Stage listings are compiled by Guardian staff. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, and Nicole Gluckstern. Submit items for the listings at listings@sfbg.com. For further information on how to submit items for the listings, see Picks.
THEATER
OPENING
Dear Harvey New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness, SF; www.nctcsf.org. $25-45. Previews Fri/18-Sat/19 and Jan 23-25, 8pm. Opens Jan 26, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 24. New Conservatory Theatre Center performs Patricia Loughrey’s play about Harvey Milk, drawn from over 30 interviews.
The Little Foxes Tides Theatre, 533 Sutter, SF; www.tidestheatre.org. $20-38. Opens Fri/18, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 23. Tides Theatre Company performs a modern take on the Lillian Hellman classic.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl ACT Costume Shop Theater, 1117 Market, SF; www.manicpixiedreamgirl.org. $25-35. Opens Thu/17, 8pm. Runs Thu-Sun, 8pm. Through Feb 10. A stock character takes the power back in PlayGround’s world premiere of Katie May’s play, based on her graphic novel.
Sex and the City: LIVE! Rebel, 1760 Market, SF; trannyshack.com/sexandthecity. $25. Opens Wed/16, 7 and 9pm. Runs Wed, 7 and 9pm. Open-ended. Lady Bear, Trixie Carr, Heklina, and D’Arcy Drollinger star in this drag tribute to the long-running HBO show.
BAY AREA
Somewhere Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; www.theatreworks.org. $23-73. Previews Wed/16-Fri/18, 8pm. Opens Sat/19, 8pm. Runs Tue-Wed, 7:30pm; Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 10. TheatreWorks performs Matthew Lopez’s play about a 1960s Puerto Rican family caught up in the filming of West Side Story.
ONGOING
Bell, Book and Candle SF Playhouse, 450 Post, SF; www.sfplayhouse.org. $30-60. Wed/16-Thu/17, 7pm; Fri/18-Sat/19, 8pm (also Sat/19, 3pm). John van Druten’s 1950 Broadway comedy (later a film with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak) is the fluff that woozy holiday evenings are made on, striking an appealing balance between wacky storyline, witty banter, and lightly lathered romance. Gillian Holroyd (Lauren English), the powerful young witch and landlady of a swank Manhattan apartment building, has the hots for a disgruntled neighbor, the recently engaged publisher Shepherd Henderson (William Connell), who’s lately come home to find Gillian’s mischievous sister (Zehra Berkman) in his locked apartment. Gillian may be a witch, but she’s far too ethical to actually work a little magic on the object of her desire, seeing as he’s already spoken for — at least until she learns the woman in question is an old nemesis from college. All’s fair in love and war, counsels loving warlock and brother Nicky (Scott Cox), who soon brings into the mix a hapless author (Louis Parnell) researching witches in New York City. Gillian, meanwhile, flirts with kryptonite, since witches who fall in love lose their powers. Director Bill English’s sure treatment for SF Playhouse features enjoyable performances across the cast, but Connell’s classically tailored comic leading man and Lauren English’s alternately proud, kittenish, and vulnerable heroine are the indispensable spellbinders. (Avila)
Foodies! The Musical Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter, SF; www.foodiesthemusical.com. $30-34. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. AWAT Productions presents Morris Bobrow’s musical comedy revue all about food.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Boxcar Playhouse, 505 Natoma, SF; www.boxcartheatre.org. $25-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 5pm). Through Jan 26. Boxcar’s popular production of John Cameron Mitchell’s glam-rock musical returns, starring a rotating cast of Hedwigs.
Hippy Icon, Flower Geezer and Temple of Accumulated Error Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 10. Wavy Gravy holds forth on his legendary life and times.
The Listener: Short Stories on Stage, A Cycle of Original Comic Stories Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm (Jan 27, shows at 3 and 7pm). Through Jan 27. Charlie Varon reads five comic short stories, presented in two parts. Part two: Sat/19-Sun/20 and Jan 26; parts one and two in succession: Jan 27.
"Risk Is This…The Cutting Ball New Experimental Plays Festival" Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, SF; www.cuttingball.com. Free ($20 for reserved seating; $50 for five-play reserved seating festival pass). Through Feb 9. Three new works (by Sean San José, Dipika Guha, and Basil Kreimendahl) and two new "Risk Translations."
Something Cloudy, Something Clear Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson, SF; www.therhino.org. $15-30. Wed/16-Sat/19, 8pm; Sun/20, 7pm. Building from last year’s production of The Two-Character Play, Theatre Rhinoceros brings another lesser-known Tennessee Williams play to the Eureka Theatre. Set in late-summer Provincetown, the overtly autobiographical work focuses on an ultimately doomed love triangle between a struggling young playwright, August (Aaron Wilton) his reluctant would-be-paramour Kip (Kayal Khanna), and Kip’s frenzied faux-girlfriend, Clare (Gwen Kingston). A languidly paced memory-piece, resonant of Southern rhythms despite its Yankee setting, Something Cloudy attempts to explore the desires of both the flesh and spirit, with flesh admittedly taking the central role. Wilton’s libidinous yet quirkily refined portrayal of August contrasts neatly with the painful shyness and sculpted abs of Khanna’s Kip, and Kingston’s manic unbalance which is at turns amusing and unsettling, while Jeffrey Biddle and Maryssa Wanlass take turns inhabiting an army of bit parts and fragments of the past, including a humorous turn as August’s financial backer and a renowned actress who drop by his seaside shack to talk rewrites. Based on a one-act that Williams first wrote at the age of 29, certain scenes and cameos in Something Cloudy feel very shoehorned in — particularly with director John Fisher’s unhurried pacing — proving the old adage that sometimes less really is more, but there’s enough figurative nakedness left in to reveal plenty of Williams’ backstory, if not that of each individual character. (Gluckstern)
The Waiting Period Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Extended through Jan 26. Brian Copeland (comedian, TV and radio personality, and creator-performer of the long-running solo play Not a Genuine Black Man) returns to the Marsh with a new solo, this one based on more recent and messier events` in Copeland’s life. The play concerns an episode of severe depression in which he considered suicide, going so far as to purchase a handgun — the title coming from the legally mandatory 10-day period between purchasing and picking up the weapon, which leaves time for reflections and circumstances that ultimately prevent Copeland from pulling the trigger. A grim subject, but Copeland (with co-developer and director David Ford) ensures there’s plenty of humor as well as frank sentiment along the way. The actor peoples the opening scene in the gun store with a comically if somewhat stereotypically rugged representative of the Second Amendment, for instance, as well as an equally familiar "doood" dude at the service counter. Afterward, we follow Copeland, a just barely coping dad, home to the house recently abandoned by his wife, and through the ordinary routines that become unbearable to the clinically depressed. Copeland also recreates interviews he’s made with other survivors of suicidal depression. Telling someone about such things is vital to preventing their worst outcomes, says Copeland, and telling his own story is meant to encourage others. It’s a worthy aim but only a fitfully engaging piece, since as drama it remains thin, standing at perhaps too respectful a distance from the convoluted torment and alienation at its center. (Avila)
The World’s Funniest Bubble Show Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $8-50. Sun, 11am. Extended through March 17. The Amazing Bubble Man (a.k.a. Louis Pearl) continues his family-friendly bubble extravaganza.
BAY AREA
Acid Test: The Many Incarnations of Ram Dass Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Extended through Feb 17. Lynne Kaufman’s new play stars Warren David Keith as the noted spiritual figure.
Intimate Apparel Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear, Mtn View; www.thepear.org. $10-30. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Jan 27. Pear Avenue Theatre performs Lynn Nottage’s drama about a seamstress in 1905 New York City.
Troublemaker, or the Freakin Kick-A Adventures of Bradley Boatwright Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $29-77. Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through Feb 3. Berkeley Rep presents the world premiere of a play — about a 12-year-old wannabe superhero — it commissioned from writer Dan LeFranc.
Woyzeck Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk; www.shotgunplayers.org. $23-35. Wed/16-Thu/17, 7pm; Fri/18-Sat/19, 8pm (also Sat/19, 5pm); Sun/20, 5pm. Shotgun Players presents Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, and Robert Wilson’s tragic musical, based on an unfinished 1837 play by Georg Büchner.
PERFORMANCE/DANCE
"The Comikaze Lounge" Café Royale, 800 Post, SF; www.caferoyale-sf.com. Wed/16, 8pm. Free. Comedy with Kellen Erskine, Lydia Papovich, OJ Patterson, and more.
"ConVerge" Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Grand Lobby, 701 Mission, SF; www.ybca.org. Thu/17, 4-8pm. Free. Firehouse Art Collective directors Tom Franco and Julia Lazar host a free public gathering bringing together people, art, music, and food for an inspirational experience. Betsy Franco reads poetry.
"Dance Rush" Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon, SF; www.dance-rush.com. Fri/18-Sat/19, 7pm (also Sat/19, 2pm); Sun/20, 2pm. $58.50-110. A "mega production" featuring Yada’s Dance Company, comprised of 40 dancers (performing jazz, ballet, folk, and contemporary styles) on tour from Malta.
"One Night Only Cabaret" Bay Theater, Pier 39, SF; www.richmondermet.org. Mon/21, 7:30pm. $40-60. This performance featuring LaToya London, Lindsay Pearce, Tim Hockenberry, cast members from Anything Goes, and others raises money for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation.
"Poets Theater" CounterPULSE, 1310 Mission, SF; www.counterpulse.org. Fri/18-Sat/19, 7pm. $20. Small Press Traffic celebrates the 12th annual event with two evenings of brand-new plays, representing collaborations between writers, filmmakers, and visual artists.
"San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival Auditions" Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard, SF; www.wordartswest.org. Sat/19, 2-9pm; Sun/20, 11am-7pm. $10. The public is invited to watch dance companies representing traditions from around the world audition to be included in the annual festival in June.
"San Francisco Magic Parlor" Chancellor Hotel Union Square, 433 Powell, SF; www.sfmagicparlor.com. Thu-Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. $40. Magic vignettes with conjurer and storyteller Walt Anthony.
"Solo Sundays" Stage Werx Theatre, 446 Valencia, SF; www.brownpapertickets.com. Sun/20, 7pm. $12-25. Sara Felder ("Melancholy, a Comedy") and Maria Affinito ("Eating Pasta Off the Floor") present workshop performances of their latest solo works.
"The Witch House" Garage, 715 Bryant, SF; facebook.com/thewitchhouseplay. Wed/16-Thu/17 and Jan 25-26, 8pm. $15. Morgan Bassichis’ new play offers a queer take on the legacy of Salem’s witch trials.
BAY AREA
Company C Contemporary Ballet Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; www.companycballet.org. Thu/17 and Sat/19, 8pm (also Sat/19, 3pm). $23-45. Also Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard, SF. Feb 7-8, 8pm; Feb 9, 6pm; Feb 10, 3pm. $23-45. The company performs its winter program, including three world premieres.