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

'DIVAfest' Exit Theatreplex, 156 Eddy and 277 Taylor; 673-3847, www.divafest.org. $12-20 sliding scale (festival pass $55). Opens Thurs/20, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat and May 25-26, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10pm; May 26, 7pm). Through May 29. See 8 Days a Week, page tk.

The End New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $20. Opens Fri/21, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm (no show June 6). Through June 26. The New Conservatory Theatre Center and HLS Productions present a pre-United States tour workshop production of the George Furth-Doug Katsaros musical revue, featuring three women of different ages singing about breakups.

Bay Area

Master Class Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Previews Fri/21-Sat/22 and Tues/25, 8pm; Sun/23, 7pm. Opens May 26, 8pm. Runs Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no shows June 1, 4, 8, 25, July 9, and 15; additional shows June 3, 12, July 1, and 3, 2pm; June 5, July 8, and 10, show at 2pm only); Wed and Sun, 7pm (no shows June 16, July 4, 14; additional shows June 6, 20, 27, 11, and 18, 2pm; May 30, show at 2pm only). Through July 18. Rita Moreno stars as Maria Callas in Berkeley Rep's performance of the Terrence McNally drama.

My Fair Lady Mountain Theatre, Cushing Memorial Amphitheater, Mt Tamalpais State Park, Mill Valley (call or go to Web site for info on shuttle bus service); (415) 383-1100, www.mountainplay.org. $20-30. Opens Sat/23, 1pm. Runs May 30, June 6, 13, 19-20, 1pm. Through June 20. The Mountain Play Association performs the popular musical in an outdoor setting.

Ongoing

After the Fall Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.actorstheatresf.org. $5-20. Thurs/20-Sat/22, 8pm. Actors Theatre presents Arthur Miller's highly autobiographical play, set inside the mind of Quentin (Christian Phillips), a lawyer in midlife existential crisis, wrestling with personal and political disillusionment. Facing the audience, Quentin addresses an unseen friend about his tribulations. Memories trigger the appearance of various characters and scenes in a nondescript mental landscape where the only permanent feature seems to be Quentin's (or Miller's) towering ego. Despite some able performances, directors Keith Phillips and Kenneth Vandenberg's relentless on-again, off-again blocking hints at the main defect here, namely that the long-standing relationships presented only rarely appear plausible. (Avila)

Apocrypha Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; (510) 654-1835. $15. Fri-Sat, Sun/23, and May 27, 8pm. Through May 29. This world premiere by Ignacio Zulueta explores the relationship between sisters and Trojan War figures Clytemnestra and Helen.

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.

'BATS Improv Long-Form Festival' Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, third fl, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935, www.improv.org. $8-12. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through May 29. BATS Improv hosts its second annual festival of long-form improvisational theater. This week: "Instant Film" (Thurs); "Genre Tricycle" (Fri); "Un-Scripted Theater Co: Bawdy Shakespeare" (Sat); "Sunday Players: Theatresports" (Sun).

Bourgeois at Venue 9 Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 885-4006, www.bourgeois.homestead.com. $10. Wed, 8pm. Through May 26. This evening of shared performance features choreographer Joe Landini's 4 Stories and Trauma Flintstone's drag cabaret Femmisphere: Songs in the Key of Angst, with special guest Tom Orr.

The Brute and A Marriage Proposal San Francisco Performing Arts Library, 401 Van Ness; 248-9371. $15. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through May 29. Pocket Chekhov performs two one-act farces by the Russian playwright.

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. Most shows $15. Upcoming performances include Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe (Fri, 10pm, through May 28); "A Celebration of Silliness," with Fred Anderson (Sun, 3 and 7pm, ongoing); "Strange and Treacherous Comedy," with Jason McPherson (Sun, 8:30pm, through May 30).

Dirty Blonde New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through June 26. The New Conservatory Theatre Center performs Claudia Shear's romantic comedy about two New York loners who bond over their Mae West obsession.

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)

*Don't Make Me Look Too Psychotic Marsh (upstairs), 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, www.toopsychotic.net. $14-17 (sliding scale). Fri-Sat, 9pm. Through May 29. Violently unhealthy relationships are the driving force behind Bruce Pachtman's hilarious solo show, which he developed after dating a particularly incendiary woman. Psychotic – which enjoyed a 68-week local run after premiering in 2000 and is now back for a brief revival run – is gut-bustingly funny, which is no small feat considering the seriousness of the material. (Joshua Medsker)

Dr. Techno's Traveling Vaudeville Medicine Show Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 242-4433. $12-17. Wed/19-Sat/22, 8pm (also Fri/21-Sat/22, 10pm); Sun/23, 6pm. Circus acts, black-light theater, and original music highlight this all-ages show.

*Dybbuk Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 285-8080, www.atjt.com. $18-30. Thurs/20-Sat/22, 8pm; Sun/23, 2 and 7pm. (Also May 27-29, 8pm; May 30, 2 and 7pm, Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk.) Among the wandering spirits of the unhappy dead, Jewish folklore calls the one who possesses the body of a living person a dybbuk. Traveling Jewish Theater closes its 25th-anniversary season with a captivating revival of Bruce Myers's 1977 adaptation of the internationally prized ghost story by S. Ansky. By turns romantic, funny, wise, creepy, and haunting, the play makes use of an exquisitely distilled theatrical lexicon (set off gloriously in David Robertson's stark lighting design), wherein the actors' nimble transformations into a succession of characters subtly overlaps with the transfiguration and immateriality of the theme. (Avila)

Hairspray Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $39-81. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through June 20. Starting June 21, runs Mon-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm). Through July 3. See "Fray It, Don't Spray It," page tk.

'The Hot House: Three New Plays in Rep' Magic Theatre, Northside Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $20-38 (three-play pass, $72). Through June 20. Magic Theatre presents three world premiere plays, performed in rotating repertory (check Web site for schedule): Steven R. Culp's Thirteen Hallucinations of Julio Rivera, Stephen Belber's Drifting Elegant, and Cassandra Medley's Relativity. Thirteen Hallucinations of Julio Rivera: The opening scene of Stephen R. Culp's 13 Hallucinations of Julio Rivera plays like the first frames of Sunset Boulevard transposed onto urban blacktop. "That's me, chicos," a disembodied voice says, "facedown on the asphalt. Look at me. Don't this suck, or what?" The body in the schoolyard, lying in a puddle of blood, belongs to our astonished narrator. How he, Julio Rivera (Rudy Guerrero), got there and what it might all possibly mean, we're about to find out. In a style very much indebted to another Rivera, playwright José, as well as Tony Kushner, the play moves swiftly and irrevocably beyond the tabloid details surrounding Rivera's demise, spinning out an unabashedly bold and sassy, frequently funny, sometimes poignant fantasy in the form of 13 stage-hogging visions from a dying man. (Avila) Drifting Elegant: Stephen Belber's lyrical new play explores the shifting cultural meanings of rape and race through two tangentially related plots. In one story, Nate (Darren Bridgett), a jaded Caucasian journalist, halfheartedly interviews a surly young Arab ex-prisoner, Victor (Harry Dillon), who may or may not have been falsely accused of raping an African American woman. In the other, go-getting real estate broker Renny (Michael Gene Sullivan) attempts to persuade Kate (Barbara Pitts), Nate's utopian-minded wife, to allow him to build a gated housing community for inner-city African Americans on her family's land. Balancing a fluid sense of time and place with sharply rhythmic blocking and movement, Amy Glazer's sensitively directed production carefully dissects the motivations behind human idealism. As liberalism and relationships fall prey to self-interest, the facts surrounding crimes and indiscretions take second place to feelings. Drifting Elegant features engrossing performances by a quartet of well-cast actors; only the drifting, pointless ending renders it inelegant. (Veltman) Relativity: Cassandra Medley's Relativity is about a talented, good-natured young geneticist (a charming Crystal Noelle) increasingly beset personally and professionally by the clash between her own empirical research (which denies any scientific foundation for distinct human "races") and loyalty to the Afro-centric pseudoscience promulgated by her loving but domineering activist mother (Tonia Jackson). Mother and daughter find their adversarial positions reinforced by those around them, making a final showdown inevitable. Along the way, Medley – provocatively reversing the specious "bell curve" science of white supremacy – lays out a complex tension between the reason and unreason of social relations in a race-inflected world built around individual achievement. (Avila)

Hungry Like the Monkey Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; www.drunkenmonkeycomedy.com. $15. Fri/21-Sat/22, 8pm. Improv and sketch comedy group Drunken Monkey performs its latest show.

*I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 1-877-771-6900, www.tickets.com. $40-55. Tues-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5 and 9pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through June 6. If the conceit of off Broadway's longest-running musical (a comic look at the roller-coaster ride of modern heterosexual romance) sounds less than original, its execution feels surprisingly fresh thanks to a fine balance of comedy, tunefulness, and charm. Amounting to a series of short sketches with titles like "Single Man Drought," "A Stud and a Babe," and "Men Who Talk and the Women Who Pretend They're Listening," the breezy book and consistently clever lyrics of Joe DiPietro (Memphis), together with engaging music from Jimmy Roberts (pleasing rendered by a piano-and-violin duet), serve as an ideal foundation for a sharp and versatile four-person cast (Darrin Baker, Anne Bobby, Jennifer Simard, and Daniel Tatar). All the while, director Joel Bishoff's direction keeps the whole thing looking effortless. Only one or two bits come over as noticeably weaker than the rest (an uninspired ad for a legal firm specializing in contractually obligated sexual fulfillment among couples doesn't even bother with a song), but in general this fluff is good stuff. (Avila)

The Importance of Being Earnest Off Market Theater, 965 Mission; 543-5738, www.asianamericantheater.org. $15-35. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 4pm). Through May 29. Asian American Theater Company presents Oscar Wilde's perennial farce transposed from late-19th-century London to present-day San Francisco. Director Sean Lim's version of Wilde's entangling web of self-serving identities – assumed, presumed, and finally subsumed – retains (inexplicably) the English accents, but Algernon (Greg Ayers) and friend-rival Jack (Leon Goertzen) are now half-Japanese, Algy's cousin Gwendolyn (Yoonie Cho) is a Korean orphan adopted by Lady Bracknell (Martha Luehrmann), and so on. Ayers and Goertzen do solid work in the principal roles, and various contemporary references lend some fresh laughs. The pace can flag, however, and even excellent comedic actors like Pearl Wong (who plays Jack's too-well-tutored ward, Cecily) can appear unfocused at times. Luehrmann's somewhat lethargic Lady Bracknell is nonetheless a thorough treat, and Zachary Drake brings comic gravity to both the butler and Reverend Chasuble, admirer of Cecily's governess, Miss Prism (Jennifer Fong). Matthew Miller's set ably conjures a swank bachelor pad from a few choice elements, though the effect diminishes at the stage's dimly illuminated extremes. Where it succeeds, AATC's production suggests that whatever the prism (so to speak) through which one views the play, its delighting repartee, broad characters, and outrageous plot twists are its principal point. (Avila)

A Mother Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-61. Opens Wed/19, 8pm. Runs Thurs/20-Sat/22, May 26-29, June 1-5, and 8-12, 8pm (also Sat/22, May 26, 29, June 2, 5, and 12, 2pm); Sun/23, May 30, and June 6, 2pm; Tues/25 and June 13, 7pm (also June 13, 2pm). Through June 13. Olympia Dukakis stars in ACT's world premiere production of Constance Congdon's comedy.

*Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 641-0235. $15-22. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm (starting June 3, showtime 8:30pm). Through June 26. What, asks the unapologetically middle-class Brian Copeland, is the real meaning behind the phrase, "a genuine black man"? By way of an answer, the stand-up comic and KGO radio host offers up a simultaneously funny and disarmingly frank story about growing up African American in the racist suburb that was San Leandro in the early 1970s. Letting his narrative bounce back and forth between his boyhood memories and a period of depression that overtook him as a parent in 1999 – and interlarding the autobiography with verbatim utterances from both sides of the fight his family joined to desegregate the city – Copeland brings admirable chops as a comedian to bear on some difficult and disturbing, if ultimately hopeful, material. (Avila)

'A Pinter/Albee Duet' Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-30. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through May 30. Theatre Rhinoceros presents a pair of one-act plays: The Collection, by Harold Pinter, and The Zoo Story, by Edward Albee.

'San Francisco Improv Festival' Next Stage, 1620 Gough; and Climate Theatre, 285 Ninth St; (415) 863-1076, www.sfimprovfestival.com. $15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through June 26. This week, Pharmarsupial and the Babcocks perform (Next Stage).

Southern Baptist Sissies New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through July 11. New Conservatory Theatre Center performs Del Shores's comedy-drama about four Texas gay men raised in the Baptist church.

*Strange Travel Suggestions Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22. Wed, 8pm. Through May 26. This vicarious journey with affable and offbeat travel writer Jeff Greenwald (Shopping for Buddhas; The Size of the World) offers inspiration to the globe-trotter within. A detailed plot summary is hard to give; like the open-minded traveler he is, Greenwald's show obeys Fortune's Wheel (this particular version appealingly reinvented by Jim Kelly and artist Mark Wagner). Funny, keen-eyed, utterly engaging tales surface strictly by association with any of 30 ideograms lining the wheel, given a throw by a random audience member, as Greenwald's thoughtful, well-crafted storytelling belies (along with Holly Johnston's alert lighting work) the easy spontaneity of the evening. Wherever it leads, it adds up to quite a trip. (Avila)

A Transylvanian in Silicon Valley Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 820-3929, 1-866-468-3399, www.atransylvanian.com. $10-24. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through June 19. Following a daring escape from Communist Romania in the late 1980s, Silvian Centiu made his way to the land of the free. With little cash and a tenuous grasp of English, he set about making good in the Golden State like so many ambitious immigrants before him. In his autobiographical solo show, Centiu's life story feels more like an inspirational lecture aimed at a group of students suffering under Ceausescu's regime rather than theater. Although the narrative contains some endearing moments – Centiu's attempts to learn English by striking up conversations with car dealers are among the most memorable – the limited rhythmic, vocal, and physical scope of the staging keeps Centiu's tale from transcending fireside chat. Centiu is a willing performer with an interesting story, but the distance between recounting an anecdote and making theater is as vast as the journey across the Carpathian mountain range. (Veltman)

Va Va Voom Room Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. $29.75. Fri/21-Sat/22, 8 and 11pm. The New York City-based ensemble performs a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

Bay Area

Communicating Doors Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208, www.marintheatre.org. $28-45 (Tues, pay what you can). Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also May 27 and June 3, 1pm; Sat/22 and June 12, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through June 13. Marin Theatre Company performs Alan Ayckbourn's time travel comedy-thriller.

Hamlet Berkeley Arts Center, 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 234-6046. $12. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show June 3). Through June 5. New Shakespeare Company performs the classic tragedy.

Martha Stewart in Hell APE Space, 2525 Eighth St, Berk; hypedrama@aol.com. Free. June 13 and every second Sunday of 2004 (except July 11), 7pm. Through Dec 12. Acme Players Ensemble performs a monthly serial comedy about the rise and fall of Martha Stewart.

Money and Run La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468, www.impacttheatre.com. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through June 5. Impact Theatre performs Wayne Rawley's three-episode send-up of TV action-adventure shows, presented each week in consecutive order (Thurs, Episode One; Fri, Episode Two; Sat, Episode Three).

*The Mystery of Irma Vep Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $43-55. Wed/19 and Sun/23, 7pm (also Sun/23, 2pm); Thurs/20-Sat/22, 8pm (also Thurs/20, 2pm). Berkeley Rep's revival of Charles Ludlam's gothic horror spoof pops out after all these 20 years like the entombed mummy in the second act – just as fresh as a daisy. At Mandercrest, Lord Edgar Hillcrest (Erik Steele) has brought home his new bride, Lady Enid (Arnie Burton), but his dead first wife still haunts him, overshadowing any postnuptial bliss. Enid learns the tragic tale from the dyspeptic housekeeper, Jane Twisden (Steele), as well as about the curse of the wolf, somehow unnaturally associated with Lord Edgar's peg-legged manservant Nicodemus (Burton) ... you get the idea. Director Les Waters's razor-sharp staging and Annie Smart's lovingly detailed costume and set design give full play to two virtuoso quick-change performances by Burton and Steele. (Avila)

Oh My Goddess Oakland Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932, www.oaklandbox.com. $11-15. Wed, 8pm. Through May 26. Sherry Glaser revives her multicharacter solo show.

*Valparaiso Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby, Berk; 1-866-GOT-FURY, www.foolsfury.org. $15-25 (sliding scale). Thurs/20-Sat/22, 8pm. No American writer limns the metaphysics of this runaway technological age quite like the author of White Noise and Underworld. Valparaiso, Don DeLillo's second play, which premiered in 1999, continues his research into the chaos and dissociation, the gathering apocalypse, attendant on the "systems" that support the illusory landscape of the mundane. And foolsFURY artistic director Ben Yalom and his cast seem genuinely if fitfully inspired by the material. With a physical rigor and nervy humor all their own, they bring to DeLillo's sardonic interrogation of the postmodern self a series of animated performances, grounded in an imaginatively stylized form of physical theater that at times gives striking visual shape to the play's central tensions. (Avila)

dance

Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement, Maxine Moerman Dancetheatre Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Cunningham: Thurs-Sun, 7pm. Moerman: Thurs-Sun, 9pm. $15 (both shows $20). The companies perform a "dance double header," with premieres in both programs.

'Chains of Color' Somarts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan; 864-4126. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $12-15. Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble and Robert Moses' Kin collaborate on this world premiere performance, presented as part of the United States of Asian America Arts Festival.

City Ballet School Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 626-8878. Sat-Sun, 2pm (also Sat, 8pm). $22.50. The student company performs Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.

'Dance/Screen: Innovative International Dance Films' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS, www.performances.org. Tues, 7pm. $4-7. See Critic's Choice.

Galumpha Project Artaud Theater, 450 Florida; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through May 30. $15-25. The New York-based troupe, known for its acrobatics, visual effects, and physical comedy, performs in its Bay Area debut.

Kunst-Stoff ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834, www.odctheater.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $15-18. The company performs multimedia and dance collaborations.

San Francisco Ballet School Yerba Buena Gardens, Fourth St at Mission; 543-1718, www.ybgf.org. Sun, 2-4pm. Free. The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival hosts this performance by San Francisco Ballet students, featuring choreography by Helgi Tomasson, George Balanchine, and Avichai Scher.

Takami and Toumei Mobu (Modern Butoh) Dance Group Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $13-15. The company performs Footprints Lost in Sand 3.

performance

'CAFE Presents' Off-Market Theater (and Studio), 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $10. This week: improv with Escape Artists and the Frookies (Sat, 8pm).

'From Tel Aviv to Ramallah' Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California; 292-1233, www.jccsf.org. Thurs, 8pm. $15-18. Beatboxer and magician Yuri Lane's performance weaves Palestinian and Israeli voices into a vision for peace.

'Girls Night Out at Asia SF' Asia SF, 1548 Polk; 646-0821, www.babesnightout.com. Fri, 10:45pm and midnight. $10-12. Tita Aida hosts this party for "women who enjoy male exotic dancing," featuring performers the Men of Exotica.

'The Institute for Relativity Studies: Research Findings #3 – Much Seems to Matter' Station 40, 3030B Mission; 824-1403, www.cultureworksinc.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $10-15. Brian Shapiro's CultureWorks, an innovative educational performance group, appears as a "pseudoscientific" organization that does research on human behavior and culture.

'A Night with the Stars' Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St; 241-9015. Thurs, 5:30pm. $65. A reception and silent auction precede this talent show featuring formerly homeless performers, held to raise money for the Community Housing Partnership.

'1984/2004: Time Passes Slowly' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS, 626-2787, www.theintersection.org. Wed, 8pm. $10. This Hybrid Project performance, presented by Intersection for the Arts, features Erika Shuch (Erica Shuch Performance Project), Tommy Shepherd and Dan Wolf (Felonious: One Love Hip Hop), and singer Grady Cousins.

'Pinocchio Jones' Eureka Theater, 215 Jackson; 551-7990, www.sfartsed.org. Fri/21-Sat/22 and May 28, 7:30pm (also Sat/22, 2pm); Sun/23 and May 30, 2pm; May 29, 2 and 8pm (gala performance). $8-15 (gala, $50 and up). San Francisco Arts Education Project's children's theater troupe, the Event Players, performs Danny Duncan's musical.

'Robot Soup' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 794-7057, www.willfranken.com. Sat, 11pm. $10. See 8 Days a Week, page tk.

'San Francisco Circus Cabaret' Broadway Studios, 435 Broadway; 291-0333, www.broadwaystudios.com. Thurs-Fri, 8pm. $15-20. This show features contortionists the Mystic Pixies, trapeze artists the Sirens, live music, magicians, beatboxer Andrew Chaikin, a "soap bubbles master manipulator," and others.

'Tear Down the House Party' Venue 9, 292 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. Sat, 9:30pm-2am. Free (donations accepted). The soon-to-be-torn-down Venue 9 holds one last performance featuring artists who've appeared at the space over the past eight years; a dance party follows.

Bay Area

'Jitney' Egypt Theater, 5306 Foothill, Oakl; (510) 547-4880. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $25. Omega Theatre Works performs August Wilson's drama about African American cab drivers in the 1970s.

'Primo' Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Wed/19-Thurs/20, Sat/22, June 3, and 6, 7:30pm. $15-20. Ed Davidson's play explores the life and mysterious death of famed holocaust author Primo Levi.

comedy

Climate Theatre 285 Ninth St; 863-1076. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Improv Jam," presented by the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative, $5. Tues, 8pm: "Tuesday Night Improv Special: Night of 1000 Games," short-form improv jam, $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): Jeff Garlin with Al Madrigal, $15-20.

Dark Room 2263 Mission; 401-7987. Sat, 10pm: "Ha Bloody Ha," live talk show with Harmon Leon, $5-10. Through May 29.

Geary Theater 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. Sun, 8pm: "Comedy Night at the Geary," with Totally False People, Kasper Hauser, and Jim Short, $28. Proceeds benefit the ACT One Conservatory Scholarship Fund.

Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk; 923-0923. Sat, 10pm: "Club Chuckles," with Bridget Schwartz and Mike Speigelman, $6.

Hyena Theater 2390 Mission, Ste 304; 821-3601. Fri, 8:30pm: "Hyena Funny Song All-Stars," $6. Sat, call for time: "She's So Funny," comedy contest, call for price.

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

San Francisco Comedy Club 50 Mason; 505-4995. Wed-Sat, 7:45pm: stand-up comedy showcase, $5-7. Wed, 9pm, and Thurs, 9:30pm: open mic, $5-7.

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

Uptown 200 Capp; 206-9997. Wed, 8:30pm: "Uptown Comedy Open Mic," hosted by 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 and featured performers Dana Shellmire and her band, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free. La Peña Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2568. "Cafe Poetry" and open mic with Paradise, 7:30pm, donations accepted. Magnet 4122 18th St, SF; kirkread@earthlink.net. "Smack Dab," open mic hosted by Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts, 8pm, free. New College Cultural Center 777 Valencia, SF; www.indybay.org, alixolson.com. Spoken word artist Alix Olson performs, 7pm, $10. San Francisco Center for the Book 300 De Haro, SF; (415) 565-0545. Reading to celebrate the latest edition of poetry review Runes, 7pm, free. Il Piccolo Caffe 1219 Broadway, Burlingame; (650) 631-5732, www.saturdaypoets.org. Poet Bernard Gershenson reads, 7pm, free.

Thursday: Swedish-American Hall 2174 Market, SF; (415) 512-8812, www.CATranslation.org. Publication party and reading for Two Lines: Power, a poetry and prose collection, 7pm, $5-10 suggested donation. Oakland Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932, www.oaklandbox.com. Alix Olson performs, 7:30pm, $10; "Oakland Poetry Slam," 9pm, $5-7. Hotel Cosmo 761 Post, SF; www.artworksf.com. "Poetry (and More) at the Cosmo"; this week, short-film night, 6pm, $3. 16th Street/Mission BART Plaza 16th St at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 8:30pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with contributing translators to The Essential Neruda, 7:30pm, $2. Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, SF; (415) 433-3811. Mark Schwartz hosts featured reader Kathleen Wood, plus open mic, 4pm, free. Off-Market Theater 965 Mission, SF; (415) 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. Lyrikenesis hosts a poetry slam open mic, 8pm, $5. Modern Times Bookstore 888 Valencia, SF; (415) 282-9246, www.moderntimesbookstore.com. Benefit for Modern Times Bookstore featuring Dave Eggers and Andrew Sean Greer, 2pm, $5 and up. See 8 Days a Week, page tk.