7 STRANGERS: SEASON 3, EPISODE 1
See review this issue. Davida's House, 1812 12th Ave. $10. Thurs-Sat, 8 pm. Through Aug 26.

THE BIBLE: THE COMPLETE WORD OF GOD (ABRIDGED)
"Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces!" Malachi 2:3 Second Story Repertory, 16587 NE 74th St, Redmond, 425-881-6777. $18-$24. Fri, Sat, 8:15 pm and Sun, Aug 20, 2:15 pm. Through Aug 26.

BLACK WATER
See review this issue. Off-Center Opera at Center House Theatre, Seattle Center, 684-7200. $17-$22. Thurs, Sat, Sun, 7:30 pm. Through Aug 27.

CRESCENDO FALLS 4: CATACOMB-OVER
"Crescendo Falls proudly wears the stripes of cheap 'n' dirty theater: gleeful sloppiness, confusing and mostly irrelevant plots, over-over-over-over-the-top performances, filthy jokes, and a bar." (Brendan Kiley) Under 18 free. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave, 325-6500. $18. Thurs-Sat, 8 pm. Through Sept 2.

DER ROSENKAVALIER
A comic opera by Richard Strauss, with some material lifted from Moliere plays. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 684-7200. $49-$135. Fri, Aug 18, 7 pm, Sun, Aug 20, 2 pm and Thurs, 7 pm. Through Aug 26.

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

HEARTBREAK HOUSE
"Shaw is verbose and scolding, but he brings enough intellectual pleasure and clever jokes to leave us indelibly impressed. His pronouncements, stuffed into the mouths of his characters, have an oracular force that justifies the dramatic sloppiness. The story is simple: a wealthy, eccentric graybeard (Captain Shotover) and his two daughters and their spouses and hangers-on fritter away a day on a country estate, wrapped up in romance and ennui. Their plots are simply means to Shaw's passionate end—indicting his fellow Englishmen as purposeless narcissists drifting blindly towards the catastrophe of WWI. As he writes in his (typically) lengthy preface: "The same nice people, the same utter futility." (He conceived the play after a weekend spent with Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury group.) Each character pines for something or someone, but Shaw seems to prescribe heartbreak as a bracing cure for the afflictions of the idle classes. As Ellie, the naif, says: "When your heart is broken, your boats are burned: nothing matters any more. It is the end of happiness and the beginning of peace." By the play's conclusion, when the characters are kvetching on the croquet lawn while enemy bombers approach, Shaw has us rooting for destruction, to blast the bourgeois boobs to hell and give society a fresh start." (Brendan Kiley) Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer St, 269-1900. $37-$46. Thurs, 7:30 pm, Fri, Sat, 8 pm, Sat, Sun, 2 pm and Tues, Wed, 7:30 pm. Through Aug 26.

HERETIC LINKS
See review this issue. Experimental Theater Project at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030. $9-$15. Fri, Sat, 8 pm and Sat, 3 pm. Through Aug 26.

JUDY BLUME OWES ME AND CURTAINS FOR MR. MORTIMER
Solo comedies about boobs and "the lighter side of darkness." Live Girls!, 2220 NW Market St. $10. Mon, Tues, 8 pm. Through Aug 29.

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, 8 pm and Sun, 2 pm.

THE LOVE LIST
From the press release: "A 50-year-old Nebbish discovers the power to alter his girlfriend." It's a comedy. Allegedly. Red Ribbon Productions at Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, 325-3113. $24-$29. Thurs-Sat, 8 pm. Through Sept 2.

MACBETH
Ongoing. "Full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!" By the SPT youth brigade. Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, 524-1300. Free. Fri-Sun, 7 pm and Sat, Aug 26, 2 pm. Through Aug 26.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
"Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex: We cannot fight for love, as men may do; We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo." By the Young Shakespeare Workshop. Erickson Theater Off Broadway, 1524 Harvard Ave, 587-5400. Free. Fri-Sun, 7 pm and Sun, Aug 20, 2 pm. Through Aug 20.

MITZI'S ABORTION
Imagine All in the Family, but Gloria is pregnant, Archie Bunker is the mom, and Meathead is in Iraq. By local playwright Elizabeth Heffron. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $10-$54. Thurs, 7:30 pm, Fri, Sat, 8 pm and Sun, 2 pm. Through Aug 20.

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
A musical comedy written in 1959. The Pandemonium Players at West Seattle High School, 3000 California Ave SW, 252-8800. $7-$12. Thurs, Fri, 7:30 pm. Through Aug 18.

PILEDRIVER!
See review this issue. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0569. $20. Thurs-Sat, 7:30 pm. Through Aug 26.

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 onstage, 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. Sat, 7:30 pm. Through Sept 30.

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

SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Extended. A musical comedy about a bluegrass "Saturday Night Sing" in Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, circa 1938. Taproot Theatre, 204 N 85th St, 781-9707. $15-$30. Wed, Thurs, 7:30 pm, Fri, Sat, 8 pm and Sat, 2 pm. Through Aug 26.

ALL IN HER HEAD
"A delightful evening of song and comedy that follows the therapy sessions of three women searching for love." (That's not "delightful." That's sad.) Crepe de Paris, 1333 Fifth Ave, 623-4111. $18-$45. Thurs-Sat, 8 pm. Through Aug 26.

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, 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, 9 pm.

LIVE BURLESQUE
Ongoing. Hosted by Miss Shanghai Pearl. With a live dirty Ongoing band. SeaMonster Lounge, 2202 N 45th St, 633-1824. Free. Tues, 11 pm.

ME AND MY SHADOW
Two tenors and a pianist share their love of the jazz standards. Origami Girl Productions at Thumper's, 1500 E Madison St, 328-3800. $10. Sun, 8 pm. Through Aug 27.

THE COMEDY SHOP
Comedy, comedy, comedy. And comedy. Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Ave S, 723-0088. $12 adv/$15 DOS. Sat, 8:30 & 10:30 pm.

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

THE COTTON GIN
Improv puppet show that takes place in bar. Directed by Troy Mink. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414. $10. Sat, 8 pm. Through Aug 26.

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

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

THE SYMPATHY CARDS' SILVER-PLATED ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Nan Clifford and Cathy Sorbo's singing comedy. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $10. Sat, Aug 19, 7 & 8:30 pm.

THEATRESPORTS
Ongoing. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414. $8-$12. Fri, Sat, 10:30 pm and Sun, 7 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, midnight. Through Aug 28.

GYPSIE NATION
Kids under 13 free. First dance free. Loyal Heights Community Center, 2101 NW 77th St. $9. Sun, 10 am. Through Sept 24.

THE IMMIGRANT'S TABLE
A staged reading of The Immigrant's Table, a story of Italians and immigration, by Mary Lou Sanelli and Jackie Leone. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414. $15. Fri, 8 pm. Through Aug 18.

SMALL TOWN
A reading of a new play about cheating, a sheriff with a half-plastic head, and seventeen missing mailmen by Kelleen Conway Blanchard. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave, 325-6500. $2. Mon, Aug 21, 7 pm.

SPIRITUS: RENDEZVOUS WITH THE DEAD
Master Medium Faye, the tattooed psychic. And an experimental belly dance troupe. And tarot readings. Woof. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $15. Thurs, Aug 17, 7:30 pm.

TRAPDOOR 62: THE DREAM INTERPRETATION PANEL
A panel of artists—playing Freud, Jung, "the Somnambulist," and others—interpret your dreams. Featuring Anna Maria Hong, Matt Briggs, Stacey Levine, and other bitchin' litterateurs. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $8. Tues, Aug 22, 8 pm.