theater

Opening

The Complete History of America (Abridged) Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 267-7661, frtc@comcast.net. $20. Opens Thurs/1, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through July 17. Free Range Theatre Company performs Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor, and Adam Long's irreverent look at U.S. history.

Movin' Out Golden Gate Theatre, One Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $34-81. Opens Tues/6, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (Sat, July 8, and Wed except July 7, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Aug 29. Best of Broadway presents the musical featuring Billy Joel's songs and Twyla Tharp's choreography.

Showdown at Crawford Gulch Dolores Park, Dolores between 18th and 20th Sts; 285-1717, www.sfmt.org. Free. Opens Sat/3, 2pm (live music 1:30pm). Runs Sun/4-Mon/5, 2pm (live music 1:30pm). Free. Show continues at northern California parks through Sept 26. See 8 Days a Week.

Ongoing

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $22-24. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical comedy revue.

Awe about Eve Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-20. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through July 18. Matthew Martin stars in (and codirects with John Fisher) this play based on the classic backstage film All about Eve.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story Post Street Theatre, 450 Post; 321-2900, www.buddyrocks.com. $39-63. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through July 11. Buddy Holly's name appears de rigueur in any lineup of rock 'n' roll's pioneers, but hearing his major songs one after another, as showcased by a terrific live band in the musical Buddy, still feels like a revelation. Not only is it impossible to imagine much of the subsequent history of rock without foundational tunes like "Peggy Sue," "That'll Be the Day," and "Raining in My Heart," but also the songs – put out in just a few short years before the singer-songwriter's death at age 22 in a plane crash that famously snatched away Ritchie Valens (Davitt Felder) and the Big Bopper (Scott Free) as well – have lost none of their force. Here much credit is due the cast of musician-actors, especially the remarkably vital Travis Poelle as Holly. By contrast, Alan Janes's book, while allowing for some nice comedic turns, offers little to rave on about. It never gets nearer than a few feeble clichés to the racism, money, and sex that colored the real-life story, nor broaches the uncanny artistry in Holly's manipulation of a few chords into a slew of hits at once distinctively his own and immediately accessible. And yet, as an excuse for the exceedingly well-executed music, Buddy's window dressing puts Holly's genius fully and irresistibly on display. (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 Marcia, Marcia, Marcia Show," with Marcia Kimpton (July 11 and 18, 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 Wed/30, 2pm); Sun, 1 and 6:30pm (no show Sun/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)

Eve Ensler's The Good Body Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sfbay.org. $11-68. Opens Wed/30, 8pm. Runs Thurs/1-Sat/3, July 7-10, 13-17, 20-24, 8pm (also Sat/3, July 7, 10, 17, 21, and 24, 2pm); Tues/6 and July 18, 7pm (also July 18, 2pm); Sun/4, July 11, and 25, 2pm. Through July 25. American Conservatory Theater presents Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues) in her new solo show, featuring monologues representing the experiences of women "from Bombay to Beverly Hills."

The Fantasticks Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, www.sfplayhouse.org. $30. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm). Through July 31. S.F. Playhouse wraps up a terrific debut season with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's long-running 1960 musical, a lyrical crowd-pleaser derived from Edmond Rostand's satire of young love, Les romanesques. Dianna Shuster directs a winsome ensemble cast in a stripped down plotline that gives full absurdist play to the story of a young couple (Mark Farrell and Katy Stephan, in two charmingly spot-on performances) who secretly woo over the wall (Shaye Troha, in the role of all-purpose and all-seeing Mute) built between their backyards by their quarreling fathers (Louis Parnell and Brian Scott). In fact, their ardor is being intentionally stoked by their colluding parents (who realize, as one of the show's lively songs has it, that children only do what you tell them not to). To clinch the deal, the would-be fathers-in-law hire a dashing rake (Bill English), who doubles as the story's narrator, and two thespians (the hilariously bizarre team of Joe Bellan and Graham Cowley) to stage an attempted assault that will have the lovers flying into each other's arms. But naturally that's only the beginning, as love and life continue on through evening's dreams of romance into the unforgiving light of day. (Avila)

*Hairspray Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $39-81. Wed/30-Sat/3, 8pm (also Wed/30 and Sat/3, 2pm). In slightly sanitized John Waters fashion, Hairspray's heroine, Tracy Turnblad (a winning Keala Settle), brings boundless energy to her awkward teenage years in racially segregated 1962 Baltimore, where she lives with her parents (a modest, circus-like couple played with great aplomb by comedy veterans Bruce Vilanch and Todd Susman) and dreams of becoming a TV star on the local Corny Collins Show. In her way stand the guardians of good taste and the racial segregation that keeps black and white kids from dancing together on air, a fact that finds a receptive nerve in our plump and hair-challenged outsider. Director Jack O'Brien keeps us rolling on fine performances, clever and rousing songs, and inventive choreography. (Avila)

I Look Like an Egg, but I Identify as a Cookie Penthouse Theatre, Hotel Adagio, 550 Geary; 1-866-468-3399, www.subvert.com. $30. Sun, 8pm. Through July 18. Heather Gold revives her popular solo show, which mixes comedy and performance with the baking of a batch of cookies.

*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. Open-ended. 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). (Avila)

*Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through July 24. 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)

Orpheus Descending Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.actorstheatresf.org. $15-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Aug 28. Actors Theatre of San Francisco performs Tennessee Williams's modern retelling of the myth of Orpheus.

Sacrament! Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311, www.theintersection.org. $9-15 sliding scale. Extended run: Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through July 11. Campo Santo and director Kent Nicholson, in collaboration with writer Dave Eggers, bring to the stage Sacrament!, their adaptation of Eggers's novel You Shall Know Our Velocity, about two friends, Will (Sean San José) and Hand (Danny Wolohan), who circumnavigate the globe on a private whirlwind mission to dole out $32,000 among the needy. In addition to witty, artfully rendered dialogue, the story unfolds through Will's and Hand's disjointed and competing narratives, as each takes turns addressing the audience. Adapting a novel to the stage is notoriously difficult and often unsatisfying. But the world premiere of Sacrament! in some ways improves on the work it starts with. In scenes winnowed from Eggers's fitfully inspired, often plodding book – and set on a stage bare but for an overhead screen depicting a few choice details from their journey – the assumptions and decisions Will and Hand make while seeking out worthy beneficiaries of their largesse comment on the mixed motives of charity generally. In its jumbled way, Sacrament! ends up being less about the pitfalls of altruism, or Will and Hand's excellent adventure, than a rumination on the disabling fear of death and, more specifically, the confusion that underscores the sanctity of life. (Avila)

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.

Southern Lights Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 989-0023. $8-20. Thurs/1-Sat/3, 8pm. When Callie Callendar, a rising country music star on the Vegas circuit, runs from an unhappy love affair to her east Texas hometown, she finds herself thrown back into her past: fighting to reconcile painful memories of her father (a famous country singer and unrepentant playboy) and downtrodden mother, she unwittingly renews an old romance with one of her father's protégés, Lonn McGee. Intertwining scenes set in a musty, small-town bar, flashbacks into the Callendar family's checkered past, and sweetly composed songs about love and the open road, Lee Brady's country musical romance spins a heartfelt if erratic yarn. While the songs never feel superimposed on the story and the four compelling cast members all yodel beautifully behind their guitars, the schizophrenic mood of the drama, which boomerangs constantly between playful kittenishness and tortured melodrama, makes for exhausting viewing. (Veltman)

Va Va Voom Room Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. $20-25. Fri-Sat, 11pm. Ongoing. Each week a new cast of performers from San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles present a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

Bay Area

*Arcadia Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mountain View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-50. Tues, 7:30pm (no show Tues/6); Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no show Sun/4; July 11, show at 2pm only). Through July 11. "It's the best possible time to be alive," declares scientist and chaos theory enthusiast Valentine Coverly (Kai Morrison), "when almost everything you thought you knew is wrong." If that were the yardstick of political utopias, then we'd truly be living large these days. In Arcadia it more properly conveys the thrill of discovery in matters of the mind and heart, the fecund terrain of Tom Stoppard's brilliantly conceived, terrifically entertaining 1993 comedy, which leads off TheatreWorks' 35th season in a winning production codirected by Robert Kelley and Vickie Rozell. Set in the same room of an English country house in two alternating time periods (the early nineteenth century and the present), Stoppard's ingenious plot and persuasive characters orbit around 13-year-old mathematical genius Thomasina Coverly (Alison Walla) and her handsome young tutor, Septimus Hodge (Christopher Kelly), who pals around with the as-yet-not-very-famous Lord Byron when he's not shtupping the wives of lesser poets. Together they form the center of a historical conundrum occupying present-day academic sleuths Hannah Jarvis (Jennifer Erin Roberts) and Bernard Nightingale (J. Paul Boehmer). (Avila)

Betrayal Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $34-36. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through July 25. See "Lies of the Mind."

Four Echoes Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk; (510) 841-6500. Free. Mon/5-Tues/6, 8pm. Shotgun Theater Lab presents this experimental collaboration with four writers from San Francisco State University's Creative Writing Program (Rebekah Anderson, Erin Jourdan, Vanessa Kulzer, and Margaret Rodriguez), weaving monologues by four female characters whose lives span the period from 1920 to 2096: a free-spirited flapper (Sally Clawson) who becomes a single mother; the pious wife (Alex Alexander) of a philandering pastor; a career woman (Alyssa Bostwick) whose plan to ride the 1990s tech boom gets sideswiped by a catastrophic car accident; and a young woman of the future (Joy Lian) forced to work off her enormous financial debt in a vat that transforms her human potential into electricity for a Texas town. The partly humorous, partly distressing tales, told on a spare stage featuring nocturnal lighting and a backdrop composed of four lunar phases, indirectly comment on one another, just as the actors lend support to one another's principal roles as they pass the narrative baton. A mute girl in a white nightgown (Sabina Neugebauer), looking on as if in a dream, meanwhile lends a further theatrical dimension to the common themes surfacing along the way. However, the continual shifting back and forth tends to emphasize the more trite generalities linking the stories at the expense of a satisfying engagement with any particular one. (Avila)

*Master Class Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no shows July 9 and 15; additional shows Thurs/1 and Sat/3, 2pm; July 8 and 10, show at 2pm only); Wed and Sun, 7pm (no shows Sun/4, July 14; additional shows July 11, and 18, 2pm). Through July 18. Berkeley Repertory Theatre concludes its season with a terrific production of Terrence McNally's deft and vastly entertaining theatrical portrait of fabled opera star Maria Callas, directed by Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project) and featuring Oscar and Tony Award winner Rita Moreno. Based on the master classes conducted by Callas at Julliard in the early 1970s, the play imagines no less than a master clash with a series of young, eager singers – an encounter that privately recalls pivotal moments in the life of the aging diva. Moreno as Callas is inspired, effortlessly embodying the bearing and charm of a hard-won stardom. (Avila)

Quills Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk; (510) 841-6500, www.shotgunplayers.org. Free. Thurs/1-Sat/3, 8pm. Shotgun Players presents an uneven but worthwhile production of Doug Wright's 1995 play, a gruesomely humorous showdown between the Marquis de Sade (Richard Louis James) and church and state, the latter duo represented by his captors the Abbe de Coulmier (Taylor Valentine) and Doctor Royer-Collard (David Cramer), in France's Charenton asylum in the 1790s. The Marquis's scandalous writings and lewd behavior have led the authorities to squirrel him away in a madhouse, but his ever flowing imagination, encouraged by fans like his seamstress-muse Madeleine (Lisa Jenai Hernandez), finds release even as the sanctimonious Abbe whittles away at him with increasing ferocity. Directed by Reid Davis, the play moves sluggishly at times and the performances don't always mesh well, but James delivers his compelling Marquis with great skill and panache. Moreover, Wright, who won the Pulitzer and Tony this year for I Am My Own Wife, has an undeniable command of language and a savvy way with his subject matter. His frisky and macabre thriller, adorned with touches of Grand Guignol theatrics, turns on an image of de Sade as a potent and randy satirist whose heroic defense of the prerogatives of art puts him in line with history's great literary rebels against arbitrary and brutalizing authority. (Avila)

21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $25-35. Extended run: Wed/30-Thurs/1, 7:30pm; Fri/2, 8:30pm; starting July 16, runs Fri-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 7:30pm. Through Aug 1. Berkeley Repertory Theater hosts, outside its normal subscription season, writer-performer Mike Daisey's solo show. This tell-all tale follows his two years climbing up and jumping off the "alternative" corporate ladder of dot-com giant Amazon during the heady era of the boom, when corporations could assume the character of utopian enterprises driven by young Zen-capitalist visionaries, and before we all got a grip again. Armed only with a temp's unflinching outlook and a B.A. in aesthetics, Daisey chances to find himself amid the mesmerizing culture of Amazon's new model company, where customer service slaves have their own stock portfolios and you get to work with the lights off if you want. The show, which began in Seattle and has since run off-Broadway, is an adept monologue so much in the style of Spalding Gray and Josh Kornbluth (with shades of Haiku Tunnel, in particular, in the theme) that it almost feels like a merger – with the added acquisition of Mike Judge's Office Space as a deal sealer. At the same time, Daisey has a formidable presence and combatively sarcastic style all his own. Sharply directed by Jean-Michele Gregory, with nary a wasted word or gesture, Daisey's generally familiar themes become the basis of an engaging tête-à-têtes among survivors of the virtual world of corporate work. (Avila)

dance

'Bourgeois at Off-Market Theater' Off-Market Theater, 965 Mission; 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. Wed, 8pm. $10. Choreographer Joe Landini curates this showcase of contemporary dance, featuring Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement, Christine Cali, Kook Troupe, and his own work.

*Dandelion Dancetheater Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402, www.dandeliondancetheater.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through July 10. $10-25 (sliding scale). The most surprising aspect of Eric Kupers' Night Marsh was how small its surprises were. Somehow having 18 nude bodies onstage sounded like a revolutionary act, but it made one realize how much nudes are part of our consciousness. We never look twice if we see them on museum walls or pedestals. But in museums, naked bodies are shown in idealized form. Kuper's dancers revealed themselves in all their idiosyncratic shapes and textures. Choreographically, the imagistic Night Marsh didn't quite come to terms with its purported theme of growth and decay; its beauty lay in watching the performers relate to one another and their very precise movements: a leg stretch that resonated up through the torso; how dancers shared weight or formed intertwining trios that opened like flowers; Kupers's round body engaged with lanky Jacques Poulin-Denis's; and above all, the performance of Debby Kajiyama, fearful and fascinated by the strange world she encountered when she went down the rabbit hole. (Felciano)

Lines Ballet Pre-Professional Program Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 863-3040, ext 247. Fri/2 and Aug 6, 7pm; Sat/3 and Aug 7, 2pm. $5. Students perform works by Alonzo King's Lines Ballet members and alumni, as well as other Bay Area choreographers.

Bay Area

'West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival' 8th Street Studios, 2525 Eighth St, Berk; (415) 789-7677, www.wccif.com. July 2-7. $350 for festival pass; $75 per day; $10 per evening jam. The 16th annual festival features five days of classes, discussions, performances, jams, and more, with events for dancers of all levels.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, third fl, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935, www.improv.org. Fri, 8pm: "Summer Games, Round 3: Ectopia vs. the French Chefs," $12. Sat, 8pm: "Monster Island vs. Federated Islands of Impronesia," $12.

'Dr. Techno's Traveling Variety Show' Hyena Theater, 2390 Mission, Ste 304; 242-4433, www.technomaniacircus.com. Fri, 9pm. Through July 30. $5-10 sliding scale. This vaudeville show for grown-ups features circus acts, black-light illusion and puppetry, Willy Bologna ("vulgarian clown with flea circus"), and more.

'Improv Towards a New Piece' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. Wed, 8pm. $25-50. Josh Kornbluth (Haiku Tunnel) performs as part of the San Francisco Treasure Series.

Off-Market Theater and Studio 965 Mission, 896-6477, www.cafearts.com. $5-12. Wed, 10pm: "Femmisphere: Songs in the Key of Angst," drag performance with Trauma Flintstone and guest Tom Orr. Thurs, 8pm: "Improv Revolution." Fri-Sat, 8pm: All-female improv troupe Eat the Apple in "This Time It's Personal."

Bay Area

'Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace' Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 910-0576. Mon, 7pm. Free. Local actors from Shotgun Players and other companies present readings of short stories by Heidi Julavits and David Sedaris.

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): "Stand up for Your Rights," political comedy show with Will Durst, Johnny Steele, Joe Klocek, and Bill Santiago, $13-17.

Green Room Comedy Club 2801 Leavenworth (at the Cannery); 674-9333, www.greenroomcomedy.com. Wed, Mon-Tues, 8:30pm: Comedy showcase, $10. Thurs-Sun, 8:30pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:30pm): Carl Labove and Alex House, $12-15.

Mock Cafe 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, ext 5. Sat, 9pm: Stand-up comedy, $7.

Punch Line 444 Battery; 397-4337, www.punchlinecomedyclub.com. Wed-Sat, 9pm (also Fri-Sat, 11pm): Ngaio Bealum, $10-20. Mon, 9pm: "Monday Comedy Sessions," $5.

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.

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, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free.

Thursday: 16th Street/Mission BART Plaza 16th St at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 8:30pm, free. Mediterranean Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985. "Word Beat Reading Series," featuring Alissa Blackman and Dan Coshnear, followed by open mic, 7pm, free. Dark Room 2263 Mission, SF; lucifersmuse@hotmail.com. "La Femme Anarchiste: A Womyn's Literary Art Salon," with Wendy O. Matik, 8pm, $10.

Monday: Rockin Java Cafe 1821 Haight, SF; (415) 440-5530. "Open Mic Spoken Word Singing Word," hosted by Diamond Dave Whitaker, 7:30pm, free. Purple Onion 140 Columbus, SF; (415) 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. Open mic hosted by the Kitchenettes, 7pm, $5. Pegasus Bookstore 2349 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-1320. "The Last Word," with poets Joan Gatten and Maggi H. Meyer, plus open reading, 7pm, free. Book Passage 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera; leftcoastwriters@aol.com. "Left Coast Writers Literary Salon," with featured speaker Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, 7pm, $10 (nonmembers, e-mail for one-time free admission). Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," open mic and featured reader Stephanie Manning, 7pm, free.

Tuesday: Café Niebaum-Coppola 916 Kearny, SF; www.all-story.com. Premiere party for Zoetrope: All Story's summer issue, with dramatic reading of Amber Dermont's short story "Lyndon," 7pm, free.