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

Eubie! The Music of Eubie Blake Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.ticketweb.com. $25032. Previews Wed/14, 8pm. Opens Thurs/15, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through May 16. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents this musical revue.

No One Man Show Bayview Opera House, 4705 Third St; 824-0386. $10. Opens Sat/17, 6pm. Runs Sat, 6pm; Sun, 3pm. Through May 2. Infinity Productions presents Oakland playwright Thelma Jackson Stiles's play about a woman who takes over the raising of her siblings after the death of their parents.

'San Francisco Improv Festival' Next Stage, 1620 Gough; and Climate Theatre, 285 Ninth St; (415) 863-1076, www.sfimprovfestival.com. $15. Through June 26. This week: "The Annoyance Productions Chicago presents the Annoyance Theatre: Road Trip!" (Next Stage, Thurs/15-Sat/17, 8pm). See 8 Days a Week.

Strange Travel Suggestions Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22 (May 12, $25-50). Opens Wed/14, 8pm. Runs Wed, 8pm. Through May 26. Jeff Greenwald performs his solo show, based on stories from his years of world travel.

Valparaiso Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 1-866-GOT-FURY, www.foolsfury.org. $15-25 (sliding scale; previews and Thurs, pay what you can). Previews Thurs/15-Fri/16, 8pm. Opens Sat/17, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sun and Mon/19, 8pm. Through May 8. FoolsFURY performs Don DeLillo's dark comedy about media culture.

Bay Area

The Sisters Rosensweig Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-5999, www.aeofberkeley.org. $10. Opens Fri/16, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat and May 13, 8pm. Through May 15. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley performs the Wendy Wasserstein comedy.

Ongoing

After the Fall Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.actorstheatresf.org. $5-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 22. Actors Theatre of San Francisco performs Arthur Miller's play about a fortysomething lawyer reflecting back on his tumultuous life.

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.

The Carpetbagger's Children Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 989-0023. $20 (Thurs/15, pay what you can). Thurs/15-Sat/17, 8pm. The Phoenix Theatre presents distinguished playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote's 2001 drama about three grown-up daughters of a former Union soldier turned wealthy Texas plantation owner. Told as a series of monologues, the play has the feel of a pop-up short story as it contrasts the distinct perspectives of Cornelia (Gretchen Grant), Grace Ann (Linda Ayres-Frederick), and Sissie (Kate Austin-Groen) concerning certain family trials and triumphs on and around their late father's estate. Foote introduces several themes along the way – including race relations, the distorting influence of wealth and privilege on intimate ties, and the stigma associated with being the family of a carpetbagger – but inconsistently, giving the drama an unfocused quality, beyond perhaps the idea of unsettled loyalties. Nevertheless, the play serves as a vehicle for three wonderfully sharp and graceful performances. (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); "New Vaudeville Comedy Showcase" (Fri/16, 8 and 10pm); "Comedy Showcase," with host Tom Smith (Sun/18, 8:30pm); "Tony Sparks' Comedy Elite" (April 25, 8:30pm).

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, 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 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)

Flaming Iguanas Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-25. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun/18, 3pm). Through April 24. Theatre Rhinoceros presents the stage version of Erika Lopez's irreverent road-trip novel, adapted and directed by Rhino artistic director John Fisher and Duca Knezevic, about a New Jersey Latina and budding lesbian named Tomato Rodriguez (Mirla Reyes) who motorcycles cross-country to visit her dying father (Octavio Saez De Ibarra). Despite the historically abusive relationship with Dad, anything's better than proto-lesbian sex with an effeminate boyfriend (Ibarra) who dutifully acquaints himself with the lesbian sex manual before popping open a gay porn mag (a scene that makes you wonder what the world is coming to). Accompanied by roommate Magdalena (Libby O'Connell) and the ghost of a dead cat named Snowball, Tomato heads off to San Francisco. This peripatetic production, like the hapless Snowball, is indoor-outdoor (so dress warmly), involving amusement park-like filing through the bowels of the theater past scattered "key scenes" on endless loop, and finally out around the corner where road atmosphere comes complete with wino and carbon monoxide. Reyes's laid-back and personable narrator functions more like the host of her own sitcom than like a full-blooded character, which only adds to the carefree fun of this frisky but otherwise conventional confessional. (Avila)

*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 978-2787, www.42ndStMoon.org. $17-30. Wed/14, 7pm; Thurs/15-Fri/16, 8pm; Sat/17, 6pm; Sun/18, 3pm. 42nd Street Moon's new season of "lost musicals" gets off to a strong start with the 1949 musical comedy by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields. Set aboard a cruise ship bound for Paris, it follows Little Rock, Ark., ingenue Lorelei Lee (Amy Louise Cole) and her best friend and chaperone, Dorothy (Cynthia Myers), on a voyage of discovery in which romance and jewelry play not necessarily equal parts. Although today known to generations of movie watchers via the 1953 Hollywood version starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, this zany flapper-powered escapade, which launched Carol Channing's storied career, rarely receives a staged revival. This well-cast and sprightly production – presented in the semiformal staged-concert format, with costumed actors holding songbooks – moves smoothly and enjoyably, with capable singing and nice comic turns across the board. (Avila)

The Inspector Mission Recreation Center Auditorium, 745 Treat; 337-4713, www.sffct.org. Free. Thurs/15-Sat/17, 7:30pm; Sun/18, 2pm. San Francisco Free Civic Theatre performs Nikolai Gogol's classic tale of mistaken identity.

Loaded ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834, www.odctheater.org. $18. Wed/14-Sat/17, 8pm. Comedian Scott Capurro performs his new play, a reflection on "misshapen lives and misguided love."

Mamma Mia! Golden Gate Theatre, One Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $40-81. Wed/14-Sat/17, 8pm (also Wed/14 and Sat/17, 2pm). This surprisingly enduring Broadway musical, a tribute to love (free and otherwise) told through the songs of '70s-pop gods ABBA, returns to San Francisco. I know people must be buying tickets to this, but there's just something decidedly tepid and amateurish about the whole conceit. The singing – belted out by the characters in sometimes jarringly idiosyncratic fashion against Keith Thompson's nine-piece electric rock orchestra – generally comes across like exceptional karaoke. (Avila)

Mystery Box House Omnicircus Theatre, 550 Natoma; 701-0686. $10-15. Fri-Sat, 9:30pm. Through May 1. Subterranean Shakespeare joins OmniCircus in presenting its latest experimental, psychedelic musical cabaret, led by Frank Garvey (creator of the Junkyard Cabaret and Robot Ensemble). The cabaret is driven by a musical score composed by Garvey and Daniel Berkman (performed by the OmniCircus house band, DeusMachina), and the show combines trademark OmniCircus elements – crotchety robots, Garvey's poetry, and a screening of award-winning animated film The Mound – with a variety of monologues and interpretive dance numbers. A small ensemble of women dressed in various fetish costumes (from topless and masked to funky lingerie ensembles to black sack encasements) provide visuals to accompany the dark musical score, although the effect is often more kitschy than erotic. (Shalson)

Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 641-0235. $15-22. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through May 15. Brian Copeland performs his first solo show, a comedic yet poignant look at growing up in the suburbs.

Saint Joan of the Stockyards Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 1-866-468-3399, www.custommade.org. $15-18. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 25. It's people! The meat ground up and spit out by the slaughterhouses of Chicago? It's people, people. People!!! But, then, is it really surprising that the same system grinding up hapless hogs in a nightmare industrial assembly line grinds down its workers as if they were no better than animals themselves? Somehow Bertolt Brecht makes the familiar revelation startlingly new all over again in this agitprop masterpiece, a splendid example of his "epic" style presented by Custom Made Theater Company, in which a charismatic Salvation Army evangelist named Joan Dark (Leah S. Abrams) goes on a journey of discovery into the bowels of the meat industry ruled over by top dog Pierpont Mauler (Jeff Bredt) of the swindling classes. Brian Katz's lively and intelligent direction doesn't always make up for the unevenness in his large cast, but all's well out front with Abrams's strong and sympathetic Joan and Bredt's wonderfully suave but fragile villain. (Avila)

Slaughter City Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 675-5995. www.crowdedfire.org. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through May 8. Crowded Fire Theatre Company presents Naomi Wallace's drama set among employees of a Kentucky slaughterhouse.

The Smell of the Kill Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, www.sfplayhouse.org. $30. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/17, April 24, and May 1, 3pm). Through May 15. Playhouse performs Michele Lowe's dark comedy about three unhappily married wives debating whether or not to spring their husbands from the meat locker that's containing them.

The Sweet New Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 648-3091, doverdprod@earthlink.net. $15-20 (April 29, pay what you can). Fri-Sat, April 29, and May 6, 8 p.m. Through May 8. Destiny over Duration presents Raymond Rea's play about three generations of an Italian American family.

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.

*The Time of Your Life Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $16-73. Extended run: Wed/14-Sat/17, April 20-24, April 27-28, and April 30-May 1, 8pm (also Sat/17, April 21, 24, 28, and May 1, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through May 2. Community is subversive. William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life (1939) suggests just how subversive it can be, especially in a time of war and social unrest. The play unfolds, with a minimum of plot but plenty of style and bar-stool philosophy, in a waterfront watering hole on San Francisco's Embarcadero in 1939, a local haven of outcasts of the depression on the eve of World War II. Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company, in association with American Conservatory Theater and the Seattle Repertory Theatre, delivers an exhilarating and perfectly tuned ensemble production (directed by Tina Landau) that makes Saroyan's trenchant humanism vivid and compelling. Along with the play's considerable humor and buoyant energy, his unabashed plea for love and understanding registers strongly at a time in many ways as troubled and unsure of the future as the '30s were. (Avila)

*Woods for the Trees Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. $12-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 24. Sara Kraft and Ed Purver (the minds behind last year's San Francisco Fringe Festival favorite Countless) present another intelligently woven, utterly engaging performance piece meditating on the meaning of place and presence. A brother and sister find themselves abandoned in a dark wood with nothing but the disembodied voice of their sneaky father looped on a small recording device. To stave off fear, they apply themselves to the task of survival. But in doing so, and thereby fleeing the present moment, perhaps they only lose themselves further? Cast as a modern day Hansel and Gretel, our sylvan siblings negotiate the cultural fringe of chaotic human fears in a post-9/11 haze of orange alerts, traipsing over an impeccably designed visual and sonic landscape (with lighting by Allen Willner and sound by David Malloy) in a fluid and transporting synthesis of dialogue, song, music, and gesture alternately eerie and ecstatic, and frequently laced with a wry deadpan humor. Indeed, Laurie and Hans Christian Anderson may be nearer the mark, especially as dream-team Kraft and Purver's deft aesthetic assemblages and permutations are never absent strong comic instincts and natural charm. (Avila)

Bay Area

Antigone Falun Gong Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $34-36 (previews, $28; opening night, $40). Previews Wed/14, 8pm. Opens Thurs/15, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through May 16. Aurora Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Cherylene Lee's adaptation of the Sophocles tragedy, set in modern-day China.

*The Miser Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. Free (donations accepted). Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through May 2. Shotgun Players open their new season – boldly designed this year to offer free admission to the public – with a zippy, hyperstylized staging of Molière's lambasting farce about the poisonous intermingling of love and money. Clive Worsley revels with mischievous exuberance in the title role of the tyrannical, penny-pinching patriarch whose attempt to marry off his daughter (Emily Jordan) to a rich older man (Phil Sheridan) instead of her lover (Joe Wyka), while meanwhile snatching young Marianne (Meghan Doyle) from the charms of his son (Andy Alabran), turns his own children in conspiracy against him. The agile cast and Patrick Dooley's inspired direction strike a remarkable balance between elaborate rococo flourishes and anarchic energy. Characters bound across the stage, running or tumbling in and out of doors and windows in Lisa Clark's exquisite set design, wrapped up in costume designer Valera Coble's wonderful explosions of 17-century garments (very Rolling Stones circa Beggars Banquet), without missing a beat or loosening their comically outrageous personae. The effect, while impressive, doesn't necessarily sustain the entire play, but in general the theme is the only thing in the least miserly about this production. (Avila)

Mooi Street Moves Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 436-5085, www.theatrefirst.com. $18-22 (Thurs/15, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through May 2. TheatreFIRST performs Paul Slabolepszy's drama about two men who form an unlikely alliance in post-apartheid South Africa.

The Mystery of Irma Vep Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $43-55. Opens Wed/14, 8pm. Runs Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/17, April 22, 24, May 1, 6, 15, and 20, 2pm; no show April 23); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through May 23. Berkeley Rep performs Charles Ludlum's vaudevillian send-up of Victorian melodrama, Gothic romance, and classic horror films, with two actors playing more than 16 roles.

My Àntonia Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no 2pm show April 25). Through April 25. TheatreWorks presents the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Willa Cather's novel – the evocative reminiscences of a young manhood spent on the semisettled plains of 1880s Nebraska – a first-time collaboration between writer and Broadway director Scott Schwartz and his father, composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked). Artistic director Robert Kelley helms a strong and appealing 15-member cast (who, dividing the narrative between them, double as chorus) headed up by Michael Butler and Ian Leonard as narrator Jim Burden and his younger self, respectively, and an appropriately captivating Jessica Meyers as the beautiful young immigrant and indomitable spirit of the book's title. Artfully staged, the multiplicity of scenes in the hefty three-act program nonetheless resists becoming a completely integrated whole, despite changes to character and story line (not always compelling ones) designed to give Cather's episodic narrative a stronger dramatic through line. Meanwhile, a lovely and haunting musical score weaves an intoxicating blend of Eastern European and American themes, but quite subtly for the most part, only rarely coming to the foreground of the action. (Avila)

dance

Alonzo King's Lines Ballet Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard; 978-ARTS, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. $20-50. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $20-50. The company premieres The Rite of Spring.

Bellydance Superstars and the Desert Roses DNA Lounge, 375 11th St; www.dnalounge.com, www.ticketweb.com. Sat, 8pm. $20. The touring dance troupe performs a Riverdance-like full-length show featuring solos, duets, and group pieces.

Kim Epifano Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633, www.epiphanydance.org. Sat-Sun, 8pm. $15. The dancer-choreographer presents "Gather," an evening of new dance works, in conjunction with the UC Santa Barbara Dance Company.*Erika Shuch Performance Project Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311, www.theintersection.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $9-15 (Thurs, pay what you can). Erika Shuch's hour-long All You Need is brave. It's honest. It's also impossible. What she and her talented cohorts tried to do cannot be done: explore our capacity to go beyond what's generally considered human. The nature of the question denies its possibility of being answered. In the meantime they create for themselves and for us a piece of dance theater whose interpreters push themselves physically and emotionally about as far as they can go. Their abrasive rawness is almost frightening. The show limps but its seriousness of purpose – all the while being quite entertaining – delivers a respectable punch. Of particular note are the recurring loops of text that drill themselves into your brain, and the range of the music – these performers know how to sing harmony. (Felciano)

Koichi and Hiroko Tamano with Harupin-Ha Butoh Company Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978, www.theatreofyugen.org. Mon-Tues, 8pm. $10-15 sliding scale. The artists perform Seirai/Spirits of Nature as part of the monthly "Yugen Presents" series.

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Wed, 7:30pm; Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. $8-132. The San Francisco Ballet performs Sir Frederick Ashton's Monotones I and II, Symphonic Variations, and Thaïs pas de deux and Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopations.

Bay Area

Lori Belilove and Company Mills College, Lisser Hall, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 430-2007. Fri, 8pm. $15. See Critic's Choice.

NATyA Open Secret Bookstore, 923 C St, San Rafael; (415) 457-4191. Sat, 8pm. $12-15. (Also Sun, 5pm, Oakland Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakk; 925-779-9775. April 25, 8pm, Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission, SF; 925-779-9775.) The company performs MILANya, a union of Indian classical dance styles and world music.

Parsons Dance Company Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center, San Rafael; (415) 499-6800, www.ticketmaster.com. Sun, 3pm. $28-45. See 8 Days a Week.

Alyssa Wilmot 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263. Sat, 8:30pm. $10. The dancer presents new works alongside musician Kattt Sammon.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.batsimprov.com. $10-12. This week: "Vegas Theatresports" (Fri-Sat, 8pm); "Sunday Players: Theatresports" (Sun, 8pm).

'CAFE Presents' Off-Market Theater (and Studio), 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $8-15. This week: "Improv Revolution" (Thurs, 8pm); stand-up comedy by the Meehan Brothers (Thurs, 8pm); long-form improv with Lila Theater (Fri, 8pm); West Coast premiere of Catherine Filloux's "Price of Madness," presented by Teatra Bella (Fri-Sat, 8pm, through April 24; more info: 510-978-1521, www.teatrabella.com); "Uphill Both Ways Presents: 31 Skits in a Hat," sketch comedy (Sat, 8pm); "Ha Bloody Ha," live talk show hosted by Harmon Leon (Sat, 10pm, through April 24).

'The Doctor and the Clown' Center for Variety Arts, 608 Taraval; 242-4433. Fri, 8pm. Through April 23. $8. The comedic duo of Willy Bologna and Dr. Techno perform a variety of acts including circus arts, adult puppets, musical numbers, "violent physical humor," and more.

'Fauxgirls' Marlena's, 488 Hayes; 864-6672. Sat, 10pm. Free. Victoria Secret and Alexandria host a drag cabaret.

'The Fusing Passion' Build, 483 Guerrero; (510) 526-7858, www.eroplay.com. Sat, 9pm. $5-50 sliding scale. This audience-participation dance event is hosted by "shamanistic performance artist" Frank Moore.

'The Horror of Party Beach' Werepad, 2430 Third St; 824-7334 (reservations required). Sat, 8pm. $15. See 8 Days a Week.

'Mid-Month Cabaret Variety Show' Center for Variety Arts, 608 Taraval; 242-4433. Sat-Sun, 8pm. $12. This cabaret "for mature audiences" features vaudeville acts, burlesque dancers, puppets, a flea circus, and more.

'Mirror Play' New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom; 626-5416, www.newlangtonarts.org. Mon-Tues, 8pm. $4-6. Experimental poet and playwright Carla Harryman premieres her new work.

'Seven Inch Heels and a Microphone' San Francisco State University, Cesar Chavez Bldg, Jack Adams Hall, 1600 Holloway; 338-1952. Thurs, 7pm. $5-7. This benefit for the Queer Alliance and the Cindy Kolb AIDS Foundation features performances by the Dangers, Suppositori Spelling, the Sister Sock Show, and others.

'Va Va Voom Room' Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 8 and 11pm (no shows May 14-15). Through May 22. $29.75. The New York City-based ensemble performs a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

'Voodoo Cabaret' Sacred Grounds Cafe, 2095 Hayes; 387-3859, www.sacredgroundscafe.com. Sat, 8pm. Free. This "evening of skulls and flowers" features performances by Gisela Tangui, Winston Tong, and Monque De Magdalena, among others.

Bay Area

'Jane Austen in Berkeley: Episode One' Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby, Berk; (510) 841-9441, www.andreamock.org. Mon, 8pm. $7. Andrea Mock performs her solo show about a Berkeley mom who writes a best-selling novel, all while searching for the perfect mate.

'TheatreWorks 2004 Spring Festival of New Works' Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. Wed-Sun. $15. Check Web site for shows and times. TheatreWorks hosts staged readings of new plays and musicals.

comedy

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

Blue Danube Coffee House 306 Clement; 221-9041, www.monkpunk.org. Thurs, 8pm: "Quipster Cabaret," with Samantha Chase, Jasper Redd, Tony Diamco, Simone Alexander, and Will Franken, free.

Brava Theater Center 2789 24th St; 240-5601, www.jalebigirls.com. Sat, 9pm: "Go West Brown Man!," with stand-up comedian Russell Peters, $20-25.

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): Greg Proops, Matt Weinhold, Kevin Shea, $17-22.

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

Kitchen 225 Potrero; 282-6580, wrlwest@riseup.net. Wed, 7pm: "An Evening of Political Humor," with Bill Hartrung and Robert Temple, $5-15.

Punch Line 444 Battery; www.punchlinecomedyclub.com. Wed, 9pm: "All Stars," with Kevin Avery, Gretchen Rootes, Kevin McPeek, and Lesli Chollar, $10.

Purple Onion 140 Columbus; 956-1653, www.purpleonioncomedy.com. Wed, 9pm: Jim Short and friends, featuring Greg Behrendt, $6.

San Francisco Comedy Club 50 Mason; 505-4995. Sat, 7:30pm: stand-up comedy, $7.

Bay Area

Stork Club 2330 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 444-6174. Fri, 9:30pm: "Smug Shift Comedy Explosion," with Laura Swisher, Kevin Camia, Moshe Kasher, W. Kamau Bell, and Brent Weinbach, plus live music with the Advantage and Space Vacuum from Outer Space, $6.

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. City College of San Francisco Ocean Campus, Rosenberg Library, Rm 304, 50 Phelan, SF; (415) 239-3580. Mitsuye Yamada reads poetry, 6:30pm, free.

Thursday: Mediterranean Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985. "Word Beat Reading Series," with featured readers Mark Schwartz and Selene Steese, followed by open mic, 7pm, 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, short film by Patrick Epino and featured poet Tim McKee, 6pm, $3. 16th Street/Mission BART Plaza 16th St at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 8:30pm, free.

Friday: San Francisco Zen Center 300 Page, SF; (415) 863-3136. Poetry and prose reading with Leslie Scalapino and Norman Fischer, 7:30pm, free. Fellowship Hall 1924 Cedar, Berk; (510) 540-0898. "Fellowship Cafe and Open Mic" with featured reader Bob Randolph, 7:30-10pm, $5-10.

Saturday: Edinburgh Castle Pub 950 Geary, SF; www.castlenews.com. "Public House Press Presents: Story Blast," spoken word with Alan Black, Luke James, and Alex Fraser, 8pm, free. Bernal Yoga 461 Cortland, SF; (415) 643-9007, www.bernalyoga.com. "Spring Evening of Poetry and Fiction," with Monica Ferrell and Eric Puchner, 7pm, $5-10. Unitarian Center 1187 Franklin, SF; 1-866-468-3399, www.ticketweb.com. "Poetry Center 50/50 Festival: 50 Years of Poetry Past ... 50 Years of Poetry Future," poetry extravaganza in honor of the Poetry Center's 50th anniversary; youth fest (4-6pm, free), full evening fest with five stages of poetry readings (7-10pm, $12-15). See 8 Days a Week.

Sunday: Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, SF; (415) 433-3811. Mark Schwartz hosts featured reader Ronald Sauer, plus open mic, 4pm, free. Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with Jenny Browne and Bruce Snider, 7:30pm, $2.

Monday: Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," with featured readers Adam David Miller and Rita Bogaert and open mic hosted by Mark States, 7pm, free. Perry's Joint 1661 Fillmore, SF; (415) 928-8904. Featured readers Garrett Murphy and Dennis to Society, followed by open mic, 7pm, free. Rockin Java Cafe 1821 Haight, SF; (415) 440-5530. "Open Mike Spoken Word Singing Word," hosted by Diamond Dave Whitaker, 7:30pm, free.