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

'Bay One-Acts Festival' Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 776-7427, www.threewisemonkeys.org. $15-20. Opens Thurs/19, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 14. Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company hosts its third annual festival. This week: Puppet Therapy, by Scott McMorrow; Lunchroom Alchemy, by Maria Rokas; and Another Ache, by Ed Brownson.

Dr. Faustus Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $34-53 (preview $25, opening $75). Previews Feb 24-27, 8:30pm. Opens Feb 28, 8:30pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 2:30pm. Through April 4. David Mamet directs his new version of the classic tale, starring Ricky Jay and Colin Stinton.

Howie the Rookie Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; (510) 532-8420. $18. Opens Thurs/19, 8:30pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8:30pm. Through March 6. Aggro Theatre presents Mark O'Rowe's "epic tale of friendship, betrayal, and retribution."

An Impersonation of Angels or the Enigma of Desire (Impressions of the Life of Salvador Dali) Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 431-8423. $10-20. Previews Thurs/19, 8pm. Opens Fri/20, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat and March 8, 8pm. Through March 13. Kaliyuga Arts presents the premiere of Dan Carbone's reworking of his earlier absurdist play, Salvador Dali Talks to the Animals.

Mamma Mia! Golden Gate Theatre, One Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $40-81. Opens Tues/24, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, April 12, 8pm (also Sat and April 14, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through April 17. ABBA fans rejoice: the Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus musical returns.

Okra: A Dark Comedy Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St; 647-2822, www.brava.org. $18-28. Previews Wed/18-Fri/20, 8pm. Opens Sat/21, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 14. See 8 Days a Week.

'Risk Is This ... The Cutting Ball New Plays Festival' Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 419-3584. Free ($10 suggested donation). Opens Fri/20, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through March 6. The Cutting Ball Theater presents three new plays: Snakewoman, an opera libretto by Eugenie Chan (Fri/20-Sat/21); Wet, by Liz Duffy Adams (Feb 27-28); and Infestation, by Payne Ratner (March 5-6).

Rococo Risqué IV Danzhaus, 1275 Connecticut; 970-0222, www.rococorisque.com. $10-15. Opens Fri/20, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 9pm. Through March 6. The Red Gate Performance Collective presents this evening-length hybrid of sketch comedy, cabaret, and musical theater.

Three Blooms Magic Theatre, Northside, Bldg D, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775, www.zspace.org. $23-27 (previews, pay what you can). Previews Wed/18, 8pm. Opens Thurs/19, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 21. Word for Word stages three short stories by Amy Bloom, including Hyacinths, The Sight of You, and Silver Water.

Vita and Virginia Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-20 (previews, pay what you can). Previews Thurs/19-Fri/20, 8pm. Opens Sat/21, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Feb 29 and March 7, 3pm). Through March 13. Theatre Rhinoceros performs Eileen Atkins's play about the affair between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West.

Bay Area

The Duel Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 558-1381, www.centralworks.org. $8-20 (Thurs/19, Feb 26, and March 4, pay what you can). Previews Thurs/19, 8pm. Opens Fri/20, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through March 27. Central Works performs a new play adapted from Chekhov's novella.

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.

'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).

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/19-Sat/21, 8pm; Sun/22, 2pm. 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.

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.

Gauguin's Shadow Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Thurs/19-Sat/21, 8pm. 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. Curchack's flow can get bumpy, but he 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 Rebecca Gilman's grim but engaging tale of a Southern teenager named Lisa (Lauren English) who picks up, and later disposes of, wayward young women for her sadistic ex-con husband, Clint (Michael Janes). In the West Coast premiere of the 1996 play that launched its author's much-lauded career, English turns in a powerful, wonderfully subtle performance as the emotionally shut-down daughter of a trailer prostitute (Linda-Ruth Cardozo) who unquestioningly subsumes her will under that of her husband – her foreclosed childhood finding symbolic expression in a small toy piano given her by her late father. Along with a competent supporting cast and fluid, atmospheric staging (given a cinematic thrust by some slick still and video imaging), director Bill English (Lauren's father) gets an equally bold and committed performance from Janes as the at turns violent and boyishly charismatic Southern ne'er-do-well. There's precedent for Gilman's "trailer trash" characters and their sociopathic spree in a slew of popular literature and film, and the play's social moral remains, as in much of Gilman's work, rooted in the fashionable liberalism of the educated classes. But she animates her subjects with smart, well-honed dialogue, an unsentimental compassion, and a sly humor fully realized here. (Avila)

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.

King Hedley II Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.ticketweb.com. $25-32. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 14. See 8 Days a Week.

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 on 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. Unfortunately, stereotypes still have a stronghold on the 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)

Levee James Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-68. Opens Wed/18, 8pm. Runs Thurs/19-Sat/21, Feb 25-28, March 2-6, 9-13, 8pm (also Sat/21, Feb 25, 28, March 6, 10, and 13, 2pm); Sun/22, Feb 29, March 7 and 14, 2pm (also Sun/22, 7pm); Tues/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.

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 of the production 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.

Popping the Cherry Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.actorstheatresf.org. $5-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show March 6); Sun, 7pm. Through March 7. Actors Theatre presents the premiere of San Francisco playwright Karen Macklin's story of two twentysomething sisters reunited after six years of strained silence. Margo (Niki Yapo) lives a reasonably comfortable life in New York City as a software designer having a discreet affair with the CEO of her company, a swanky Brit named Wynona (Linden Young). When her younger sister Lucy (Sarah Engelman), informed of the terminal illness of their mother (Ann Hopkins), shows up from several years of wandering the earth en lieu of college, Margo tries to help her get settled in a normal life only to find her own coming gradually undone with the pressure of an unspoken grievance between them. Lucy tries, meanwhile, to set down her own roots in a budding friendship with local bartender Malcolm (Euclides Pereyra), but it's difficult to grow something when you're perpetually on the run. If the play takes a little while to become satisfactorily engaging, and the generally smart dialogue becomes stilted when pushed too far, director Christian Phillips ensures solid performances that together prevent a disturbing family secret from becoming maudlin. Yapo and Engelman work particularly well together as two mutually damaged but proud personalities simultaneously vying for preeminence and understanding. (Avila)

*Psychos Never Dream Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311. $9-15. Extended run: Thurs/19-Sun/22, 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 (Mon/23, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat and Mon/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.

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/19-Sat/21, 8pm; Sun/22, 2 and 7pm. (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, 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. O'Brien and Weisser's glowing performances are passionate and perfectly matched. (Veltman)

Troijka Spanganga, 3376 19th St; 752-2084. $10. 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.

Bay Area

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

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. Barbara Oliver directs George Bernard Shaw's "comedy of egos" about Napoleon Bonaparte. Fresh from his first big military success, the man who would be l'empereur finds his carefully controlled world methodically unraveled by a mysterious woman whose cunning and determination is every bit a match for his canon-wielding ascendancy. As dramaturge Jo Perry-Folino explains in the program notes, Napoleon was driven as much by his passion for women as he was by his obsession for world domination. Shaw's one-act playfully exploits this tension, bringing the military mastermind to the brink of mental breakdown over an unread letter that may or may not reveal his wife's infelicity. Written in 1895, Destiny's humor is somewhat quaint, and Shaw's jabs at English politics and manners feel less keen for today's political climate. However, the actors win our affection by the end of this sturdy production: Stacy Ross is charming as the Strange Lady, and even Napoleon (T. Edward Webster) winds up seeming like an OK guy. (Shalson)

*A Midsummer Night's Dream San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose; (408) 367-7225. Wed/18-Sat/21, 8pm (also Sat/21, 3pm); Sun/22, 2 and 7pm. 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. 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 Thurs/19, Feb 28, and March 4, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through March 7. In the Bay Area premiere of Dael Orlandersmith's involving and wrenching Yellowman, a production of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in association with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, two characters from the Gullah-Geechee region of South Carolina recount the story of their doomed romance. Alma (Deidre N. Henry), a dark-skinned African American woman, and Eugene (Clark Jackson), a light-skinned African American man, talk mainly to the audience in vigorous bursts of biographical detail and confession. Racism in the African American community, if underexamined, is not an entirely new theme, but Orlandersmith sets the psychological impact of it in so intimate a story and mode of presentation that the virulence of the disease comes across in the starkest terms. (Avila)

dance

Alayo Dance Company Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Feb 27-28, 8pm; Feb 29, 2 and 7pm. $15-18. The company performs Black History Month tribute A Piece of White Cloth, a modern dance work that draws on Cuban and African culture and history.

Anima Mundi Dance Company Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin; 581-3500, www.asianart.org. Thurs, 7pm. Free with museum admission ($5 after 5pm on Thursdays). The company performs Mountains and Rivers Without End, a dance-theater piece based on the poem by Gary Snyder.

Liss Fain Dance ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834, www.odctheater.org. Thurs/19-Sat/21, 8pm. $18-20. The company performs Shifting Land, the final work in the trilogy that includes Frames of Light Part I and Frames of Light 2003.

ODC/San Francisco Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard; 978-ARTS, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. Program One: Feb 27 and 29, 8pm. Program Two: Fri/20-Sat/21, Feb 26, and 28, 8pm; Sun/22, 2pm. Family matinee: Sat/21, 2pm. Weekday matinee: Feb 26, noon. $10-38. The company presents "Dancing Downtown 2004." Program One includes KT Nelson's RingRoundRozi and Brenda Way's Noir and Fiendish Variations. Program Two includes Nelson's Pass and Last Hello, Way's 24 Exposures, and Kimi Okada's Flight to Ixcan. Matinees feature Way's Fiendish Variations, RingRoundRozi, and a performance by youth troupe ODC Dance Jam.

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Program Three: Tues/24, Feb 27, 8pm; Feb 25, 7:30pm; Feb 29, 2pm. $8-132. Program Three includes Julia Adam's Imaginal Disc, Hans van Manen's Grosse Fugue, and Christopher Wheeldon's Rush.

Scott Wells and Dancers 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero; 931-8648, www.848.com. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. $15. The company performs Zen – If You Don't Mind.

Zaccho Dance Theatre Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. Previews Fri/20. Runs Sat/21-Sun/22, Feb 24-29, 11am-5pm (continuous performance). $10 suggested donation. See Critic's Choice.

Bay Area

Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; www.mahea.com. Fri, 8pm. Visit Web site for ticket info. Live music, drumming, and dance styles from around the world highlight this benefit concert.

Theatre Flamenco Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000. Sat, 2 and 8pm. $26-30. The company performs Diseños, featuring guest artists Carola Zertuche, "La Fibi," and Nemesio Paredes, plus a new work by artistic director Miguel Santos.

performance

'All the Great Books (abridged)' Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.reducedshakespeare.com. Feb 24-27, 4-7, 8pm (also March 6-7, 2pm). $28-32. Reduced Shakespeare Company performs "90 of the world's most notable titles in 90 minutes" in this fast-paced comedy show.

'Artifice, Ruse, and Subterfuge' Climate Theatre, 285 Ninth St; tickets@comedymagic.com. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 28. $10-15. Magician Eric Masters performs his solo show about legendary cardsharper S.W. Erdnase.

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $12-15. This week: "Special Guest: 3 For All" (Fri-Sat, 8pm); "Micetro" (Sun, 8pm).

'Behind the Scenes with Naomi Newman: Fall Down Get Up' Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis; 567-3327. Sun, 7:30pm. Free. The performer discusses and performs excerpts from her upcoming solo show.

'Big Big Love' Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org, www.bigburlesque.com. Fri-Sat, 8:30pm. Through Feb 28. $15-20. The Original Fat-Bottom Revue, a size-positive burlesque troupe, performs.

'CAFE Presents' Off-Market Theater (and Studio), 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $12-15. This week: "Truly Unruly: Live Girls on Stage" and Merle Coleman in "Festival of Silliness (A Set of Songs and Other Things)" (Thurs, 8pm); "Improv Revolution" (Thurs, 8pm, studio); Tilted Frame's "Frame Work," improvised play created with audience participation (Fri-Sat, 8pm); sketch comedy with Bitter Show, Macaroni Art Theatre, and 2 Good 4 U (Fri-Sat, 8pm, studio).

'Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Horse and Man' Giants Parking Lot B, adjacent to SBC Park, 1250 Fourth St; 1-866-999-8111, www.cavalia.net. Fri/20 and Feb 24-27, 8pm; Sat/21, 2 and 8:30pm; Sun/22, 1pm and 5pm. $35-73. One of Cirque du Soliel's founders, Normand Latourelle, created this multimedia show featuring acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians, and 33 horses.

'The Devil-Ettes Au Go Go!' 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission; 309-9240, www.virtuous.com. Sat, 9pm. $12-15. The Devil-Ettes dancers celebrate their fifth anniversary at this performance and party, featuring '60s tunes spun by DJs Tony the Tyger, California Kid, and Jodie Artichoke.

'Dutchman' and 'Salam Huey Salam' Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 333-6389, www.wehavemet.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $15-20. J.H. Doyle Productions and Multi Ethnic Theater present plays by LeRoi Jones and Ed Bullins.

'Mid-Month Cabaret Variety Night' Center for Variety Arts, 608 Taraval; 242-4433. Sat, 8pm. $10-12. This eclectic cabaret show features the Odd A:lien Circus Orchestra, Dr. Techno's Traveling Minstrel and Medicine Show, shadow and black-light puppetry, "inappropriate comedians," and more.

'Objective Overruled: The Life and Words of Mumia Abu-Jamal' Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; www.playwrightscentersf.org. Tues, 7:30pm. $5-10. The Playwrights' Center hosts a staged reading of Liz Green's new drama, followed by a critique session.

'Va Va Voom Room' Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. Fri, 10:30pm. Through March 1. $20-25. The New York City-based ensemble performs a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

'Wayang Bali: Arjuna Saves the Universe with a Trick' SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan; 648-4461, www.shadowlight.com. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Free. ShadowLight Productions artistic director Larry Reed performs this Balinese shadow theater work, with live accompaniment by four gamelan musicians.

Bay Area

'Full Spectrum Improvisation' Eighth Street Studios, 2525 Eighth St, Berk; (415) 564-4115, www.joyacory.com. Sat/21, Feb 28, March 6, 8pm. $6-12. (Also March 13, 20, 27, 8pm, Blue Bear Performance Space, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna, SF.) Joya Cory's Lucky Dog Theatre performs unrehearsed tales.

Pan Theater 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263. Fri, 8pm. $5-10. The improv theater troupe performs long-form scenes.

'Street Soldiers: The Play' Berkeley Black Repertory Group Theatre, 3210 Adeline, Berk; 1-800-SOLDIER. Fri-Sun, 8pm (also Sat/21-Sun/22 and Feb 28, 2:30pm; Feb 29, 3pm). Through Feb 29. $20. Based on the book Street Soldiers, this play tells stories drawn from real-life participants in the Omega Boys Club, a violence-prevention program for youth.

comedy

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

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): Bill Bellamy, Diane Amos, $20-25.

Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk; 923-0923. Thurs, 10pm: Club Chuckles presents the Sound Painters and comedians J. Boronski, Dug, and Mark Schaffer, $6.

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

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): Sue Murphy, $12-15. Sun, 9pm: "S.F. Comedy Showcase," $7.50. Mon, 9pm: "Fourth Annual Bay Area Comedy Benefit for the NAACP," $15. Feb 24-26: "All-Stars," call for price.

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 1800 Market; 865-5633. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Gay Comedy," with host Guy Branum, $8-15 (sliding scale).

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, SF; (415) 440-5530. "Spoken Word Salon," with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free. Magnet 4122 18th St, SF; kirkread@earthlink.net. "Smack Dab," open mic hosted by Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts, with featured performers Patrick Califia and Ray Ferrer, 7:30pm, free. Il Piccolo Cafe 1219 Broadway, Burlingame; (650) 631-5732. "Il Piccolo/Saturday Poets Reading Series," with featured reader Cameron McKinley, 7pm, free.

Thursday: Coppa D'Oro Cafe 3166 24th St, SF; (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, SF; www.artworksf.com. "Poetry (and More) at the Cosmo," with hosts Jeanne Powell and Philip T. Nails; this week, book-release party for Lynn Ruth Miller, 6pm, $3. Oakland Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932, www.oaklandbox.com or www.oaklandpoetry.net. "Oakland Poetry Slam and Verbal Kre-â'shen," open mic and featured readers, plus slam competition, 8pm, $10. Mediterranean Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985. "Word Beat Reading Series," with featured readers Steve Wasserman and Michael Larrain, followed by open mic, 7pm, free.

Friday: Timken Lecture Hall California College of the Arts, 1111 Eighth St, SF; www.sptraffic.org. Small Press Traffic hosts a reading with Joseph Lease and Chris Stroffolino, 7:30pm, $5-10. Oakland Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (415) 255-9035, ext 14, www.youthspeaks.org. "Oakland Slam in the School Finals," presented by Youth Speaks, 7pm, $4-10. Dolores Park Cafe 501 Dolores, SF; www.doloresparkcafe.org. "Oral Fixation," open mic, 7:30pm, $3.

Saturday: Knuth Hall Creative Arts Bldg, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway, SF; 1-866-468-3399, www.sfsu.edu/~poetry or www.ticketweb.com. The Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives celebrates its 50th anniversary with a benefit show featuring Adrienne Rich, Ishmael Reed, Michael McClure, Robin Blaser, Etel Adnan, and others, 7:30pm, $15-50.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with Carol Moldaw and Maya Khosla, 7:30pm, $2. Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, S.F.; (415) 433-3811. Mark Schwartz hosts featured reader Camincha, plus open mic, 4pm, free. 21 Grand 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263. Barbara Jane Reyes and Patrick Rosal read, 7pm, $4. Pat's Cafe 2330 Taylor, SF; (415) 776-8735. "Poesy 23," Brian Morrisey presents poets Gerald Nicosia, Nicole Henares, and Stephen Kopel, followed by open mic, 7pm, free.

Monday: Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," with open mic hosted by Mark States; this week's theme is "Turn Ons," 7pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave; www.lilycat.com. "Lit at the Canvas": "The Government – What Can Be Said about It?," with featured readers Trina Robbins, Sherilyn Connelly, Harmon Leon, and Karen Windus, 7pm, free (donations accepted).