ANGKOR/AMERICA
See Theater News. Rainier Valley Youth Theatre at Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S Alaska St. $3-$7. Wed-Sat at 8 pm. Through Aug 5.

AS YOU LIKE IT
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." Wooden O at Mural Amphitheater, Seattle Center. Free, no reservations required. Sun, Jul 30 at 5 pm.

BUST
"A solo comedy wherein Lauren Weedman—an actor and former Daily Show with Jon Stewart correspondent who lives in Los Angeles—signs up as an inmate advocate in a women's jail. Her primary task is to listen, but talking is what she does best, sometimes with (brilliantly) disastrous results. While searching through the byzantine hallways of a social-services building, looking for her prison orientation, she talks loudly on her cell phone about a recent incident involving 'really, just the tiniest amount of cocaine' and making out with a stranger in a bathroom. Turns out she's blaring her sordid story into the open doorway of her volunteer orientation. Later, Weedman jokes that she signed up 'because a women's jail is the only place where I have a shot at being the prettiest girl in the room.' Comedy is clearly one of Weedman's gifts—the other is specificity. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Weedman is a solo performer, evoking the conflicting moods of a roomful of people all by her lonesome." (Brendan Kiley) Empty Space Theatre, 901 12th Ave, 547-7500. $25-$30. Wed-Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm, and Sun at 2 pm. Through Aug 5.

CHILD OF HUNGRY TIMES
Final week. A solo show about the "long-censored writings of Russia's Lyudmila Petrushkaya," featuring potatoes, true stories, and Russian jokes. Washington Ensemble Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 325-5105. $10-$15. Thurs-Sun at 8 pm. Through Jul 30.

THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (ABRIDGED)
"2b? Nt2b? = ?" Second Story Repertory, 16587 NE 74th St, 425-881-6777. $18-$24. Fri-Sat at 8:15 pm. Through Jul 29.

DINNER & DREAMS
The dinner-theater extravaganza, with European-style cirque performances as garnish. Teatro ZinZanni, 2301 Sixth Ave, 802-0015. $99-$125. Wed-Sat at 6:30 pm and Sun at 5:30 pm.

HAMLET
Fact: A 1770 edition of the Massachusetts Spy contained an pro-revolutionary parody of Hamlet's famous speech: "Be taxt or not be taxt—that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in our minds to suffer the sleights and cunning of deceitful statesmen or to petition 'gainst illegal taxes and by opposing, end them?" Wooden O at Mural Amphitheater, Seattle Center. Free, no reservations required. Sun, Jul 30 at 3 pm.

HEARTBREAK HOUSE
Opening. "Those who do not know how to live must make a merit of dying." Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer St, 269-1900. $37-$46. Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Tues, Sun at 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm, and Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Aug 26.

INFINITE NOIR
Opening. A film noir puppet show, featuring live saxophone and the talents of Douglas N. Paasch, Sarah Harlett, Greg Carter, Margaret Savas, Alyssa Keene, and others. Oddfellows Hall, 915 E Pine St. $7. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Aug 5.

KALEIDOSCOPE EYES: SONGS FOR BUSBY BERKELEY
Final week. "It's a most promising pairing: Busby Berkeley, the cinema-choreography genius of the 1930s, and Chris Jeffries, Seattle's beloved theatrical composer and first-ever Stranger Genius Award winner for theater. For Kaleidoscope Eyes: Songs for Busby Berkeley, Jeffries has written a series of new songs that he'll perform live to 16 of Berkeley's greatest film sequences, packed with dazzling dames, breathtaking visual spectacle, and, if we're lucky, at least one roller-skating baby." (David Schmader) Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 267-5380. $12-$15. Thurs-Sun through Jul 30.

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." (Annie Wagner) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $24.50-$29.50. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm and Sun at 2 pm.

MITZI'S ABORTION
Opening. See preview this issue. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $10-$54. Opening Thurs July 27 at 7:30 pm. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 7:30 pm, and Tues-Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Aug 20.

REWIND 1987
"Rewind 1987 is an interactive dinner theater 'experience' that reproduces a 1987 homecoming dance, with the jock, the cute nerdy girl, the tipsy biology teacher, the pack of snotty cheerleaders, the sad punk, and the rest of the gang. (Long Duk Dong was conspicuously absent). You eat salmon, drink beer, watch the 1980s high-school caricatures caper, be cajoled to dance, and, finally, dance to 'Rock the Casbah,' 'My Sharona,' and, of course, 'Walk Like an Egyptian.' The "experience" is half on stage, half on the dance floor, where individual audience members chat and flirt with individual characters. The audience has to get out of its seats and onto the floor if it wants to experience the 'experience.' That's a dicey proposition for Seattle audiences, famous—even at rock shows—for folding their arms, staying aloof, and generally failing to rock. Rewind 1987, which began in Los Angeles, has the potential to become another long-running Late Night Catechism if it finds its target audience: bachelorette parties, sorority outings, and other herds of young, drunken women who want to dance to radio hits from their elementary school days." (Brendan Kiley) Last Supper Club, 124 S Washington St, 748-9975. $49-$69. Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm. Through Aug 12.

ROBIN HOOD
The famous English scalawag who took up archery to overcompensate for his "Little John." Theater Schmeater at Volunteer Park, Corner of 14th Ave E and E Prospect St, 329-2629. Free. Fri at 6:30 pm and Sat-Sun at 4 pm. Through Aug 26.

THE SECRET RUTHS OF ISLAND HOUSE
"Ruth, Ruth, and Ruth are old. They inhabit the quiet, in-between spaces of the Island House retirement home." Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, 340-1049. $8-$10. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm. Through Aug 6.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Final week. "In this baffling production, the liberal power couple has outfitted its Central Park apartment with worse-than-'70s wood paneling and frosted-glass decanters. Into the dubiously haute milieu comes Paul (Joseph Mascorella)—black, chatty, bleeding from a hole in his side. He claims to be the son of Sidney Poitier and insinuates himself into the couple's life. He wants their status, their money, their frosted-glass decanters, and their obviously fake double-sided Kandinsky. Mascorella is all right as the con-man cipher—he can juggle his standard English and his black vernacular, slump and strut with the best of them—but the couple is all wrong. There's nothing glib or fluent about Flan, none of the philanthropic condescension we know has to glaze Ouisa's outward show of concern. And without convincing elegance for Paul to disturb, we never get to take our wicked pleasure in seeing the rich humiliated." (Annie Wagner) Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030. $9-$15. Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sat at 2 pm, and Sun at 2 pm. Through Jul 30.

SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN
A musical comedy about a bluegrass "Sat Night Sing" in Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, circa 1938. Taproot Theatre, 204 N 85th St, 781-9707. $15-$30. Wed-Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm, and Sat at 2 pm. Through Aug 12.

STONES IN HIS POCKETS
Final motherfucking week. "This two-man show about Irish extras in a Hollywood movie is like a well-made sandwich—warm, charming, and full of cheese." (Brendan Kiley) Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0569. $18-$20. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm. Through Jul 29.

Dance

IN MY LANGUAGE
Final week. Modern dance by Maki Morinoue, a member of Esse Aficionado. MiKiJo Arts, 114 1/2 First Ave S, 624-2588. $12-$15. Thurs-Fri at 8 pm. Through Jul 29.

STRICTLY SEATTLE
One week only. A recital for local choreographers (Paige Barnes, Amii LeGendre, Rob Kitsos, and others) to make dances on students from across the country. Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, 325-3113. $10-$13. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Jul 29.

Cabaret

BURLESQUE BEHIND THE PINK DOOR
Ongoing. Novelty acts, puppets, crooners, and old-fashioned burlesque. With Paula the Swedish Housewife. Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, 443-3241. $10. Sat at 10:30 pm.

COLUMBIA CITY CABARET
Ongoing. A "saucy cabaret," hosted by Tamara the Trapeze lady. Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Ave S, 723-0088. $15. Fri at 9 pm.

A FOXIE CABARET
One night only. Featuring the desiccated corpse of John Philip Sousa! Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $10. Wed at 8 pm. Through Aug 2.

LIVE BURLESQUE
Ongoing. A (verbatim) e-mail from SeaMonster's PR department: "Do you print all the burlesque happenings in seattle or just the people that you know well or have sucked your cock...(or cockette) be fair bitches!!" SeaMonster Lounge, 2202 N 45th St, 633-1824. Free. Tues at 11 pm.

SUMMER CHAR-B-Q
A pyrotechnic circus show, with special guest Pa-Ooh-La the Swedish Housewife. Cirque de Flambé at Magnuson Park, 400 Sand Point Way NE, 684-4946. $15 adv/$20 DOS. Fri-Sun at 9:15 pm. Through Aug 6.

Improv & Comedy

COMEDY UNDERGROUND
New comedians each week. Check website for details. Comedy Underground, 222 S Main St, 800-325-7328. $6-$15. Fri-Sat at 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm.

JET CITY IMPROV
Ongoing. Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 352-8291. $8-$10. Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm and Sat at 8 pm.

PEGGY PLATT
One night only. Well-known fact: Peggy Platt is Seattle's "diva of comedy." Little-known fact: She once yelled at me for being drunk and noisy in the hallway of her apartment building in the wee hours of a Sun morning. Fifty percent of the proceeds to benefit Aradia Women's Health Center. Non Profit Comedy at Comedy Underground, 222 S Main St, 323-9467. $10. Tue, Aug 1 at 7:30 pm.

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOMEDY
New comedians each week. Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N, 217-2800. $5. Wed at 9 pm.

THE ROETHKE
Final week. "The Roethke is not just improvisational theater, but poetry-based improvisational theater. Sounds like a match made in hell, but the pairing—surprise, surprise—is a chocolate truffle: The poetry is a pithy, serious nut suspended in the sweet silliness of the improv. The Roethke has an aftertaste of (Masterpiece Theatre)roman, but its dominant flavor is long-form improv—it lives (and dies) by its comedians. Watching Amanda Rountree and John Faga play out a fishing scene between a deadpan adversarial couple is funny. Watching the ensemble grope through a cocktail-party scene, trying to find a punch line, is embarrassing—but that (plus $10) is the price of admission." (Brendan Kiley) Unexpected Productions at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414. $10. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Jul 29.

THEATRESPORTS
Ongoing. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414. $8-$12. Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm and Sun at 7 pm.

Late Night

HAENER VS. HAENER
One night only. Real-life husband and wife Lori Lee and Jerry sublimate their mutual loathing into anxious-making sketch comedy. Jerk Alert Productions at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, 324-6328. $10. Sat, Jul 29 at 10 pm.

LATE NIGHT WITH SATAN
"Talk shows are so familiar that any 3-year-old with a desk and two plush chairs could duplicate the format. This show suffered from too many dropped jokes and uncomfortable silences, mostly because Ryan Miller, as the titular Prince of Darkness, didn't stay in character. If he improvised as Satan the entire time, making the show a rude, cruel experience, it could be the kind of thing that people get stoned and flock to. Instead, we got a couple thematic one-liners: Did you know that the devil directed Gigli? Ka-zing! Right now, the whole experience should be titled Late Night with a Guy Who's Funnier Than Jay Leno, and that's just not enough." (Paul Constant) Wing-It Productions at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 352-8291. www.wingitpresents.com. $5. Sat at midnite through Aug 28.

LIBERTÉ, EGALITÉ, MOCHA LATTÉ
Final week. Late-night sketch comedy, including something called "Gridlocked! The Gary Locke Story." Pork Filled Players at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030. $6-$9. Fri-Sat at 10 pm. Through Jul 29.

SEATTLE NEUTRINO PROJECT
One weekend only. For sheer technical stunts, it's hard to beat this: Seattle Neutrino Project proposes to create a live, improvised movie through the collaboration of actors, camera people, and other technicians. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0569. www.brownpapertickets.com. $10. Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm. Through Jul 30.

Special Events

ANNEX THEATRE GARAGE SALE
One weekend only. Props, costumes, lighting equipment. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0569. www.annextheatre.org. Sun, Jul 30 from 10 am-4 pm.

F&*% THE BACK ROW
One night only. The Dresden Dolls present a night of short films and dadaist vaudeville. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0569. $10. Fri, Jul 28 at 8:30 pm.