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

Fall down Get Up Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 285-8080, www.atjt.com. $18-30. Previews Wed/3-Sat/6, 8pm. Opens Sun/7, 7pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 21. (Also March 25-27, 8pm; March 28, 2 and 7pm, Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk.) See 8 Days a Week.

The Fula from America: An African Journey Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Previews Thurs/4, 8pm. Opens Fri/5, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through March 27. Carlyle Brown performs his new solo show, a travelogue drawn from his experiences in West Africa.

Twilight Zone: The Plays Spanganga, 3376 19th St; www.twilightzonelive.4t.com, www.spanganga.com. $11.50-15. Opens Fri/5, 8pm. Runs Fri, 8pm; Sat, 10pm. Through March 27. Impossible Productions presents stage adaptations of classic Twilight Zone episodes.

Underneath the Lintel Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 267-4876, www.ticketweb.com. $12-18. Opens Thurs/4, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 3. Teatro Shalom presents Glen Berger's comic detective tale about a librarian who receives a book that is more than 100 years overdue.

Bay Area

All My Sons Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-50. Previews Wed/3-Fri/5, 8pm. Opens Sat/6, 8pm. Runs Tues/9 and March 16, 7:30pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm (also March 13, 20, 2pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/7, March 14, 7pm). Through March 28. TheatreWorks presents Arthur Miller's classic drama about a home-front family struggling with wartime secrets.

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.

'Bay One-Acts Festival' Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 776-7427, www.threewisemonkeys.org. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 14. Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company presents its third annual showcase of Bay Area theater talent. This year features 13 new short plays, 10 local producing companies, and 52 local actors. The first of four weekly programs began with Scott McMorrow's slight comedy Puppet Therapy, directed by TWM's Alice Shikina, about a disengaged couples therapist (Catherine Fox) who lets her sexually frustrated clients (Dianna Chung and Bryan Goski) sort things out with sock puppets behind the analyst's couch. Lunchroom Alchemy, presented by One-Act Wonders and directed by Alan Goy, offered sharper and funnier fare, thanks to Maria Rokas's witty script and the strong comedic performances behind four distinct female personalities and their aggressive lunchtime banter. Finally, Isis Arts Collective presented Ed Brownson's suburban dystopia, Another Ache. A sardonic take on homeland security, the play wavered between sarcasm and earnest alarm in the story of a neighborhood watch program grown too big for its britches, but it benefited from three solid performances directed by Mike Ward. If quality inevitably varies in a festival like this, the unique opportunity to sample the small-theater scene can also generate a synergistic excitement all its own. (Avila)

*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. $35-73. Extended run: Tues-Fri, 8pm; Sat-Sun, 1 and 5pm. Through March 12. "Whoa, hold your horses there, partner. I thought Cirque du Soleil was supposed to be sans animaux." Yeah, well, who said this was Cirque du Soleil? OK, the show's creator, Normand Latourelle, cofounded the world-famous Quebec-based cirque. And in many ways this lush multimedia equestrian extravaganza really does look like Cirque du Soleil with horses. But bears on trikes it isn't. These horses are well loved and clearly much happier, generally speaking, than the rest of us. They're also beautiful, with long flowing manes that will have you wondering what conditioner they use. Cavalia stars 33 of these stunning creatures, on an enormous big-top stage, interacting with European horse whisperer Frédéric Pignon and his wife, trainer and rider Magali Delgado, along with 30 or so acrobats, aerialists, trick riders, dancers, and musicians in scenes that range from slow, wistful dance sequences to high-energy feats of intermammalian prowess. The impressive design scheme has a sort of Princess Bride quality to it that, at its most gushingly sentimental, pleasingly brings to mind those garish, vaguely lurid covers of romance-fantasy paperbacks. Surprising and entrancing, this is one American premiere that already has legs. (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); the Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe (Fri, 10pm, through March 26).

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 1 and 6:30pm; no shows June 27 and July 4). Through Sept 5. Apparently director and designer Julie Taymor didn't win those Tonys for nothing. The Bay Area premiere of her staged interpretation of Disney's The Lion King, courtesy of Best of Broadway, works so well you're liable to forgive the residual Disney that clings to this singular spectacle. The costumes alone, especially the remarkable masks and puppets (designed with Michael Curry), are artful, elegant inventions. With them, actors deftly mimic the grace and bearing of a giraffe or a gazelle or a trick mouse. The plot – a lion cub grows up in exile until he can assume his rightful place on the usurped throne of his late father – must be familiar to nearly everyone by now; the characters are the stock ones recycled by Disney. They're animated, however, by a superb cast. (Avila)

Dr. Faustus Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $25-53. 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.

Les Fauxlies Fantastique: Showgirls Who Aren't Really Girls at All! Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 248-1942. $35-40. Thurs/4-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 2:30pm. Showgirls take the stage in this Parisian-style drag musical revue.

*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 prostitute (Linda-Ruth Cardozo) who unquestioningly subsumes her will under that of her husband. 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)

Howie the Rookie Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; (510) 532-8420. $18. Thurs/4-Sat/6, 8:30pm. 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. Thurs-Sat and Mon/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.

The Island and Sizwe Bansi Is Dead Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 333-6389, www.wehavemet.org. $20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; April 4, 7pm. Through April 4. Multi Ethnic Theater performs two works by South African playwright Athol Fugard.

Killing My Lobster Pop! Theater Artaud, 450 Florida; www.killingmylobster.com. $12-17 (Wed/3 and Sat, 10pm, pay what you can). Wed/3-Fri/5, 8pm; Sat/6, 7:30 and 10pm; Sun/7, 7pm. San Francisco-based comedy troupe Killing My Lobster unveils, in the bold primary colors of '60s avant-garde art, its cheeky paean to celebrity. A rapid-fire series of sketches (some sketchier than others) takes aim at fame, zeroing in on has-beens and wannabes from the days of Elizabeth I's 17-century fashion edicts to those of the electoral politics of the postapocalyptic 2040s. Among other vicarious thrills, you'll hear action heroes debating the issues, learn how to crash the number-one bar mitzvah in town, take a look inside the hardworking rumor mill, and share in a dogged obsession with Ron Howard. Andy Miara directs a crackerjack eight-person cast enveloped by a nifty pop-art scenic design redolent of an adult field trip arranged by Claes Oldenburg – if only the writing were as consistently up to the same keen-eyed standard. As it is, screechy delivery can sometimes substitute for solid laughs, and the bigger nudge frequently comes from the low-budge video segments (solid nudge-to-budge ratio there). Even so, KML's contagious atmosphere (egged on by musical accompanists the Boneless Children Foundation) ensures Pop! rocks as often as it fizzes. (Avila)

*King Hedley II Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.ticketweb.com. $25-32. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 14. In a solid and meticulous northern California premiere, the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents the eighth installment of August Wilson's magisterial 10-play cycle, his decade-by-decade exploration of the African American experience in the 20th century. L. Peter Callender's choleric, brooding Hedley, reluctant son of Ruby (an irresistible Rhodessa Jones), stalks the stage with an unpredictable energy – the pent-up ambitions of a quintessential American dreamer frustrated by the American system, that invisible web of economic and political forces beyond our ken. Stanley E. Williams directs an excellent six-member cast, whose complex and human portraits carry us easily through two hefty acts. (Avila)

Levee James Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-68. Wed/3-Sat/6, March 9-13, 8pm (also Sat/6, March 10, and 13, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. 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.

Mamma Mia! Golden Gate Theatre, One Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $40-81. 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.

The Master and Margarita Zeum, Yerba Buena Gardens, 221 Fourth St; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through March 13. Many directors have tried to adapt Mikhail Bulgakov's loopy yet lucid novel The Master and Margarita, and most have failed. With the novel's intricate Russian doll structure, supernatural plot, and dense thematic jungle, stage productions of the work generally veer between the oversimplistic and the vastly unwieldy. Romanian director Adrian Giurgea's ambitious production for the American Conservatory Theater master of fine arts program tries to intertwine the novel's complex historical-political allegory of Pontius Pilate with the darkly witty story about Satan's mischief-making antics in 1930s Moscow. Over the course of three hours and 20 minutes, ghoulish characters ping elastically in and out of vertical trap doors, caper about the stage in various states of hysteria and undress, and attempt fairly feeble magic tricks with bits of string. Despite some intriguing performances (in particular the mercurial Jeff Galfer as Satan incarnate, Woland) and well-executed scenic, sound, and lighting effects, Giurgea's long and busy production is mostly memorable for being a flurry of flesh and half-defined themes. (Veltman)

*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. It seems no sooner had director Richard Seyd's highly successful remounting of Michael Frayn's glorious farce-within-a-farce ensconced itself in San Francisco's Marines Memorial Theatre, with an open-ended run and a (mostly) new cast, than word came it would soon embark on a national tour. So this is fair warning for those who still haven't seen this gem, which has been going strong since opening last fall at San Jose Repertory Theatre, or would like another crack at it. Frayn's timeless 1982 three-act comedy shrewdly turns a typical sex farce inside out (literally, in the sense that the second act shows us the same play within the play from backstage), involving us in the combustible dynamics among the director and cast of Nothing On from their frazzled dress rehearsal to the last, rapidly disintegrating leg of their tour. It would be hard to beat the chemistry of the original cast, but the current ensemble comes admirably close, ensuring the sublime low humor and meticulously choreographed mayhem of Frayn's ingenious romp remain something to behold. (Avila)

Okra: A Dark Comedy Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St; 647-2822, www.brava.org. $18-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 14. Brava Theater Center presents Anne Galjour's play about a conflicted Cajun family.

Popping the Cherry Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.actorstheatresf.org. $5-20. Thurs/4-Fri/5, 8pm; Sun/7, 7pm. 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 in 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. 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. (Avila)

'Risk Is This ... The Cutting Ball New Plays Festival' Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 419-3584. Free ($10 suggested donation). Fri/5-Sat/6, 8pm. The Cutting Ball Theater presents the final play in its festival, Payne Ratner's Infestation.

Rococo Risqué IV Danzhaus, 1275 Connecticut; 970-0222, www.rococorisque.com. $10-15. Fri/5-Sat/6, 9pm. The Red Gate Performance Collective presents this evening-length hybrid of sketch comedy, cabaret, and musical theater.

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.

*Three Blooms Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Northside, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 437-6775, www.zspace.org. $23-27. Tues-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 21. Word for Word stages three short stories by Amy Bloom. Spanning the 1940s to the 1980s, the stories are unrelated, except for a cool, emotional intensity that flows through all of them. In Hyacinths a childhood accident and its later repercussions are recounted with the help of life-size puppet-children. In The Sight of You, an extramarital affair is carried out at the local swimming pool (beautifully crafted using broad strips of blue cloth through which the actors dive in and out). Finally, in Silver Water, an adolescent's schizophrenia tests the durability of one family's love. Affecting performances by the finely tuned ensemble – some dozen actors who transition easily between roles and relationships, sometimes within the same piece – under the nearly choreographic direction of Randall Stuart, as well as the evocative and expressive work of the scenic-, lighting-, costume-design team, unify these three pieces into a multilayered, theatrical treat. (Shalson)

Vita and Virginia Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-20. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun/7, 3pm). Through March 13. Theatre Rhinoceros presents Eileen Atkins's play about the 20-year love affair between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, adapted from the two women's correspondence and diaries. In director Gemma Whelan's staging, Virginia (Carolyn Cox) and Vita (Jennifer Grimes) each occupy a "home space" consisting of a writing desk and a few distinct furnishings at opposite ends of the stage, from which the actors orate their letters to one another, only coming together center stage periodically to kiss. The effect is awkward at first, but as the letters build, detailing the passions as well as the mundane moments of these extraordinary lives, a certain rhythm ensues, and the spacing works not only to heighten the isolation of the often ill Virginia from her often traveling paramour, but also to punctuate those moments when the two do come together. Cox and Grimes lend unique charms to their individualized portrayals and, though the play feels a bit too long, they maintain our interest and affection throughout. (Shalson)

Bay Area

The Bright River Transparent Theatre, 1901 Ashby, Berk; (510) 644-2204, www.epicarts.org or www.timbarsky.com. $12-20 (Thurs/4, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through March 20. Tim Barsky performs his solo show, a blend of hip-hop, physical theater, and Jewish folklore, with live music by Everyday Theatre.

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

Ghosts Berkeley Repertory's Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Opens Wed/3, 8pm. Runs Tues, Thurs-Fri, 8pm (also Thurs/4, March 11, 25, and April 8, 2pm; no show March 12); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm); Sat, 2 and 8pm (no 2pm shows March 27 and April 10). Through April 11. Berkeley Rep performs Ibsen's 19th-century classic about a repressive, hypocritical community.

The Man of Destiny Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-40. Wed/3-Sat/6, 8pm; Sun/7, 2 and 7pm. 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)

*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. Andrew (David Ballog) is a sulky graduate student who spends his Friday nights doing laundry and reading Dostoevsky. Jerrod (Brian Erlich), a medical student who volunteers in his spare time cuddling orphaned babies, would be Andrew's boyfriend if only he'd let him. But Andrew is more attracted to six pack-bearing stranger Jack (Eric Moore), who picks him up at the Laundromat. Jack is gorgeous, and he speaks Russian; his only flaw: he's the son of Satan. Andrew is soon in over his head, and the only question remaining is Can his best friend, Bernadette (Courtney Greenlaw), and the endlessly devoted Jerrod save him? If it sounds like a supernatural TV show, that's because Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's play, presented by Impact Theater, combines many of the elements of a sitcom package: think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, only less profound. But Say You Love Satan is laugh-out-loud funny at times, and the cast is delightful, playing their parts with such deadpan earnestness that every ridiculous line hits its mark. (Shalson)

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

Takami and Toumei MoBu (Modern Butoh) Dance Group Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 665-3914. Fri, 8pm. $15. The company presents a benefit, work-in-progress performance of Footprints Lost in Sand III.

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Program Three: Thurs/4 and Sat/6, 8pm (also Sat/6, 2pm). Program Four: Wed/3, 7:30pm; Fri/5, 8pm; Sun/7, 2pm. $8-132. Program Three includes Julia Adam's Imaginal Disc, Hans van Manen's Grosse fugue, and Christopher Wheeldon's Rush. Program Four includes Natalia Makarova's staging of Paquita, a world premiere by Helgi Tomasson, and Alexei Ratmansky's Le carnaval des animaux. See 8 Days a Week.

'Women's Work' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. Tues, 8pm. $8-10. See 8 Days a Week

Bay Area

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft at Telegraph, UC Berkeley, Berk; (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. Program A: Tues/9, March 12, 8pm; March 14, 3pm. Program B: March 10, 8pm; March 13, 2pm. Program C: March 11 and 13, 8pm. $32-58. The company performs three programs of new works, revivals, and classics.

Ailey II Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center, San Rafael; (415) 499-6800, www.ticketmaster.com. Fri, 8pm. $18-35. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's ensemble of young dancers performs works choreographed by Ailey and others.

Tango a Media Luz Student Union Ballroom, Rothwell Center, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 430-3130. Fri, 7:30pm. Free. Narration, live music, lessons, and a performance highlight the company's exploration of the Argentine tango.

performance

*'All the Great Books (Abridged)' Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.reducedshakespeare.com. Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Sat-Sun, 2pm). $28-32. Reduced Shakespeare Company, comic purveyors of condensed versions of classic texts (from the Bard to the Bible), rolls into town with its latest high-intensity abridgment, a Cliffs Notes-hanging adventure in the Western literary canon. The audience plays the part of a remedial class charged with mastering an intimidating stack of seminal books – from the Iliad to Ulysses, all anchored by a behemoth known as War and Peace – in 90 minutes, or just in time for graduation. As the high school's English teacher has met with a tragic accident, their guides will be three piffling subs: the football coach (Reed Martin), the drama instructor (Austin Tichenor), and a student teacher (Matthew Croke). Sheer enthusiasm for literature and an even greater passion for center stage drives this triumvirate toward their goal amid a welter of props and malaprops. Quick-witted, as well as surefooted, physical performances by the charismatic trio make the most of this very silly but crowd-pleasing premise by RSC veterans Martin and Tichenor. (Avila)

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $10-12. This week: "King-of-the-Hill Theatresports" (Fri, 8pm); "Gorilla Theatre" (Sat, 8pm); "Eat the Apple" (Sat, 10:30pm); "Genre Short Form Show" (Sun, 8pm).

'CAFE Presents' Off-Market Theater (and Studio), 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $10-20. This week: vocal ensemble Tonal Chaos and poet Lyrikenesis (Sat, 8pm); Jay Levin's Eye, performed by Dynamic Theatre Company (Thurs-Sat, 8pm, through March 13).

'848 Community Space: The Little Space That Could' opening celebration 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero; 922-2385, 848@848.com. Fri, 7-10pm. Free (donations accepted). See 8 Days a Week.

'Herspectives: Breathing New Life into Old Stories' Women's Building, 3542 18th St; 431-1180, www.womensbuilding.org. Fri-Sun, 7pm. $5-30. In honor of International Women's Day, the Women's Building, Mission Girls, Loco Bloco, the Center for Young Women's Development, and WILD for Human Rights present three nights of live art, performance, music, and dance.

Jewish Community Center of San Francisco 3200 California; 292-1233. The venue hosts three performances this week: Emanuel Gat's Two Stupid Dogs with the Ian Rachel Project (Wed, 8pm, $38-42); Jeff Razz's The Whole Megillah, Abridged (Thurs, 8pm, $20-24); and Esther 5764, a Purim rock opera by Amy Tobin and her band (Sat, 8pm, $15-18).

'Rabbit Causes Dog' Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 789-7610. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 9:30pm). $5-10. Experimental theater group mugwumpin perform a new work that explores the "gutland" of Gothic Americana.

'Step it Up: Body Music' Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon; EXP-LORE. Sun, 1pm. Free with museum admission ($8-12). A film and performance highlight this exploration of the art of stepping by the Iota Phi Theta fraternity and other Greek organizations.

'Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-2787. Sun, 7:30pm. $15-18. (Also runs March 14-15, 21, 7pm; March 26, 8pm; March 27-28, 2pm, Oakland Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; 510-451-1932, www.ticketweb.com. $3-10). Noted spoken word artist Aya de León performs her new, full-length hip-hop theater solo show.

'Tschaikovsky (and Other Russians)' Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. Sun/7-Mon/8, March 14, 8pm. $14-40. Mark Nadler performs his solo cabaret tribute to American musical theater.

'Va Va Voom Room' Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. Fri-Sat, 8 and 11pm. Through April 10. $20-25. The New York City-based ensemble performs a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

Bay Area

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

'Showtime at the Apollo' auditions Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft at Telegraph, UC Berkeley, Berk; (510) 642-0212, apollo@calperfs.berkeley.edu. Sat, 10am-5pm. Free. Aspiring performers can audition to appear onstage May 8 when "Showtime at the Apollo on Tour" returns to the Bay Area.

'12th Annual Berkeley Youth Festival' Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 644-6893. March 3-April 3. The Berkeley Art Center kicks off a month of visual arts (reception Wed/3, 5-7pm; gallery hours Wed-Sun, noon-5pm); workshops; performances; and more, aimed at (and presented by) kids in kindergarten through eighth grade.

comedy

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

Blackthorn Tavern 834 Irving; 584-9225. Thurs, 8pm: Comedy with Doug Ferrari, Tony Dijamco, Nick Leonard, Louis Katz, and Aundre the Wonder Woman, hosted by David Kleinberg, $7.

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): Ralphie May, Jackie Kashian, and Gretchen Rootes, $17-20. Sun, 8pm: Bill Maher, Jackie Kashian, $40.

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

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

Off-Market Theater 965 Mission; 896-6477. Sat, 10pm, through March 27: "Ha Bloody Ha," live talk show hosted by Harmon Leon, $10.

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 1800 Market; 865-5633. Fri-Sat, 8pm, through March 13: "Thanks for the Feedback: A Comedy Concert about Being a Comic," starring Doug Holsclaw, with special guests Pippi Lovestocking (Fri/5-Sat/6) and Anita Cocktail (March 12-13), $18. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Gay Comedy," with host Dana Cory, $8-15 (sliding scale).

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 821-1102. Thurs, 8pm: "Speigelmania Sports Show," stand-up comedy showcase hosted by Mike Spiegelman, $7. Fri, 10pm, through March 26: "When Uphill Both Ways Attacks!," sketch comedy, $10.

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. Sacred Grounds Cafe 2095 Hayes, SF; www.sacredgroundscafe.com. Artie, Poet of the Inner Sunset, reads his work, 7:30pm, 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. 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 Phillip T. Nails and Charselle, followed by open mic, 7pm, free. Morrison Library Doe Library, UC Berkeley, Berk; (510) 642-0137. "Lunch Poems Reading Series," with Lyn Hejinian, 12:10pm, free. Mama Buzz Cafe 2318 Telegraph, Oakl; www.ecstaticmonkey.com. Members of Ecstatic Monkey writers' collective read, 7:30pm, $1.

Friday: Small Press Traffic Literary Arts Center, California College of Arts, 1111 Eighth St, SF; (415) 551-9278. Small Press Traffic hosts a reading with Devin Johnston and Susan Landers, 7:30pm, $5.

Saturday: Berkeley Public Library South Branch, 1901 Russell, Berk; (510) 527-9905. Bay Area Poets Coalition hosts an open reading, 3pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with Leonard Nathan and Peter Klappert, 7:30pm, $2. Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, SF; (415) 433-3811. Mark Schwartz hosts featured reader Jeffrey Grossman, 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 readers Très Santos, 7pm, free. Bazaar Cafe 5927 California, SF; (415) 921-5415. "Writer's Night," with featured reader Craig J. Carrozzi, 7pm, free. Adobe Bookstore 3166 16th St, SF; (415) 864-3936. Poets Peter Klappert and Elizabeth Robinson read, 7:30pm, free. Canvas Gallery 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, www.leftcoastwriters.com. "Left Coast Writers," reading with Michael Falk, Nicola Trwst, and Ann Vander Ende, 7pm, free.