theater
Ongoing

*Addicted ... a Comedy of Substance Marine's Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 771-6900, www.marinesmemorialtheatre.com. $25-40. Extended run: Wed/24, Fri/26, Dec 1, 3, and 9-10, 8pm (also Fri/26, 2pm); Sat/27, Dec 4 and 11, 5 and 9pm (also Dec 4 and 11, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Dec 12. This is a must-see for anyone who's ever been addicted to anything: this dude feels your pain. Writer-performer and stand-up comedian Mark Lundholm's very funny and genuinely amazing story draws on the Bay Area native's long slide from a spastic childhood in front of the TV set into a self-annihilating adulthood of crime, drug abuse, absent fatherhood, and homelessness. If his high-energy, razor-sharp performance and flawless timing seem to belie the notion of a guy utterly lacking in self-control, it just underscores the significance of Lundholm's narrative and its real-life transformation. Broadway and cinema's Bob Balaban directs this agile multicharacter one-man show, which makes excellent use of lighting and sound effects to support the already vivid voices in Lundholm's head. Alternately suggesting the funniest Alcoholics Anonymous speech ever, the sickest and slickest motivational talk around, and a 3D jailbreak from the pages of a Robert Crumb comic, Lundholm's charisma and candor have a freshness that can make old subjects – like the pointlessness of a triple decaf anything – seem brand-new and the less-charted terrain of the serious addict disarmingly close to home. (Avila)

Ben Franklin: Unplugged Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.zspace.org. $25-30. Wed/24 and Fri/26-Sat/27, 8pm (also Sat/27, 3pm); Sun/28, 3 and 7pm. Monologuist Josh Kornbluth's segue from autobiography into the life of the prince of autobiographers ends up, of course, being yet another approach to his own story – especially as it concerns his communist father – first broached in Red Diaper Baby. This time, however, the relationship with his "un-American" father develops as a clever parallel and contrast to the filial saga behind "first American" and founding father Ben Franklin (to whom Kornbluth finds he bears an uncanny resemblance, a coincidence that launches a short-lived career as a Franklin impersonator and an even shorter one as a Franklin scholar impersonator). Set in Annie Smart's comfy kitchen, where Kornbluth keeps busy making himself lunch and doing little things about the house, this collaboration with director David Dower has a more theatrical (i.e., vaguely Mister Rogers' Neighborhood-like) feel to it than your standard standup or sit-down monologue, and though Kornbluth's famously emphatic delivery can be too emphatic at times, the consistently amusing history lesson gets progressively involving – in fact, Kornbluth is at his best here when delivering what's essentially a smoothly executed lecture on the tortuous tale of Ben and William Franklin, a story that loops back to his own in a fashion both supple and compelling. (Avila)

Carrie Snow: 7,000 Sailors Can't Be Wrong Off-Market Theater, 965 Mission; 1-866-468-3399, www.cafearts.com. $20. Fri-Sat, 8pm (no shows Fri/26-Sat/27). Through Dec 4. The comedian and former Roseanne writer performs her solo show about weight gain and loss.

*Don't Make Me Look Too Psychotic Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 820-3945, www.toopsychotic.net. $22. Fri/26-Sat/27, 8pm. 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)

Ella! First Lady of Song Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; (510) 232-3522. $15. Sat, 10pm. Ongoing. Jamie Myrick stars in this multimedia jazz production paying tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.

Extremities Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978, www.acteva.com/go/extremities. $25-35. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/25); Sun, 3pm. Through Dec 19. Sale Productions performs William Mastrosimone's drama about a woman who holds her attacker captive and tortures him; net proceeds benefit San Francisco Women Against Rape.

*Fist of Roses Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311, www.theintersection.org. $9-15. Extended run: Fri/26-Sun/28, 8pm. The genius of Philip Kan Gotanda's mesmerizing one-act deconstruction of the nature of domestic violence, A Fist of Roses, lies in its ability to see both sides – the harmless joke and the brutal confession – and then to blur the line between them. The play doesn't just explore its contradictions; like its subjects, it lives through them. The MC for the evening (Donald E. Lacy Jr.) warms up the crowd with some off-color humor before introducing the rest of the cast (Michael Cheng, Rajiv Shah, Tommy Shepherd, and Danny Wolohan), collectively known as "the Five Aces." Shades of the local sports bar and comedy club soon give way to discussions among a men's therapy circle and other male group dynamics, even in recognizing themselves as actors together onstage. With this world premiere, Campo Santo and Intersection for the Arts launch another extraordinary collaboration. It's a remarkable departure for playwright and director Gotanda, and one that beautifully integrates the taut yet fluid choreography of movement director Erika Chong Shuch and a simmering score by actor-composer Shepherd. (Avila)

Hooray for What! Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 978-2787, www.42ndstmoon.org. $17-30. Wed/24, 7pm; Fri/26, 8pm; Sat/27, 6pm; Sun/28, 3pm. Despite the fact that they penned the score for The Wizard of Oz, few people today have heard of songwriters Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen. In 1937 the pair also wrote one of the first antiwar musicals, Hooray for What! With its absurd plot involving attempts to steal the secret formula for a deadly weapon from a daffy scientist, this zany political satire lambastes war profiteering and jingoism with cheerful spite. Restored from a long-missing script by 42nd Street Moon, Hooray for What! provides prescient commentary for our own times, where conflict seems to be little more than a convenient way to line pockets at Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, and the White House. 42nd Street Moon bounces its way through the toe-tapping ditties and lacerating one-liners with its usual panache, but not even this clever company can make up for some essential weaknesses in the material: from the convoluted story line to songs riddled with dated cultural references, Hooray for What! more often feels like an archival curiosity than like a piece of living musical theater. (Veltman)

Irving Berlin's White Christmas Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; 512-7770, www.bestofbroadwaysf.com. $30-85. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat, Fri/26, and Dec 23, 2pm; no shows Wed/24-Thurs/25 and Dec 24; no 2pm show Dec 25); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/28 and Dec 26, 7:30pm). Through Dec 26. Best of Broadway presents a new musical based on the classic holiday film.

*Little Shop of Horrors Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com or www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. $34-81. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat, and Fri/26, 2pm; no show Thurs/25); Sun, 2pm. Through Dec 5. Little Shop of Horrors is a cautionary tale, but the diminutive in the title – and the fact that it's a Broadway musical – doesn't lessen the scope of its tongue-in-leek theme. Based on Roger Corman's 1960 film, the Broadway revival of 1982's offbeat off-Broadway hit has earned this macabre musical about a man-eating plant – newly realized with some impressive stage puppetry – second-time-around success. The flawlessly slick Best of Broadway offering now at the Golden Gate Theatre makes it easy to see why. Howard Ashman's effortlessly clever book and lyrics hold up remarkably well (and even the, to say the least, outdated wife-beating humor wrests tolerant laughs from an initially wary audience). Alan Menken's catchy rock 'n' roll- and doo-wop-dominated score (ably turned out by musical director-conductor Brent-Alan Huffman) provides an ideal ground in which Little Shop's Motown-inflected lunacy can thrive. (Avila)

Murder at the Howard Johnson's Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; www.mysticbison.com. $15-25. Fri/26-Sat/27, 8pm. Mystic Bison Theatre and Dance performs Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick's screwball comedy.

*Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22. Extended run: Fri/26, 8:30pm; Sat/27, 5pm. What, the unapologetically middle-class Brian Copeland asks, 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)

Our Town Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, www.ticketweb.com. $30. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm; no show Thurs/25). Through Dec 18. SF Playhouse performs Thornton Wilder's American classic.

Really Rosie New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $9-12. Sat-Sun, 2pm (starting Dec 4, also Sat, 4pm; additional shows Dec 27-30, 2pm; no show Sat/27). Through Dec 30. New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Carole King and Maurice Sendak's children's musical.

The Right Kind of People Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $20-38. Tues-Sat, 8:30pm (no show Thurs/25); Sun, 2:30pm. Through Dec 12. Magic Theatre performs a new play by Charles Grodin about his experiences sitting on a Fifth Avenue co-op board in New York City.

Rush Limbaugh in Night School Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Sat-Mon, 8pm. Through Dec 13. See "Enemy Studies."

'Significant Others' New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $20-40. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm (no shows Thurs/25, Dec 24-25, or Jan 1); Sun, 2pm. Through Jan 2. Breaking the rules is half the fun and always the issue in these five one-acts written by local playwright Tom W. Kelly. As part of the New Conservatory Theatre Center's "We Are Family" series, a celebration of its commitment to gay-themed theater for the past 10 years, these stories delve into the dilemmas many male couples face, like open relationships, coming out, and staying together. The overarching theme – that love conquers all – seems a bit pat at times. But when placed in the context of two men, played with complexity and empathy by Kunal Prasad (Robert) and John Atwood (Stan), who are confronting and resolving an affair as they follow an unpaved road deep within a red state, the concept becomes very present and moving. Even in Bush country, guys are talking and working it out. (Deborah Giattina)

*Talking with Angels Project Artaud Theater, 450 Florida; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. $27.50-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Dec 5. Faced with the apocalyptic tone and terror of the Reagan era, Tony Kushner famously imagined angels helping us mortals to rise to our full stature and potential. Since the Bush era, far from retreating from those dark times, has only improved on them, the spiritual-political project Kushner envisioned might seem more vital than ever. Certainly, Shelley Mitchell's skillfully honed one-woman stage adaptation, Talking with Angels, will convince you of that. First developed for the 1999 San Francisco Fringe Festival, previously restaged at the Magic Theatre, and now copresented by Project Artaud and the California Institute of Integral Studies, the play draws on Gitta Mallasz's true story of four friends whose supernatural research into the meaning of life takes place against the backdrop of the German invasion of Hungary and the Holocaust. Directed by Robin Fontaine, Mitchell's performance – dominating a large, colorfully lit stage adorned with little more than a simple cross, a menorah, and an occasional supertitle highlighting a line from the passionately mystical yet remarkably lucid and systematic utterances of the self-described angels – brings all the characters to life with consummate craft. (Avila)

Train Stories Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Extended run: Fri/26-Sat/27, 8:30pm. Wayne Harris performs his solo show about three men linked by heritage, railroads, and tragedy.

V the Ultimate Variety Show V Theater, Pier 39; 39-VSHOW, www.vtheshow.com. $24-44. Nightly, 6 and 8pm. Ongoing. A revolving array of variety acts highlight this family-friendly show originally produced in Las Vegas.

Va Va Voom Room Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.vavavoomroom.com. $25. Fri-Sat, 11pm. Through Dec 18. Performers from San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles present a burlesque and vaudeville cabaret.

*Welcome to the Hypnodrome Hypnodrome, 575 10th St; 248-1900, www.hypnodrome.com. $18-50. Extended run starting Dec 2: Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, midnight). Through Dec 18. Tucked away under a dark overpass in the nether regions of SoMa, the theater at 575 10th St. is the perfect setting for Welcome to the Hypnodrome, a gleefully unhinged evening of early 20th-century French kitsch. In The Beast, an adaptation of L'homme nu (1928), by Charles Méré, ketchup flies when an injured traveler finds himself caught between an austere Austrian count, his crazy wife, and their frightening secret. The burlesque Bearded Assets, adapted from Madame Aurelie (1909), by Yves Mirande, provides light relief with the discovery of a circus performer's amazing new talent on Victor Hugo's funeral day. Meanwhile, in the claustrophobic melodrama Murder of the Will, based on Maurice Renard's L'amant de la morte (1925), a lovesick hypnotist (intensely personified by Brian Raffi) attempts to exert his will on the wife of his best friend, with tragic results. Featuring the luminous Jill Tracy, and Bob Taxin in multi-dexterous form, Thrillpeddlers brings ghoulish aplomb to Grand Guignol. (Veltman)

When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 333-6389, www.wehavemet.org. $20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/25; Dec 4 show at 2pm, not 8pm). Through Dec 11. Multi Ethnic Theater performs Mark Medoff's drama about five people held hostage in a small-town diner.

Bay Area

Emma Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-45. Wed-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/25); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Dec 19. Aurora Theatre Company performs Michael Fry's adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel.

Life x 3 Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 338-5208, www.marintheatre.org. $28-46 (Tues, pay what you can). Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Dec 2, 1pm and Dec 11, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm (also Wed/24, 1pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Dec 12. Marin Theatre Company performs Yasmina Reza's esoteric comedy about an unplanned dinner party that plays out to three conclusions.

Meanwhile, Back at the Super Lair La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468, www.impacttheatre.com. $10-15 (Thurs, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no show Thurs/25). Through Dec 11. Impact Theatre performs Greg Kalleres's comedy about a crew of "not-so-superheroes" called on to fight twin forces of evil.

Polk County Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $15-60. Tues, Thurs-Sat, and Dec 20, 8pm (no shows Thurs/25 and Dec 24-25; additional shows Sat/27, Dec 4, 11, 16, 23, 30, and Jan 8, 2pm); Wed, 7pm (Wed/24, show at 8pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Jan 9. Berkeley Rep performs the world premiere of Zora Neale Hurston and Dorothy Waring's long-lost musical drama set in a depression-era Florida sawmill camp.

dance

'Kolo Balkan Dance Festival' Russian Center, 2450 Sutter; (650) 793-1166, www.kolofestival.org. Fri, 9:30am-5pm and 8pm-1:30am; Sat, 9:30am-5pm, 6:30-8pm, and 8pm-1:30am. $8-85. Daytime workshops, evening dance performances, and nighttime dance parties highlight this 53rd annual festival of folkloric dance.

Theatre Flamenco Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.ticketweb.com. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $26-37.50. The company honors "the art of masculine flamenco" with Abanicos, featuring guest artists from Spain. See 8 Days a Week.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, third fl, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935, www.improv.org. Fri, 8pm: "Holiday Feast," $12. Sat, 8pm: "Holiday Feast," $12.

'Calliope's Carousel' Zeum Theatre, 221 Fourth St; 665-2276, www.acrosports.org. Fri, 7pm; Sat-Sun, 2pm. Through Dec 12. $10. City Circus performs the gravity-defying tale of a young girl's fantastical adventure at the carnival.

Climate Theater 285 Ninth St; 863-1076. Ongoing. $5. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Improv Jam," presented by the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative. Tues, 8pm: "Tuesday Night Improv Special: Night of 1,000 Games," short-form improv jam.

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. Ongoing. $15. Fri, 10pm: "Big City Improv." Sat, 10pm: "Comedy Showcase." Sun, 3 and 7pm: "A Celebration of Laughs."

'Oui Be Negroes: Improvadelic' Climate Theater, 285 Ninth St; 863-1076. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10. Improvisational troupe Oui Be Negroes (Anasatsia Elizondo, Shaun Landry, Hans Summers) brings its P-Funk-inspired two-act show, built entirely and spontaneously on audience suggestions, to the laid-back environs of the Climate Theater. With a nod to the funk gurus of Parliament, the long-standing African American improv and sketch comedy group draws on any musical or nonmusical style and theme in developing its long-form material, as long as it grooves. More often than not, it does. The chemistry between the three players couldn't be better, and ideas flowed fast and furious on opening night. (Avila)

'Telekenesis' Dark Room, 2263 Mission; 401-7987, www.darkroomsf.com. Fri-Sat, 9pm. $12. Eerie sets and costumes enhance singer Robbie D.'s twisted covers of songs by Marie Osmond, Donovan, and others.

'Three Years and Still Not Famous' Dark Room, 2263 Mission; www.uphillbothways.com. Fri, 10pm. $10. Comedy troupe Uphill Both Ways performs 17 sketches on subjects ranging from Turkish prison life to Siegfried and Roy.

'Til Friday' Club Rendezvous, 1312 Polk; 309-CLUB. Fri, 10:30pm and midnight. Ongoing. Free. Cockatelia, Holotta Tymes, Manley Lennox, Sofondaboyz, and weekly guest stars tear up the stage at this drag revue.

Bay Area

'Circus Rhymes' Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Fri-Sun, 2pm. $8-15. The all-youth Splash Circus Theatre perform acrobatic version of nursery rhymes.

'Stories by Tobias Wolff' Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton, Mill Valley; 383-9600, www.142throckmortontheatre.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Dec 5. $25. Word for Word theater company stages two of Wolff's stories, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs and Bullet in the Brain.

comedy

Buriel Clay Theater 762 Fulton; www.bookhousecafe.com. Fri, 8:30-10pm: "Bernard's Funny Fridays," $15.

Canvas Gallery 1200 Ninth Ave; 504-0010. Tues, 8pm: "Comedy Open Mic Night," free.

Cobb's Comedy Club 915 Columbus; 928-4320m www.cobbscomedy.com. Wed, 8pm: "All-Pro Comedy Showcase" $10. Fri-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): Caroline Rhea with Costaki Economopolous, $18-22.

Dark Room 2263 Mission; 637-9453, www.darkroomsf.com. Sat, 8pm: "New Jew Review," with Moshe Kasher, Sam Arno, Chelsea Peretti, and others, $6.

50 Mason Lounge 50 Mason; 398-4129, www.50masonlounge.com. Wed, Fri-Sat, 8pm: "San Francisco Comedy Club Showcase," $10.

Green Room Comedy Club 2801 Leavenworth (at the Cannery); 674-9333, www.greenroomcomedy.com. Mon-Tues, 8:30pm: "Green Room Comedy Showcase," $10. Fri-Sun, 8:30pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:30pm): Dan St. Paul with Mark Yaffee, $12-20.

Last Day Saloon 406 Clement; 387-6343. Thurs, 9-10:30pm: "Dougzilla above the Zoo," with Doug Ferrari, $5.

Marsh 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. Sat, 9:30pm: "Mock Cafe," hosted by Tim Lee and John Trujillo, $7.

Phoenix Theater 414 Mason, Suite 601; 989-0023. Sun, 6 and 8pm: "Comedy Night," $15.

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/Singing 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. Lost and Found Saloon 1353 Grant, SF; (415) 981-9557. Open mic with host Chris Brown, 8:30pm, free.

Thursday: 16th Street/Mission BART Plaza 16th St at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 8:30pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with Bruce Isaacson and Eliot Schain, 7:30pm, $2. Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, SF; (415) 905-8837. Ruebi Freyja reads, plus open mic, 7pm, free. Dark Room 2263 Mission, SF; (415) 401-7987. "Pins and Needles: Writers on Body Art," 7:30pm, $5-10.

Monday: Purple Onion 140 Columbus, SF; (415) 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. Open mic hosted by the Kitchenettes, 7pm, $5. Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express: 'family' open mic theme," 7pm, free.

Tuesday: Mills College Mills Hall, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakl; (510) 430-3250, www.mills.edu. Poet Jennifer Moxley reads, 5:30pm, free.