of couplings and recouplings of dancers, it stuns both with its contorted elevations and the expressive power demanded of its woman soloist (Yuan Yuan Tan, in the performance I saw). Intriguingly, Possokhov experiments with tradition by introducing the kind of fluidity between partners and slides along the floor more commonly seen in ice-skating. Also on the program are Helgi Tomasson's Four Seasons, a rather bland exercise in pastoralism that, however, features a stunning movement for SFB's male dancers, and Stanton Welch's Tu Tu, which premiered last year. Given the use of Ravel's Piano Concerto for Piano in G Major, one expects more jazziness, but thankfully Welch uses the ballet vocabulary without an ounce of irony and just a touch of panache. (Felciano)

Scott Wells and Dancers 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero; 931-8648, www.848.com. Fri-Sat and Feb 19 and 22, 8pm. $15. The company performs Zen – if you don't mind.

Bay Area

'The Ancient Art of Belly Dance: Liberating the Diva Within' Oakland Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 237-2152, www.asata.net. Sun, 8pm. $10. Belly dancers Nanna Candelaria, Zari, Alyne, and Asata Iman and the Raks al Tasneem Troupe perform.

'Gypsy Spirit: Journey of the Roma' Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. Wed, 8pm. $22-38. Musicians and dancers from the Budapest Dance Ensemble and the Gypsy Cimbalom Band perform dances and music from the Gypsy (Roma) tradition.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $12-15. This week: "Improv for Lovers" (Fri-Sat, 8pm); "Micetro" (Sun, 8pm).

'CAFE Presents' Off-Market Theater (and Studio), 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $12-15. This week: Tilted Frame's "Frame Work," improvised play created with audience participation (Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sat/14 is special "sexed-up Valentine's show"; through Feb 21).

'Circus Head' Spanganga, 3376 19th St; 794-7057. Sun, 8pm. $7. Satirist Will Franken performs his multimedia solo show.

'Hawaiian Tan Ratface' Studio Z, 314 11th St; 252-7666, www.studioz.tv. Wed, 8pm. $10. Real Time Opera and composer John Trubee (Ugly Janitors of America) present the world premiere of Trubee's "quasi-opera," an allegorical tale of man who encounters an array of absurd characters when he embarks upon a spiritual quest. The show also features performances by Jack Vees, Lucid, and more.

'San Francisco Treasure Series:' 'Visiting Professor of Pessimism' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. Wed, 8pm. $25-50 sliding scale. See 8 Days a Week.

'Secret Sondheim: A Musical Revue' Eureka Theater, 215 Jackson; 392-4400, 551-7990, www.sfartsed.org. Fri, 7:30pm; Sat, 2 and 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $8-15 (Sat, 8pm, $50). The San Francisco Arts Education Project's Event Players (local public school children ages 10 to 14) present the Sondheim revue.

'3 Drops of Blood' 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission; www.virtuous.com. Fri, 9:30pm. $12-15. Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Koichi Tamano, Nanos Operetta, Melissa Wolfmann, and Pamela Wunderlich perform at this evening of Balinese music, butoh dance, experimental music, and performance art.

'Va Va Voom Room' Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. Fri, 10:30pm (no show Fri/13). Through March 1. $20-25. The New York City-based ensemble performs a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

Bay Area

'Chinese New Year Celebration' Bay Area Discovery Museum, Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds, Sausalito; (415) 339-3900, www.baykidsmuseum.org. Mon, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free with museum admission ($7). See 8 Days a Week.

Tommy Tune Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center, San Rafael; (415) 499-6800, www.ticketmaster.com. Sun, 3pm. $28-60. The Broadway legend performs with a 16-piece orchestra and the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, a singing and dancing trio.

comedy

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

Cafe du Nord 2170 Market; 861-5016. Sun, 8pm: "Night Shift Comedy Program," with Brent Weinbach, $6. See 8 Days a Week.

Climate Theatre 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. Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): Caroline Rhea, Dan Lewis, Andrew Norelli, $17-22.

Hyena Theatre 2390 Mission, Ste 304; 821-3601, www.hyenacomedy.org. Fri, 8pm: "Sketchmonkeys," sketch comedy, call for price.

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

Punch Line 444 Battery; www.punchlinecomedyclub.com. Wed-Sat, 9pm (also Fri-Sat, 11pm): Al Madrigal, $10-20. Sun, 9pm: "SF Comedy Showcase," $7.50. Mon, 9pm: "Monday Comedy Sessions," $5. Tues, 9pm: Joe Klocek, $10.

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 821-1102, www.spanganga.com. Fri-Sat, 10pm: I Can't Believe It's Not Comedy presents "It's Funny Because ...", sketch comedy, $10.

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

Xenodrome Theater 1320 Potrero; 823-5121, www.virtuous.com. Sun, 7pm: "Comic Confessions," with Marti MacGibbon and Ronn Vigh, $8.

Bay Area

Clem Daniels' End Zone 1466 High St, Oakl; (510) 536-9332. Tues, 9pm: "Dijon's Comedy Corner," $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.

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, featured reader Tony Seymour, 6pm, $3. Mediterranean Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985. "Word Beat Reading Series," with featured readers Tom Odegaard and Diana Q, followed by open mic, 7pm, free. Dalva 3121 16th St, S.F.; (415) 753-8091. "Poetry Mission," with featured reader Jessie Whiley, followed by open mic hosted by Elz, 7pm, free. Youth Radio Cafe 1801 University, Berk; (415) 255-9035, www.youthspeaks.org. "Flip Fridays," under-21 open mic sponsored by Youth Speaks, 7pm, free.

Saturday: Make-Out Room 3225 22nd St, S.F.; www.othermag.org. "Writers with Drinks," a benefit for other magazine (cofounded by the Bay Guardian's Annalee Newitz) featuring Roxxie Rosen, Oui Be Negroes, Tim'm T. West, Charlie Anders, and Pam Rosenthal, 7:30pm, $3-5.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with John Isles and Joseph Lease, 7:30pm, $2. Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, S.F.; (415) 433-3811. Mark Schwartz hosts featured reader Marsha Campbell, plus open mic, 4pm, free.

Monday: Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," with open mic hosted by Mark States and featured reader Howard Dyckoff, 7pm, free.