stage

Stage listings are compiled by Laurie Koh and Cheryl Eddy. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, Deborah Giattina, Karen McKevitt, and Lara Shalson. See 8 Days a Week for information on how to submit items to the listings.

theater
Opening

Sexual Perversity in Chicago Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $12-66. Previews Thurs/5-Sat/7 and Tues/10, 8pm; Sun/8, 2pm. Opens Jan 11, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (Jan 17, show at 7pm; also Wed and Sat, 2pm; no matinees Jan 11 or Jan 25); Sun, 2pm (also Jan 15 and 29, 7pm). Through Feb 5. Peter Riegert directs American Conservatory Theatre's revival of David Mamet's comedy about the interlocking love lives of four twentysomethings.

Bay Area

Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins ... In Search of My Father Marsh-Berkeley, Gaia Arts Center, 2118 Allston, Berk; 1-800-838-3006, www.themarsh.org. $15-22 (Thurs, pay what you can). Previews Thurs/5, 7pm. Opens Fri/6, 7pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 7pm (no show Sat/7). Through Jan 28. W. Allen Taylor performs his solo show about his search for his father, Cleveland's first black disc jockey.

Walking the Dead Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 326-8197, www.theatreq.org. $15-20. Opens Thurs/5, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Oct 29. Theatre Q performs Keith Curran's drama set at a memorial service for a transgendered murder victim.

Ongoing

After Dark New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $20-38. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Jan 15. As part of its Pride Season 11, New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Steve Kluger's two-act romantic comedy that's about as light and sweet as any holiday confection. The play follows a pretty simple recipe: In act one, two guys meet in a diner and fall in love; in act two, they meet again in the diner five years later and six months after they've broken up. The likable Markham Miller and Carlos Barrera have good stage chemistry and comic timing. While Kluger tries to introduce a darker side to the relationship, subjects like HIV and inequality come off as forced plot points. Not that it matters. With snappy and sexy dialogue peppered with jokes and references to gay cultural icons like Ethel Mermen, After Dark proves an irresistible and pleasing trifle. (McKevitt)

*Bent Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-35. Wed/4-Sat/7, 8pm. Theatre Rhinoceros and artistic director John Fisher present a nearly note-perfect rendering of Martin Sherman's still powerful and impressive play – a groundbreaking work when it premiered on Broadway in 1979, helping to recover the suppressed memory of Nazi Germany's mass persecution of homosexuals (and, along the way, reclaiming the pink triangle as a badge of gay liberation). Set in 1934, it's the story of a gay man, Max (Clayton B. Hodges), passing as a straight Jew in Dachau, Germany's first concentration camp, in the naive belief it will increase his chances of survival in the camp's dismal hierarchy of victims. After being brutally and traumatically separated from his boyfriend, Rudy (Enrique Vallejo), and their heretofore carefree life in Berlin, Max gradually befriends fellow queer prisoner Horst (Kevin Clarke), despite a method of physical and psychological terror designed to make any human contact or human feeling (in fact, everything beyond the brute instinct for self-preservation) – a fatal liability. Throughout this bleak situation and some truly harrowing scenes, however, runs a startlingly effortless strain of humor and compassion, a defiant assertion of the human spirit Sherman's play brilliantly locates and kindles against an enveloping darkness. All of it is conveyed in three outstanding performances (with strong support from a cast that includes Matt Weimer's mercenary drag queen Greta and Paul Dana's truly frightening Nazi) under Fisher's sure and beautifully balanced direction. (Avila)

Beyond Therapy Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 433-1226, www.jeanshelton.com. $20-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. The Shelton Theater presents Christopher Durang's comedy about therapists and their patients.

*Corteo Grand Chapiteau, SBC Park parking lot; 1-800-678-5440, www.cirquedusoleil.com. $31.50-89. Wed/4-Sat/7, 8pm (also Thurs/5-Sat/7, 4pm); Sun/8, 1 and 5pm. If you've loved Cirque du Soleil for its mind-blowing artistry and acrobatics but have grown tired of its snooty veneer and bad sight lines, take heart: With Corteo, they finally get it right. In a brilliant move, the company seats the audience nearly in the round, with the playing space dividing the circle in half – which brings the performers closer to the audience and virtually eliminates bad seats. Sure, there's still excessive merchandising and $18 SBC parking, but the show makes a more authentic connection with the audience while still delivering the seemingly impossible circus acts. Corteo ("cortege" in Italian) chronicles the death of a clown, who imagines – or dreams – his own funeral procession, with flying angels, little people, clowns and, of course, circus performers. Inhabiting the space between heaven and earth, women swing from chandeliers (much more stunning than trapezes), and acrobats spring from oversized, trampolinelike beds with daring abandon. While some comic interludes were mistimed, other impressive acts include heart-stopping gymnastics on horizontal bars and trampolines, gravity-defying juggling, and an absurdist rendition of Romeo and Juliet on a miniature stage. This may be the most fun you could ever have at a funeral. (McKevitt)

Emperor Norton I Dark Room Theater, 2263 Mission; 401-7987, www.darkroomsf.com. $15. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Jan 29. You have to love the spirit behind this new musical comedy about San Francisco's most beloved historical figures. In the 1850s, Joshua Norton was a rich San Francisco businessman until his attempt to corner the rice market rendered him bankrupt. He then donned naval regalia and marched into the San Francisco Bulletin's office with a proclamation that declared himself emperor of the United States -- which the paper published. Over the years, he issued more proclamations, including ones that dissolved Congress and ordered the building of a bridge between Oakland and San Francisco. He even printed his own money. In Impossible Productions' charming musical, written by Kim Axelrod-Ohanneson and Marty Ohanneson-Axelrod, Emperor Norton is a slightly crazed man of the people. He sees the darker side of Gold Rush-era San Francisco, with Barbary Coast pickpockets and discrimination against the Chinese, yet truly believes the city -- and its citizens -- can rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Now, this isn't a big-budget musical: the stage too small for set pieces, much less all-out dance numbers. But, really, that hardly matters. With terrific singers and comical songs, slutty dance hall girls, and the scene-stealing antics of Norton's dogs (played by humans, of course), this love letter to the first and last emperor of the U.S. is a must-see guilty pleasure. (McKevitt)

Lestat Curran Theater, 445 Geary; (415) 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $30-90. Previews Wed/4-Sat/7, 8pm (also Wed/4 and Sat/7, 2pm). Opens Sun/8, 6:30pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Jan 29. Anne Rice's most famous subject (besides Jesus) is the focus of this pre-Broadway musical, featuring vampire-ific tunes by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Menopause the Musical Theatre 39 at Pier 39, Two Beach St; 433-3939, www.menopausethemusical.com. $46.50. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, 2pm and Sat, 4pm); Sun, 1 and 4pm. Open-ended. Jeanie Linders's musical comedy celebrates women who are facing "the change."

*Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22. Extended run, starting Sat/7: Thurs-Fri, 8:30pm; Sat, 5pm. Through Feb 18. 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 interlacing 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)

*The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Dean Post Street Theatre, 450 Post; 771-6900, www.ticketmaster.com. $37-69. Wed/4-Sat/7, 8pm (also Sat/7, 3pm); Sun/8, 3pm. Starting Feb 7, show moves to Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter. Check website for new schedule and ticket info. You know you've made it when God is your warm-up act. And while it may be little more than a convenient, tossed-off premise, God (voice of the late Buddy Hackett) recalling the Rat Pack from their heavenly lounge to play one last gig has about the right ring of latter-day hokeyness and chutzpah to it. If it sounds cheesy, as soon as the sizzling band strikes up the first tune and Frank (Tom Tiratto), Sammy (Louie Velez), and Dino (Andy DiMino) belt out a flawless "Where or When," you realize it's also very much the real deal. The brainchild of Hackett's son Sandy (who, in addition to writing and directing, holds his own alongside veteran performer-impersonators as an excellent Joey Bishop), The Tribute infectiously recreates those storied Las Vegas evenings of the early 1960s when Sinatra, Davis, Martin, and dead-pan comedian Bishop (who, incidentally, dwells not in heaven but in Santa Monica) sang, joked, horsed around, boozed up, and caroused, while making their audience feel like they were partying with the Rat Pack. Notwithstanding a certain concession to the session (toning down the decidedly off-color humor and raunch of an earlier era), this is hep history come alive. (Avila)

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.

Bay Area

Cabaret Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk; (510) 841-6500, www.shotgunplayers.org. $15-50. Extended run: Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Jan 29. Even before we're welcomed by the spry and shady Emcee (Clive Worsley), the party is in full swing at the Kit Kat Klub – the festive world-within-a-world that epitomizes the final days of Weimar Germany, on the eve of the Nazi seizure of power, in John Kander and Fred Ebb's Cabaret. Shotgun Players' production of the darkly ebullient 1966 musical (with book by Joe Masteroff) goes all out in establishing that seamy ambience, where sexual and political promiscuity make for rich burlesque. At the same time, it more often succeeds with the display than with the substance in Cabaret's knowing spectacle. Seamlessly blending its realistic love story with a raunchy and satirical floor show, the story line follows an aspiring American novelist, Clifford Bradshaw (Cassidy Brown), who's come to Berlin looking for "something to write about." Lucky for him it's 1931. Director Russell Blackwood's lovingly detailed staging takes full advantage of the intimate environs of Shotgun's Ashby Stage to envelop the audience in the scene, turning the theater into a bawdy nightclub. Although propelled by its zesty chorus line, a rousing house band (music codirected by John Thomas and musician Dave Malloy), Andrea Weber's nimble and dynamic choreography, and capable if rarely exceptional renderings of Kander and Ebb's terrific cycle of songs, Blackwood's production is nevertheless an uneven ride, and in the end surprisingly weak in its ability to disturb and enthrall – surprising because the production reflects considerable insight and artistry in both design and execution. (Avila)

Into the Woods Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield, Palo Alto; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-54. Wed/4-Sat/7, 8pm (also Sat/7, 2pm). TheatreWorks performs Sondheim's fractured-fairy-tale musical.

dance

Margaret Wingrove Dance Company Stage Theatre, 490 South First St, San Jose; (408) 283-7142, www.mwdance.com. Thurs and Sun, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm. $20-30. The San Jose company performs "Burning Every Moment," a tribute to 20th century poets, featuring two world premieres: Tom and Viv and Sylvia and Ted.

performance

Bayfront Theatre Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.improv.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm: "Rock 'n' Roll Theatresports Tournament," $12-15. Sun, 7pm: "Micetro," $5.

Big City Improv Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; (510) 595-5597, www.bigcityimprov.com. Fri, 10pm. Ongoing. $15. The improv troop performs.

'Buddy Club Children's Shows' Randall Museum Theater, 199 Museum Way; (510) 236-SHOW, www.thebuddyclub.com. Sun, 11am-noon. $7. Comedian the Bubble Lady performs "Bubble Craziness."

'The Boy Next Door: The Music and Lyrics of Christopher Jackson' Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. Sat, 8pm. $15. Broadway performer Joey Landwehr stars in this "one-man, one-pianist" show.

'Dirty Little Secret' Empire Plush Room, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.empireplushroom.com. Ongoing. Fri-Sat, 11pm. $25. This evening of performance is a "roaring twenties revue."

'An Evening with Bea Arthur: One More Time San Francisco' Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness; 392-4400, www.empireplushroom.com. Sat, 8pm. $35-75. The legendary actress performs her solo show.

'Le Vin Herbé' Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California; 292-1233, www.jccsf.org/arts. Mon, 7:30pm. $12-25. The Friend Center at JCCSF and City Concert Opera Orchestra present this performance of Frank Martin's opera, a retelling of the story of Tristan and Isolde.

'Purple Wednesdays' Purple Onion, 140 Columbus; 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. Wed, 7-11pm. Ongoing. Call for price. Geoff Foster and Guy J. Jackson host a "throwback variety show."

'The Santaland Diaries' Off Market Theater, Stage 250, 965 Mission; 896-6477, ext 2, www.cafearts.com. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $20-25. Director Richard Ryan brings David Sedaris's hilarious story to life.

San Francisco Improv Cooperative Off-Market Gallery, 965 Mission; 368-9909, www.sfimprovcooperative.com. Mon, 8pm. Ongoing. $5. The improv collective hosts a "Monday Night Jam."

Bay Area

'Buddy Club Children's Shows' Berkeley Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut; (510) 236-SHOW, www.thebuddyclub.com. Sun, 1-2pm. $6-7. Ace Miles stars in "The Pirate Returns," a show of magic, juggling, and ventriloquism. Also: Sun, 1-2pm, $7, Centerstage at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro, San Rafael. Same phone and web site. Acrobat and juggler Dana Smith performs with his dog, Lacy.

East Bay Improv Pinole Community Playhouse, 601 Tennant, Pinole; (510) 964-0571, www.eastbayimprov.com. Sat, 8pm. $8. The company performs improv.

'Success' Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, 98 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 272-0120, (510) 825-2993. Sat, 2pm. Free. Page to Stage Theatre Company performs a reading adapted from Jack London's novel, Martin Eden.

comedy

Brainwash 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 7pm: "Brainwash Comedy Open Mic," with host Tony Sparks, free.

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

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight; 552-6949. Mon, 9pm: "Stand-Up Showcase," with rotating hosts Leah Eva and Sam Arno, free.

Jon Sims Center for the Arts 1519 Mission; 541-5610, www.qcomedy.com. Sun, 8pm: "Sunday Night Gay Comedy" with host Betsy Salkind, $8-15.

Luggage Store 1007 Market; www.luggagetuesdays.blogspot.com. Tues, 8pm: Comedy open mic, free.

Mock Cafe 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, ext 5, www.themarsh.org. Sat, 9:30 and 11pm: Stand-up comedy, $7.

Niebaum-Coppola 916 Kearny; 291-1700, www.sfcomedycollege.com. Mon, 8:30pm: "Comedy Coppola Style," with host Kurtis Mathews, free.

Our Little Theater 287 Ellis; 928-4060, www.celebrateclitoris.com. Wed-Sat, 8pm: "Bay Area Comedy Showcase," $10-15.

San Francisco Comedy Club 50 Mason; 398-4129, www.laughalotproductions.com. Wed, 7:30pm: "Laugh Dammit!," $10. Thurs, 8pm: "Blue Blanket Bust-Up" improv comedy, $10. For information on this event, visit www.blueblanketimprov.com. Fri, 8pm: "Friday Night Comedy," with host Eric Peterson, $10.

San Francisco Comedy College Clubhouse 414 Mason, Ste 705; www.sfcomedycollege.com. Fri, 8pm: "The Arsenal," 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: Canvas Gallery 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free.

Thursday: 16th Street and Mission BART plaza 16th St at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 9:30pm, free. EastSide Arts Alliance 2587 International Blvd, Oakl; (510) 533-6629. "Holla Back," open mic, 8:30-10:30pm, donations accepted.

Saturday: Red Vic Peace Center 1665 Haight, SF; (415) 864-1978. "Open Mic and Hot Tamales," 5pm, free. Java Source 343 Clement, SF; (415) 387-8025. Open mic, 9pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash" with the Fresh Ink Writing Group, 7:30pm, $2.

Monday: Purple Onion 140 Columbus, SF; (415) 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. "Live at the Purple Onion," open mic hosted by the Kitchenettes, 7-10pm, $5.

Tuesday: Black Repertory Group Theatre 3201 Adeline, Berk; (510) 652-2120. "Twilight Tuesdays," open mic, 7-9pm, $5. Club Deluxe 1511 Haight, SF; www.thewordparty.com. "Poetry and Jazz Tuesdays," open mic hosted by Jennifer, Ingrid, and Daniel, 8pm, free. Park Branch Library 1833 Page, SF; (415) 440-5530. "Spoken Word Singin' Word," plus open mic, hosted by Diamond Dave Whitaker, 7pm, free.