Dead Heads: At the Milagro Theatre.

STAGE

Aladdin and His Magic Lamp

[OPENS FRIDAY] Portland's premier purveyors of puppetry present a revival of their popular 1991 production of the story of everyone's favorite Iraqi thief. Tears of Joy Theatre at Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 SW Broadway, 248-0557. 7:30 pm Friday, 11 am Saturday, 2 and 4 pm Sunday. Opens Oct. 27. $16, $12 children.

An American Daughter

An American Daughter tells the tale of Lyssa Dent Hughes (played here with great commitment by Karla Mason), a nominee for the post of surgeon general who encounters scandal and hostility from the housewives of middle America when it is revealed that she once failed to respond to a summons for jury duty. Thom Bray inhabits the role of Hughes' husband (though he's miscast), and Dave Bodin and Jean Miller keep things buoyant as Hughes' father and stepmother. The blame for the flaws in the production—atrocious casting, blocking and set design—rests with director Jane Unger. After so many years of directing plays in Portland and elsewhere, it is astonishing that Unger fails to demonstrate proficiency in even the most elementary aspects of the craft. JAMES WALLING. Profile Theatre at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 242-0080. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 12. $10-$28.

The Birthday Party

[CLOSES SUNDAY] Stanley Webber just wanted a nice vacation, but when creepy strangers turn up to celebrate his birthday a few months too early, the trip turns into a nightmare. Arts Equity at The Main Street Theatre, 606 Main St., Vancouver, Wash., 360-695-3770. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm matinee Oct. 29. Closes Oct. 29. $8-$24.

La Carpa Calavera

[OPENS FRIDAY] Miracle Theatre Group's annual Day of the Dead celebration features a "carnivalesque" performance of bawdy acrobatic skeletons. Bellas Artes at The Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., 236-7253. 7:30 pm Thursdays, 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Opens Oct. 27. $15-$18.

Comedysportz

Two teams face off in this fast-paced improv competition. Comedysportz, 1963 NW Kearney St., 236-8888. 8 pm Fridays, 7 and 9 pm Saturdays. $12.

Le Grand Guignol

[CLOSES SATURDAY] Portland sketch comedians The Tragedies present horriffic shorts in the classic French tradition. The Tragedies at The Little Church, 5138 NE 23rd Ave., 367-2100. 8 pm Thursday-Saturday. Closes Oct. 28. $15.

Jingle Spree

[NEW REVIEW] The actors in CoHo Productions' Jingle Spree do the best they can with playwright Dan Trujillo's script about a blue-collar family recovering from grief after their son accidentally kills his sister with a handgun. Trujillo has written that his script is "an etching of the psychic disturbances of childhood as experienced by adults," but the performance feels more like an episode of the evening news, sensationalizing issues of the day and reinforcing rather than debunking stereotypes. Although Trujillo excels at the technical aspect of his craft, gracefully intertwining the overlapping events that unfold in three acts, the effect is minimized by scenes that alternate between the tediously dry and the relentlessly emotional. STACY RIGER. Coho Productions at the Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 18. $20-$23.

Leni

[NEW REVIEW] Local actress and director Sarah Greenman makes her tremendous playwrighting debut with this thoughtful, provocative and thoroughly enjoyable examination of the many faces of history's most infamous filmmaker. The exceedingly talented JoAnn Johnson (Humble Boy, Wit) and promising newcomer Cecily Overman play old and young versions of Nazi auteur Leni Riefenstahl, united after death to make a film that sets her record straight. The only trouble is that the Riefenstahls can't or won't remember just how involved they were with the Reich. The first play to be staged at the beautifully restored Academy Theater, Leni backs up Johnson's and Overman's excellent performances with footage from Riefenstahl's films and cleverly minimalist lighting by Glenn Fujimura to create a fine production that asks some challenging questions about artists' responsibilities in trying times. BEN WATERHOUSE. Insight Out Theatre Collective at the Academy Theatre, 7818 SE Stark St., 493-8070. 8:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays; 1 pm Sunday, Oct. 29; 10:30 am Wednesday, Nov. 1. $15.

Miss Witherspoon

[CLOSES SUNDAY] Christopher Durang's twisted story of a woman who can't manage to die—no matter how many times she commits suicide, the afterlife keeps sending her back. Integrity Productions at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 286-3456. 8 pm Thursday-Saturday, 4 pm Sunday. Closes Oct. 29. $15.

Mr. Marmalade

Artists Repertory Theatre's Mr. Marmalade is about a little girl named Lucy, who is left alone for hours on end while her mom waits tables at a diner or goes out with slimy guys. Trying to make right what's wrong with reality, Lucy conjures up an imaginary world populated by obnoxious talking plants, a coke-snorting boyfriend named Mr. Marmalade and a flamboyant "personal assistant" who loves tea parties, but soon she finds out that even her fantasies can spin out of control. Excellent acting, particularly that of Laura Faye Smith as Lucy, clear direction and vivid stage and costume design combine to make Mr. Marmalade a darkly humorous show, proving that childhood isn't always so innocent. STACY RIGER. Artists Repertory Theatre Second Stage, 1516 SW Alder St., 241-1278. 7 pm Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 and 7 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 19. $20-$40.

Menopause the Musical

[OPEN-ENDED RUN] A hackneyed and trite musical revue converts pop songs of the '60s and '70s into ballads about hot flashes, weight gain and dildos. Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 224-4400. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 5:30 pm Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Selling six weeks out. $44.50+ (Ticketmaster).

Night of the Living Dead

[CLOSES SATURDAY] No, we haven't screwed up. There are indeed two productions of George Romero's zombie flick playing this Halloween. Northwest Children's Theater at NW Neighborhood Cultural Center, 1819 NW Everett St., 222-4480. 10:30 pm Friday-Saturday. Closes Oct. 28. $12. Blue Monkey Theater at Valley Cinema-Pub, 9360 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, 777-4560. 10 pm and midnight Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28. Closes Oct. 28. $12.

One Day

[OPENS FRIDAY] Mayor Potter's visionPDX project bears its first fruit with the opening of One Day, a collaboration between world-traveling Sojourn Theatre and the city. The play, inspired by research from both Sojourn and visionPDX, tells the stories of eight fictional Portlanders, then invites the audience to help decide how the stories end. Sojourn Theatre at various locations (see sojourntheatre.org). 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Opens Oct. 27. Free.

The Pavilion

[NEW REVIEW] The Pavilion finds Peter (Michael O'Connell) and Kari (Valerie Stevens), the cutest senior couple of Pine City, Minn.'s, class of 1986, meeting for the first time since the abrupt end of their romance. They're unhappy, and they both know it—as do all their classmates at the 20-year reunion (all played by Damon Kupper). And really, they just want to go back to where they were in '86. But they can't. And that's sad. But it's also very funny, thanks to Kupper's constantly shifting characterizations and the playwright's knack for pairing gut-wrenching, overwrought vitriolic tirades with jarringly realistic dialogue ("Still-life? So she paints bowls of fruit and shit?"). And looming over it all is the metaphysical Narrator, reminding us that the whole thing might be a joke. Every aspect of this production is excellent, from the acting to the lighting to Jen Raynak's enveloping sound. It's quite an accomplishment for a company producing its first full season, and one that should not be missed. BEN WATERHOUSE (read more at wweek.com) Third Rail Repertory Theater at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate Ave., 235-1101. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 18. $15-$24.

Portland Catacombs

[CLOSES TUESDAY] The usually avant-garde Portland Art Center delves into a more mainstream and timely subject for its latest creative jaunt: an old-fashioned haunted house. In groups of eight, patrons are led into the Catacombs, an interactive maze of Chinatown's past. Equal parts "choose your own adventure" and a freaky childhood game of hide-and-seek, this living installation brings truthful bits of Portland's past histories back to life. Word to the wiseass: To get the full experience, don't be shy to ask questions of the ghosts—they are more than willing to share their tales. ELIANNA BAR-EL. Portland Art Center, 32 NW 5th Ave. Continuous performances run 8-11 pm Thursday-Monday, 8 pm-midnight Oct. 31. Closes Oct. 31. $10-$20 sliding scale.

Ragtime: The Musical

[CLOSES SUNDAY] This mega-sized Broadway musical tells the story of three turn-of-the-century families—one immigrant, one African-American and one white upper-class—whose lives intersect amid the squalor and success of 1900s NYC. ALICE JOY. Lakewood Theatre Company at Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego, 635-3901. 8 pm Thursday-Saturday, 7 pm Sunday. 2 pm matinee 29. Closes Oct. 29. $26-$28.

The Thing that Wouldn't Die

[CLOSES SATURDAY] Before Scary Movie, there was the improv Scary Movie. Halloween improv from the Brodys. The Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th Ave., 224-0688. 10:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28. $10, $7 students.

West Side Story

This show is nearly flawless, with an enormous and energetic cast of fine singers and dancers and a top-notch orchestra. Outstanding are Vancouver native and stunt-man Tony Clarno (Riff), who brings acrobatic flips and manic physical feats to the tough-talking gang leader; fiery and intimidating Ivette Sosa (Anita), who steals the show—twice; and tiny, hyperactive Amy Palomino (42nd Street) as Anybodys, the Jets' maybe-queer hanger-on. BEN WATERHOUSE. Portland Center Stage at the Gerding Theater, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays and Sunday, Oct. 22; noon Thursdays; 2 pm Saturdays-Sundays. Closes Nov. 12. $18.50-$61.50.

The Who's Tommy

[CLOSES SATURDAY] Live On Stage Theater Company's take on the Who's Tommy comes off like Rockstar: Supernova meets American Idol, but the show falls short of any rockstar-worthy performances. Still, even with all its shortcomings, the cast couldn't mask the sheer energy behind the Who's brilliant artistry of musical storytelling. ELIANNA BAR-EL. Live on Stage Concert Theatre Productions at the World Trade Center Theater, 121 SW Salmon St., 280-5483. 8 pm Thursday-Saturday. Closes Oct. 28. $25.

The Witches

[CLOSES SUNDAY] Roald Dahl's terrific tale of child abuse and international occult conspiracy, adapted for the stage by David Wood. Northwest Children's Theater at the NW Neighborhood Cultural Center, 1819 NW Everett St., 222-4480. 7 pm Friday-Saturday, 2 pm Saturday-Sunday. Closes Oct. 29. $20 adults, $16 youth.

CLASSICAL

Wu Han and Emerson Quartet Members

Chamber Music Northwest presents pianist Wu Han and three members of the multi-Grammy-winning ensemble in a program of music by DvorÁk, Beethoven and Shostakovich. Kaul Auditorium, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 294-6400. 8 pm Thursday, Oct. 26. $10-$40.

Wild Oranges

In a unique collaboration with Turner Classic Movies, Third Angle New Music Ensemble performs a new film score to accompany the classic film Wild Oranges. This new music is composed and conducted by Vivek Madalla. Portland State University, Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., 331-0301. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28. $25-$30.

Jerome Ducharme Guitar Recital

Canadian guitarist JÉrÔme Ducharme, the 2005 winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition, plays a variety of works. Portland's own Travis Johnson, a 13-year-old prodigy on the guitar, will open the concert. Portland Classical Guitar, 11923 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Suite A, 652-1418. 7 pm Saturday, Oct. 28. $20-$25.

Stephen Price Recital

Oregon Symphony member Stephen Price keeps up his annual tradition (since 1972) of holding a concert at the Old Church. And the price is right, because it's free. The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., 222-2031. 8 pm Saturday, Oct. 28, Free.

Bach Cantata Vespers Mozart's Women

Roger O. Doyle conducts the Choral Arts Ensemble in music that is connected with Mozart's wife, his sister, his sisters-in-law, and several female singers of his operas. The concerts take place at St. Mary's Cathedral on Saturday and Buckley Center Auditorium at the University of Portland on Sunday afternoon. St. Mary's Cathedral, 1716 NW Davis St.; Buckley Center Auditorium, 5000 N Willamette Blvd.; 488-3834. 8 pm Saturday and 3 pm Sunday, Oct. 28-29. $5-$15.

DANCE

MOMIX: Opus Cactus

The dancer-illusionists who make up Moses Pendleton's MOMIX are masters of visual splendor—alchemical wizards conjuring a phantasmagorical blend of muscular mime, acrobatics, geometrically inspired dance-theater, and seemingly impossible gyroscopic movement. Opus Cactus, their much anticipated White Bird debut, is a 19-part work inspired by the magic realism of the vast American Southwest—arid poetics of flora, fauna, towering cacti, desert flowers and wide-open spaces. Set to a kaleidoscopic array of music—everything from J.S. Bach and Eno to Hamza Al-Din, Dead Can Dance and Douglas Spotted Eagle—the evening-length piece offers a dazzling bouquet of reptilian costumes, sculptural apparati and choreographic sleight of hand that will surprise, delight and challenge the audience's limits of perception. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1111 SW Broadway. 245-1600. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 25. $19-$43.

Conduit "Lights On" Party

Conduit (a veritable cathedral for contemporary dance) celebrates an auspicious technical upgrade (improved sound and lighting gear and—yeah!—modern seating comfort) and invites dancers and dancegoers to an open house honoring the generous support of the Oregon Community Foundation and the Hillman Foundation. Conduit Dance, 918 SW Yamhill St., Suite 401. 221-5857. 7 pm Saturday, Oct. 28. Free.

Cabaret Boris & Natasha

The 15th edition of Linda Austin et al.'s unpredictable, ever-engaging performance series features two hallowed eves of curiosities including Austin and a new crop of Boris & Natasha Dancers; the diminutive Dim Sum Puppet Opera; lo-fi stop-motion animation from Imago Theatre's Mona Huneidi; dancers Katie Arrants, Kathleen Keogh and Rikki Rothenberg with accordionist Luke Wyland, choreographer Angelle Hebert and composer Phillip Kraft's "Teeth" (one of the most challenging highlights of this year's TBA Ten Tiny Dances), plus an instant horror-movie contest. Performance Works NorthWest, 4625 SE 67th Ave., 777-1907. 8 pm Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 28-29. $13-15 sliding scale. Beer, wine and snacks available.

Agnieszka Laska Dancers: Does Debussy Dance?

Agnieszka Laska Dancers perform their evocative interpretation (not to be confused with Jerome Robbins' masterful take on the same music) of Claude Debussy's "Six Antique Epigraphs," performed by pianists Cary Lewis and Maria Choban, as well as a duo, "Aria," set to music by Kevin Puts performed by cellist Dorothy Hall Lewis and Cary Lewis. First Presbyterian Church, 1200 SW Alder St., 228-7331. 3 pm Sunday, Oct. 29. Free.

Batsheva Dance Company

Israel's Batsheva (founded in 1964 by Martha Graham and the Baroness de Rothschild) is one of the great dance companies of our time, and continues, under the leadership of Ohad Naharin, to create ravishing, turbulently poetic work that begs the question: With so much turmoil and shattering violence in your midst, how can dance matter? Squeezing wine from bitter grape, Naharin wrings out beauty, anger, serenity and sarcasm, creating work brimming with virile amplitude, velocity and passion. With his Three, Batsheva delivers a triadic tour de force that will leave audiences breathless. For more on Batsheva, see wweek.com. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1111 SW Broadway, 245-1600. 7:30 pm Tuesday, Oct. 31. $18-$43.