OPENING AND CURRENT RUNS

THE ACCRINGTON PALS
Final week. See review this issue. Exchange Theatre at Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, 425-254-0090. $18–$20. Fri–Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Nov 27.

BIG! THE MUSICAL
The musical of the movie that set the gold standard for stories about children trapped in adult bodies. Civic Light Opera at Magnuson Community Center, 7110 62nd Ave NE, 363-2809. $25–$35. Fri–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Dec 4.

BLACK TO MY ROOTS
Final week. A play about the cultural significance and metaphorical fecundity of black American hair. Brownbox Theatre at Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S Alaska St, 325-6500. $12–$15. Fri–Sat at 7:30 pm. Sun at 3 pm. Through Nov 27.

CAMINO REAL
"Camino Real is a kitchen-sink purgatory set somewhere on the road between Mexico and hell. The characters are drawn from literature and mythologized history—there's a narcoleptic Don Quixote, a graying Casanova, a desperate Dumas courtesan. By the end of the triumphant, perfectly paced first act, you may find that you feel, like the teenagers in front of me, as though you've been 'on drugs.' And if, in the second act, you begin to feel overwhelmed by the sheer thematic excess, you can blame it on your anticipation of imminent withdrawal." (Annie Wagner) Theater simple at Freehold East Hall Theater, 1525 10th Ave, 325-6500. $12–$15 adv/$15–$18 DOS. Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm. Through Dec 3.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Opening. "Humbug," etc. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $15–$37. Previewing Fri–Sat at 7 pm. Opening Sun Nov 27 at 1 pm. Tues–Wed at 6 and 8:30 pm. Through Dec 25.

CLOUD TECTONICS
See review this issue. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0569. $18 adv/$20 DOS. Fri–Sat at 7:30 pm, Mon at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 17.

recommended THE CODY RIVERS SHOW
Final week. See Stranger Suggests, page 29. Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave, www.codyrivers.com. $10. Fri–Sat at 8 pm. Through Nov 26.

recommended THE COMPENDIUM OF NASTINESS
Extended. "Splicing boilerplate Gothic romance with topical references, Compendium is a mess of sexuality and revenge: a virgin lusting after a junkie monk, an uncle slavering over his niece, and a hypersexual demon queen. The symbolic passages are a little purple, but as a big romance in a small garage, Compendium is on the right track." (Brendan Kiley) The Womb (AKA Ki Gottberg's Garage), 1526 32nd Ave, tickets and directions available through www.brownpapertickets.com. $15. Fri–Sat at 8:30 pm. Through Dec 27.

DAVE GORMAN'S GOOGLEWHACK! ADVENTURE
Opening. The award-winning comedy about a Google word game and the international journies it inspires. Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, 292-2787. $15–$28.50. Opening Tues Nov 29 at 7:30 pm. Wed–Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 5 and 9 pm. Through Dec 10.

DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN
Ongoing. A mid-'90s relic about the supposed prehistoric propensities of the two sexes. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $39.50–$45. Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. Tickets available through Dec 31.

recommended THE DINA MARTINA CHRISTMAS SHOW
Opening. See Stranger Suggests, page 29. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 448-8464. $18. Opening Fri Nov 25 at 8 pm. Sat–Sun at 8 pm. Through Dec 31.

DINNER & DREAMS
Ongoing. The dinner theater extravaganza, with European-style cirque performances as garnish. Teatro ZinZanni, 2301 Sixth Ave, 802-0015. $99. Fri–Sat at 6:30 pm, Sun at 5:30 pm (some additional Wed shows).

FORBIDDEN XMAS
Opening. A Seattle-specific holiday spoof. Empty Space, 3509 Fremont Ave N, 547-7500. $20–$30. Previewing Fri–Sat and Mon–Tues at 7:30 pm. Opening Wed Nov 30 at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 23.

HAM FOR THE HOLIDAYS: DESPERATE SPUDDWIVES
Opening. The seventh of the "Ham" comedy shows by Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt (Dos Fallopia). Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave S, 325-6500. $20–$22. Opening Fri Nov 25 at 8 pm. Sat at 4 and 8 pm, Sun at 4 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 24.

LATE NITE CATECHISM
Ongoing. "The real point is not the adult-catechism monologue, but the script's gaps, in which Sister (Aubrey Manning) dispenses tissues to cover salacious displays of flesh and kitschy prizes to reward the dumbstruck targets of her improvisations. Your name, your background, and your behavior become the crux of the performance." (Annie Wagner) Cloud 9 Productions at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $24.50–$29.50. Fri–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm.

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL™
Ongoing. "What makes this toweringly formulaic and crap about dusty uteruses even moderately bearable? The consummate cast was ferocious and fast. The insane, colorful, and sometimes actually laugh-worthy little train wreck stops just before it starts to hurt." (Adrian Ryan) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $45. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 4 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Tues–Wed at 8 pm. Tickets available through Dec 31.

recommended NOTHING IS THE SAME
"Nothing Is the Same is a story about four 11-year-olds of Japanese, Korean, and Filipino descent in Hawaii and how their friendships change after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The script, written in pidgin, balances giggly children's entertainment with difficult subject matter without being condescending." (Taysa Charnell) Honolulu Theatre for Youth at Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St, 441-3322. $15–$30. Fri at 7 pm, Sat–Sun at 2 and 5:30 pm. Through Dec 3.

OPENING NIGHT
Opening. A comedy about what happens backstage and in the audience during a theater performance. By Norm Canadian Foster. Next Step Theatre Group at Theatre4, Seattle Center, 800-838-3006. $8–$10. Opening Wed Nov 30 at 7:30 pm. Thurs–Sat at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 10.

PURGATORIO
Final week. "There's no nice way to say it—Purgatorio stinks." (Brendan Kiley) Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, 443-2224. $10–$46. Thurs–Sat at 7:30 pm, Tues–Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Nov 26.

recommended THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND
Extended. "Tom Stoppard's oh-so-meta whodunit lampoon is a masterpiece of glib self-reference, twisting and stretching the boundaries between critic, audience, and performer. Inspector Hound is funny and good. Go see it." (Lindy West) Stone Soup Theatre, 4035 Stone Way N, 325-6500. $7.50. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 3:30 and 8 pm. Through Nov 26.

SADIE'S KITCHEN
Opening. A family crisis in New Orleans about a mother, her college-age daughter, and her unwanted pregnancy. By local playwright La'Chris Jordan. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave S, 736-8027. $15 adv/$18 DOS. Opening Fri Nov 25 at 7:30 pm. Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 3 pm. Through Dec 11.

SHOPPERS CARRIED BY ESCALATORS INTO THE FLAMES
"Playwright Denis Johnson wrangles equal parts pathos and comedy out of the self-destructive Cassandra family with gunplay, a tequila binge, and a spiteful wedding ceremony. Shoppers is sloppy and unfocused, but there are enough sharp lines and exciting moments to keep our attention through the flab." (Brendan Kiley) 500. $18. Fri–Sat at 8 pm. Through Dec 10.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Previewing. When the movie version came out, famous film critic Pauline Kael panned the film, calling it The Sound of Mucus. Supposedly, Kael lost her job over the review. 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave, 292-2787. $19–$71. Previewing Tues–Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 18.

THE TRIAL OF EBENEZER SCROOGE
Opening. Scrooge sues Marley and the Christmas ghosts for kidnapping and assault. Taproot Theatre, 204 N 85th St, 781-9707. $19–$30, Wednesday by donation. Opening Fri Nov 25 at 8 pm. Sat at 8 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 30.

recommended VIRTUAL SOLITAIRE
Final week. "Spastic, vulnerable techno-junkie Nathan is hired to calibrate 'emotional response' in a new virtual reality game. As he leads us through the game's inner workings, its supposedly 'slaved,' or preprogrammed, characters begin to absorb Nathan's memories, obsessions, and insecurities, exhibiting them in fantastical, hallucinatory, and often poetic tangents. Virtual Solitaire is brilliant but exhausting, a deft exploration of the isolating and addictive effects of technology." (Lindy West) CHAC Lower Level, 1621 12th Ave, 800-838-3006. $10. Fri–Sat at 7:30 pm. Through Nov 26.

VOICES OF CHRISTMAS
Opening. Annual holiday show with skits and music about the Christmas season. ArtsWest Playhouse, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. $12–$28. Opening Fri Nov 25 at 7:30 pm. Sat–Sun at 7:30 pm. Through Dec 26.

WILD WHITE ROSE
Final week. "Wild White Rose attempts to explore the cruel inner logic of totalitarian rule. Because this logic is essentially nonsensical (a monstrous coupling of beauty and destruction, love and cruelty, human desire and mechanical will), the logic of the play is also nonsensical. An aristocratic young woman falls in love with a dictator, who kills her. Flowers fall on the stage. There are rivers of innocence, stones of war, violins of sorrow—but you know as much about totalitarianism at the end of the play as you did when it began." (Charles Mudede) White Cat Productions at Chamber Theater, 915 E Pine St, www. brownpapertickets.com. $12.50 adv/$15 DOS. Fri–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. Through Nov 26.

DANCE

NUTCRACKEROpening. Music by Tchaikovsky, sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak, choreography by Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 441-2424, $18–$102. Opening Fri Nov 25 at 7:30 pm. Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm, Sun at 1 and 5:30 pm. Through Dec 28.

CABARET

THE ATOMIC BOMBSHELLS BURLESQUE
"This new—and, so I hear, improved—revue includes routines by bad prison girls, a sexy '50s housewife, and other tropes of sexual nostalgia. Grab your smoking jacket and order a dry martini." (Brendan Kiley) Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N, www.ticketswest.com. $12. Thurs at 10 pm, doors at 8 pm. Through Dec 15.

NO, NO, NOEL!
Opening. A Christmas cabaret revue. Crepe de Paris, 1333 Fifth Ave, 623-4111. $20–$55. Opening Tues Nov 29 at 8 pm. Wed at 8 pm. Through Dec 29.

SANDRA LOCKLEAR
Ongoing. Jazz, blues, and Nina Simone tributes. Thumper's, 1500 E Madison St, 328-3800. Free. Fri at 6:30 pm.

IMPROV & COMEDY

ROD LONG at Comedy Underground, 222 Main St, 800-325-7328. $15 (21+ w/ID required). Fri at 8:30 and 10:30 pm. TBA at Giggles Comedy Club, 5220 Roosevelt Way NE, 526-5653. $12. Fri–Sat at 8:30 and 10 pm. JET CITY IMPROV at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 325-6500. $8–$10. Fri at 10:30 pm, Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Fri–Sat at 8:30 and 10 pm. THEATRESPORTS at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $8–$12. Sun at 7 pm. UNHINGED at Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N. $6. Wed at 8 pm.

LATE NIGHT

CARLOTTA'S LATE NIGHT WING DING
The talk show/cabaret hosted by Seattle's favorite Kentuckian matron, Carlotta Sue Philpott, and her weird friends and family. Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, www.brownpapertickets.com. $12 adv/$10 DOS. Fri–Sat at 10:30 pm. Through Dec 17.

A VERY SPECIAL MONEY AND RUN WINTER SEASON SPECIAL
See review this issue. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave, www.schmeater.org. $12. Fri–Sat at 11 pm. Through Dec 10.