Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 255-8207, www.42ndstmoon.org. $20-38. Previews Thurs/12-Fri/13, 8pm. Opens Sat/14, 6pm. Runs Thurs-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 6pm; Sun, 3pm. Additional show April 25, 7pm. Through May 6. Musical theater company 42nd Street Moon closes its season with the stylishly sophisticated comedy by Cole Porter.

Golden Gate Theater, One Taylor; 512-7770, www.shnsf.com. $50-80. Opens Wed/11, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 9pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Additional matinee April 12 and May 9, 2pm. Through May 12. Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin star in Edward Albee's play about soused spouses in academia.

Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. Free. Opens Mon/16, 7:30pm. Runs Mon, 7:30pm. Through May 14. The Aurora Theatre Company presents staged readings of five new plays chosen for its new work program. This week: American Whupass, by Justin Warner.

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; www.aeofberkeley.org. $10-12. Opens Fri/13, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Additional show May 10, 8pm. Through May 12. Noona Nolan directs Ellen McLaughlin's modern version of the Greek play about Athenian women who hold a no-sex protest until their husbands stop fighting in the decades-long war with Sparta.

Contra Costa Civic Theater, 951 Pomona, El Cerrito; (510) 524-9132, www.ccct.org. $11-18. Opens Fri/13, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm (no show Sun/15). Through May 12. David Bogdonoff directs Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 600 Castro, Mountain View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. Passes, $60. April 14-22. Visit Web site for full schedule of shows and times. The festival features staged readings of two new musicals and plays.

Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd; 421-4222, $25-78. Wed-Thurs, 8pm; Fri-Sat, 7 and 10pm; Sun, 2 and 5pm. Ongoing. The long-running musical comedy revue spoofing popular culture returns for a new year with new characters, costumes, and skits.

Our Little Theater, 287 Ellis; 928-4060, www.celebrateclitoris.com. $15-25. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Aug 30. Sia Amma performs in her solo show about the things women say about their belle chose.

Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 433-1227, www.emperornortonthemusical.com. Extended run: Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through April 29. $30. Third Child Productions presents an expanded version of the musical originally staged at the Dark Room Theater last year about Joshua Norton, who came to San Francisco in the post-gold rush era and proclaimed himself emperor of the United States.

Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; Project Artaud Theater, 450 Florida; www.foolsfury.org. See Web site for info. Through April 29. See Picks.

AMC Cadillac Bldg, 1000 Van Ness; 776-1747, www.boxcartheatre.org. $12-28 (previews, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 27. See "Still Evolving: Boxcar Theater Learns to Adapt with Vonnegut."

CounterPulse, 1310 Mission; 505-7678, www.dramamamas.com. $10-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through April 21. The Drama Mamas perform in an original dark comedy about a sexually transgressive tech-support professional, directed by Jodi Schiller and choreographed by Jade Raybin.

Theatre 39, Embarcadero at Pier 39; 433-3939, www.tix.com. $43.50-46.50. Wed-Thurs, 2 and 7:30pm; Sat-Sun, 1 and 4pm. Through May 6. Jeanie Linders's show tailors pop songs from the '60s through the '80s to fit the experiences of women undergoing the Change.

Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; 508-1808. $15-20 (preview night, $10). Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 22. RubberMatchSeriez presents William Shakespeare's magical comedy.

Next Stage Theater, 1620 Gough; www.mysticbison.com. $15-35. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm. No show April 21. Through May 5. Mystic Bison Theatre and Dance performs Ariel Dorfman's play.

New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $10-15. Sat-Sun, 2pm (also Sat, 3pm). Through April 22. Playwright Max Bush adapts the fairy tale.

Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 855 Bush; 345-1287, www.actorstheatresf.org. $10-30. Wed/11-Sat/14, 8pm. Actors Theatre presents Tennessee Williams's play about a widowed seamstress.

Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 1-800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $25-29. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. Morris Bobrow directs a musical comedy revue about the ups and downs of buying stuff.

New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $22-40. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through May 6. Christopher Jenkins directs Edmund White's play about an exchange between a famous writer and a political prisoner on the night before the latter's execution.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison, Thrust Stage, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $33-61. Opens Wed/11, 8pm. Wed, 7pm; Thurs-Sat, 2 and 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. No matinee April 12, 21, or 26, May 5 or 10. No show May 18. Through May 20. See "We Shall Overcome Ourselves."

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 644-9940, www.wildeirish.org. $20-25. Wed/11-Sat/14, 8pm. Sun/15, 2pm. (Also April 19-29, Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, bldg D, Marina at Laguna, SF.) A Hollywood film crew comes to a small, bleak island village in Ireland and upsets the locals.

Willows Theatre, 1975 Diamond, Concord; (925) 798-1300, www.willowstheatre.org. $33-38. Previews Wed/11, 7:30pm. Opens Fri/13, 8pm. Runs Wed-Thurs, 7:30pm (also Wed, 3:30pm); Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 3pm. Through May 13. Richard Elliott directs this wedding-day screwball comedy written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten.

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mountain View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-60. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm; Tues, 7:30pm. No matinee April 28; no evening show April 15 or 29. Through April 29. TheatreWorks stages Stephen Sondheim's musical spanning the decades, beginning in the '80s and working its way back to the '50s.

Dean Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek; (925) 943-7469, www.leshercenter.org. $17-38. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Additional show May 5, 8pm. Additional matinee April 14-15, 21-22, and 28-29, 2pm. Through May 5. The Diablo Light Opera Company presents Meredith Willson's musical set in the early 20th century about a traveling salesman who comes to River City, Iowa, claiming to be able to teach any child to play a musical instrument.

Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-50.Wed/11, 8pm. April 12, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through May 13. In this Bay Area premiere, actress M.J. Kang reprises the role written for her in Oren Safdie's comedy about architecture, sexism in the workplace, and the failure of postmodernism.

Raw and Uncut, 975 Howard; 885-4006. $10-20. Enrico Labayen directs, choreographs, and performs in a dance theater piece about HIV in Southeast Asia. Breton Tyner-Bryan performs her solo piece Carmina Burana.

War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. $18-205. Program six: On Common Ground and Rodeo (Fri, Tues, 8pm; Sun, 2pm). Program seven: Elemental Brubeck and Symphony in C (Wed, 7:30pm; Thurs, 8pm).

Mama Calizo's Voice Factory, 1519 Mission; 368-1244, www.voicefactorysf.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. In Terence McNally's controversial retelling of the Jesus story, the young messiah is a gay man living in Texas during the 1950s.

Empire Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.empireplushroom.com. $25. Fri-Sat, 11pm. Ongoing. This evening of performance is a Roaring '20s revue.

Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, 1-800-838-3006, www.themarsh.org. $8-12. Wed, 8pm. The frenetic comic performs a workshop version of his new solo show, Grandpa It's Not Fitting.

Shotwell Studios, 3252A 19th St; 289-2000, www.ftloose.org. $10-15. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Footloose presents a recital by the Latin-tinged burlesque trio and current Artists in Motion residents.

Club Fugazi, 678 Green; 421-4222. $25-100. Mon, 7:30pm. Members of the musical comedy's cast perform songs from the show at a benefit for the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation.

Randall Museum Theater, 199 Museum Way; 753-7037, www.sffct.org. Free. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm. (Also April 19-22, Eureka Valley Recreation Center Auditorium, 100 Collingwood, SF.) The San Francisco Free Civic Theatre presents a staging of the post-World War II war crimes trial.

Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 820-1467, www.sffringe.org, www.lilatheatre.org. $10-20. The hero improvises a journey in show presented by the Lila Theatre.

* Empire Plush Room, York Hotel, 940 Sutter; 1-866-468-3399, www.empireplushroom.com. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through April 22. $42.50-47.50. The female impersonator known as Lypsinka performs The Passion of the Crawford.

Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St; www.makeoutroom.com, www.getmortified.com. $10-12. Fri, 8pm. Participants tell true-life tales of embarrassment and regret, with featured one-person metal band Live Evil.

Cobb's Comedy Club, 915 Columbus; www.cobbscomedyclub.com, www.ticketweb.com. $25-30. Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm). The comic, Saturday Night Live alum, and current star on Showtime's Weeds performs.

975 Howard; www.cultureworksinc.org. $10. Fri-Sat, 8pm. (Also April 12, 21 Grand, 416 25th St, Oakl.) The performer and CultureWorks founder presents his solo show Touch me (T)here ... Oh Yeah!

Pier 29, Embarcadero at Battery; 438-2668, www.zinzanni.org. $110-135. Wed-Sat, 6pm; Sun, 5pm. Ongoing. The circus and cabaret troupe performs under the big top in a dinner-theater setting.

Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St; www.writerswithdrinks.com. $3-5. Charlie Anders hosts an evening of readings by featured writers Robin Coste, Nicole Gluckstern, Eileen Gunn, Pagan Kennedy, and Shanique Scott.

San Francisco School of the Arts, 555 Portola; 695-5720, www.sfsota-ptsa.org. $10-15. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 21. Members of the San Francisco Arts Education Project perform in a musical created in collaboration with the New York University Musical Theater Graduate Program about a Korean American skateboarder with attention deficit disorder.

Willard Middle School, Metal Shop Theater, 2425 Stuart, Berk; 1-800-838-3006, www.tenredhen.net. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Ten Red Hen presents a musical and acrobatic show created by Maya Gurantz, Dave Malloy, and the rest of the ensemble.

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300, www.juliamorgan.org. $15-25. Peyvand Khorsandi, an Iranian comic from London, performs.

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300, www.juliamorgan.org. $14-18. Sat-Sun, 2pm (also Sat, 11:30am). Through April 22. The Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences performs in José Cruz González's play, which tells the story of the activist through the eyes of his sister Rita.

Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club, 157 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; www.roostertfeathers.com. $10. Wed, 8pm. Through April 25. For the fifth year, Bay Area comedians compete to win a weeklong opening slot at the club.

50 Mason; 398-4129, www.laughalotproductions.com. Fri, 8pm: Friday Night Comedy, with host Eric Peterson, $10. Sat, 8pm: Saturday Night Showcase, $10. Sat, 10pm: "Five Funny Females," $15.

Clubhouse, 414 Mason, suite 705; www.sfcomedycollege.com. Wed, 8pm: Hump Day Comedy, $5. Fri, 8pm: Scantily Clad Comedy, $7. Sat, 6pm: New Talent Show, $5. Sat, 9pm: Naked Comedy, $10. Mon, 9pm: Monday Night Make 'Em Ups, $5.

984 University, Berk; (510) 524-6403, (510) 548-9888, www.templebartiki.com. Thurs, 9pm: Nelson Martini's Laugh-n-Luau, hosted by Bryan Moore, free.

3121 16th St, SF; (415) 290-5048. Adam and Elz host "Poetry Mission," open mic, 7pm, free. 2587 International Blvd, Oakl; (510) 533-6629. "Holla Back," open mic, 8:30-10:30pm, donations accepted. 1300 Dolores, SF; (415) 401-6444, www.luvajava.com. Open mic hosted by Liz Latty, 6pm, free.

1525 Webster, Oakl; www.myspace.com/oaklandslam. "The brOakland Poetry Slam," open mic, 8pm, $3-5. 1854 Euclid, Berk; (510) 841-6347. The Last Word Poetry Series, an open mic featuring Tobey Kaplan and Diane Frank, 7pm, free. 2 Stockton, SF; (415) 773-0444. Tribute to the poetry of Bert Meyers, 7:30pm, free. 2349 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-1320. Lisa Fishman and Richard Meier read their poetry, 7:30pm, free. 1800 Market, SF; www.threedollarbill.com. Queer Open Mic, 8pm, $1-5 sliding scale.

1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 644-6893. Rhythm and Muse open mic, 7pm, free. 550 El Embarcadero, Oakl; (510) 238-7344. Jan Steckel, Tom Tuthill, and Julia and Deborah Vinograd read, 2pm, free. 2349 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-1320. Linh Dinh and Graham Foust read their work, 7:30pm, free. 1665 Haight, SF; (415) 864-1978. "Open Mic and Hot Tamales," 5pm, free.

140 Columbus, SF; (415) 217-8400. The Kitchenettes host an open mic, 7pm, $5. 1661 Fillmore, SF; unitypoetry@gmail.com . "Unity Poetry," featuring Mark Schwartz with host E.K. Keith, free.

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