STAGE

21A

[EXTENDED RUN] Arts Equity's Portland premiere is a meaningless one-man trifle by Minnesota playwright Kevin Kling about a few very strange moments aboard the bus that runs between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The driver and all of the passengers—an off-kilter old woman carrying a load of cat food from Trader Joe’s, a drunken bum wearing an empty case of Bridgeport IPA for a helmet, and an overzealous advocate for public transportation, among others—are played with moderate success by Joey LeBard. With the strained accents and self-consciously goofy sensibility, 21A resembles an episode of “Guy Noir: Private Eye” written the morning after Garrison Keillor’s latest bachelor party—weird and menacing, but still a feel-good piece in the end. Like the passengers on the stationary bus, you’ll probably wonder when the damn thing is going to go somewhere. It never does. BEN WATERHOUSE. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 360-695-3770. 8 pm Friday-Saturday. Closes Aug. 30. $17-$20, sliding scale Thursday. Map

Annie Warbucks

John Monteverde directs this Christmasy sequel to Annie, starring Hayley Rousselle. World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., tinpanalleypdx.com. 697-6215. 8 pm Aug. 6 and 8-9; 2 pm Aug 9. $10-$20. Map

The Belle of Amherst

William Luce's one-woman show about the life of Emily Dickinson, starring Jane Fellows. Part of Mount Hood Repertory Theatre Company's American Classics Festival. BEN WATERHOUSE. Mount Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark St., Gresham., mthoodrep.org. 7 pm Sunday, Aug. 3. $15-$20. $65 for all four shows. Map

Bus Stop

William Inge's stormy diner romance. Part of Mount Hood Repertory Theatre Company's American Classics Festival. BEN WATERHOUSE. Mount Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark St., Gresham., mthoodrep.org. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday. Closes Aug. 10. $15-$20. $65 for all four shows. Map

A Chorus Line

The national tour of the 2006 revival of the musical that redefined musicals hits town. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 241-1802. 7:30 pm Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 1 and 6:30 pm Sunday. Closes Aug. 3. $23.50-$68.50. Map

Curious Comedy Presents

Sketch and improv comedy with a rotating cast of performers from Swingers, the Liberators, Super Project Lab and ComedySportz. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 432-8633. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Closes Aug. 9. $10. Map

Dames at Sea

Broadway Rose follows up its sold-out run of Les Mis with a musical comedy satire about an aspiring chorus girl who learns the show must go on—on a battleship, that is. Amy Palomino, Peggy Taphorn and Lindsay Michelet star. Deb Fennell Auditorium, 9000 SW Durham Road, Tigard., 620-5262. 8 pm Wednesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 pm Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Aug. 3. $20-$30. Map

Day of the Zombie

A rock opera of the undead by Dan Abbot, described by the author as "a more down-home version of Jesus Christ Superstar." Song, dance and BRAAAINS! Also appearing are zombie burlesque troupe the Maggettes and zombie party crew Chickenhed. Zombies are the new pirates, baby. Dante's, 1 SW 3rd Ave., 226-6630. 9:30 pm Friday, July 25. $10 for the dead, $15 for the living. 21+. Map

The Ed Forman Show, With ME, ED FORMAN!

Local funnyman Aaron Ross transplants his bad-wigged self-help guru character—based on a real author whose works Ross discovered in a bargain bin—to a ’70s-style talk show, complete with a monologue, house band the Taste, a sidekick and guest performers. AP KRYZA. Dante's, 1 SW 3rd Ave., 226-6630. 9 pm Tuesday, July 28. Free. Map

The Light-Fingered Five

Extraordinarily intimate improv theater in Portland's coziest air-conditioned venue. Shoe Box Theater, 2110 SE 10th Ave., 971-244-3740. 8 pm Friday, July 25. $5. Map

Lone Star and Laundry & Bourbon

New Century Players presents two plays about love and marriage in 1970s Texas by Louisiana playwright James McClure. Rex Putnam High School Black Box Theater, 4950 SE Roethe Road, Milwaukie., 367-2620. 7:30 pm Thursdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturdays. Closes July 26. $10-$12. Map

Man to Man

Experimental British performers the Kelman Group bring their latest show to Portland: a one-woman adaptation of German playwright Manfred Karge's survey of 20th-century European history through the experience of Ella Gericke, a German cross-dresser. Hipbone Studio, 1847 E Burnside St., 971-212-2554. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Closes Aug. 2. $8-$10. Map

Midsummer's Night at Lone Fir Cemetery

Portland actors will bring the dead to life for one night with portrayals of historical figures buried in Lone Fir Cemetery, including Mayor Harry Lane, Mayor Sylvester Pennoyer and Esther Lovejoy. It will make a nice chaser for Day of the Zombie. Lone Fir Cemetary, Southeast 26th Avenue and Stark Street., 224-9200. 5-7:30 pm Saturday, July 28. $5-$10, $15 per family. Map

Night Shade: A Shadow Tale in Three Parts

The international shadow puppeteers of Night Shade Studio presents three short tales of the supernatural, using shadow puppets, masks and illustration. Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy St., myspace.com/nightshadestudio. 9 pm Saturday and 7 pm Sunday, July 26-27. $10. Map

Pippin

Dogging the work of hardworking amateurs feels like wanton cruelty, but it has to be said: Don't bother with this snoozy and incoherent production of Stephen Schwartz's meta-musical. Tin Pan Alley Theatre Company's debut effort has the look and feel of a competent performance by a rural high school, with play-trunk-modern costuming, shadowy lighting, a Burtonesque devotion to black eyeshadow and a young cast of players, most of whom look barely beyond commencement. There are some nice voices in the chorus, but all have spent too much time practicing their singing faces in the bathroom, and the leads are weak. The Lead Player, normally a male role, is played by Stevie Boothe, the company's managing director, who has difficulty singing the lower notes of the score. University of Portland sophomore Connor Bond brings a touch of Elijah Wood's bewildered hobbit to the title role, and while Ron Harmon shows off his impressive pipes as Charlemagne, his delivery is stiff and passionless. The biggest problem here, though, is the show: The book, written by Roger Hirson, hobbles Schwartz's fine score with pretentious silliness about the nature of theater. If you're going to start a new musical theater company, pick a show that you can lean on—The Music Man or My Fair Lady—not one you'll have to overcome. BEN WATERHOUSE. World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., tinpanalleypdx.com. 503-697-6215. 8 pm Aug. 7, 2 and 7 pm Aug. 10. $10-$20. Map

Puppetstock

A summerlong series of family-friendly puppet theater, hosted by Moxie RX. Performers include the Dim Sum Puppet Opera Company (Aug. 28) and Penny's Puppet Productions and Mudeye Puppet Company (Aug. 29). Moxie Rx, North Mississippi Avenue and Shaver Street., 285-0701. 8 pm Thursday, Aug. 28. 10 am Friday, Aug. 29. $5, $3 children. All ages. Map

Razzle Dazzle Die!

[DINNER THEATER] Interactive murder-mystery musical dinner theater. Food by Timothy Fuhrman, murder by Eddie May. Pine Street Bistro, 221 SW Pine St., 524-4366. 7:30-9:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. $69 per person. Map

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka

A musical adaptation of Dahl's creepy-wonderful children's novel, performed by both adult and child casts as part of New Moon Productions' summer musical theater workshop. Washington Park Rose Garden Amphitheatre, 400 SW Kingston Ave., newmoonproductions.org. Adult cast: 6:30 pm Tuesdays-Sundays, July 16-27. Child cast: 10 am and noon Saturdays and Sundays, July 19-27. Free. Map

School for Wives and Servant of Two Masters

Masque Alfresco presents two classic farces by Moliere and Goldoni, respectively, performed in repertory at parks around Washington County. School for Wives is performed Aug. 29 and 31 at the Beaverton Library Lawn. The Servant of Two Masters is performed Aug. 30 at the Beaverton Library Lawn. Multiple locations, n/a., masquealfresco.com. 6:30 pm Friday-Sunday. Free. Map

See How They Run

Clackamas Repertory Theatre starts its summer season with Philip King's classic British farce involving a vicar's wife, a cockney maid, a lance-corporal and a bishop. , 19600 S Molalla Ave., 657-6958. 7:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2:30 pm Sundays. Closes July 27. $11.50-$21.50. Map

Spoon River Anthology

A series of stories based on the poetry by Edgar Lee Masters, set to live folk music. Part of Mount Hood Repertory Theatre Company's American Classics Festival. BEN WATERHOUSE. Mount Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark St., Gresham., mthoodrep.org. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Aug. 10. $15-$20. $65 for all four shows. Map

Summer in Brodavia

The Brodys bring back their long-form improv show just in time for the lazy days of summer. The Brody Theater Studio, 3314 SW 1st Ave., door on Southwest Gibbs Street., 224-0688. 9 pm Saturdays. Closes Aug. 23. $10, $7 students. Map

Sunday Night at the Bus Stop Cafe

A musical revue on the set of Bus Stop. Part of Mount Hood Repertory Theatre Company's American Classics Festival. BEN WATERHOUSE. Mount Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark St., Gresham., mthoodrep.org. 7 pm Sunday, Aug. 3. $15-$20, $65 for all four shows. Map

The Three Musketeers

Lakewood finishes off its season with an Oregon premiere of Ken Ludwig's adaptation of the Dumas novel. Don Alder directs. Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego., 635-3901. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 and 7 pm Sundays. Closes Aug. 24. $26-$28. Map

Troilus & Cressida

No one ever performs this problematic tragedy/romcom set during the Trojan War, because audiences don't know what to make of a raucous and bawdy story of death and heartbreak. We can only assume Grant Turner and Northwest Classical Theatre Company are determined to finish Shakespeare's complete canon. More power to them. Take this opportunity to see the play other Portland theaters won't touch for decades. It won't cost you a cent. Woodlawn Park, Northeast 13th Avenue and Dekum Street., 3 pm Saturdays and Sundays. Closes Aug. 10. Free. Map

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Portland Actors Ensemble's touring production of Shakespeare's first cross-dressing comedy visits six parks in the Portland area. Multiple locations, n/a., portlandactors.org. 3 pm Saturdays-Sundays. Free. Map

Who Stole My Dead Husband?

Lou Pallotta’s Italo-sploitation family dinner theater, starring Jim Caputo. Madison's East Wing, 1125 SE Madison St., 800-966-8865. 7:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Open-ended run. $64-$69, dinner included. All ages. Map

CLASSICAL

Anna Kazakova and Anne Young

Soprano Kazakova was an award-winning soloist on the Moscow opera scene and has performed around the world. She’ll be accompanied by pianist Young in songs—all featuring the archetypal Pierrot character—by Samuel Barber, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich and other 20th-century classical composers. BRETT CAMPBELL. Sherman Clay/Moe's Pianos, 131 NW 13th Ave., 342-6896. 3:30 pm Tuesday, July 29. $10. Map

Chamber Music Northwest

The summer all-star festival’s closing concerts, featuring CMNW’s glittering corps of some of New York’s best-known classical players (Toby Appel, David Shifrin, et al.), focus on some of the most beautiful French music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thursday and Friday’s shows are devoted to those absolute pinnacles of chamber music, Claude Debussy’s last three sonatas. Written in the depths of French suffering during World War I, and his own terminal cancer, the sonatas (for violin and piano; cello and piano; and flute, viola and harp) gaze back upon French Baroque models yet remain insistently innovative, modern and gorgeous. The concerts also include Debussy’s beguiling Syrinx for flute and Rhapsody for clarinet and piano. Along with the Debussy sonatas, Ravel’s 1905 Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet, which highlights the weekend concerts, is simply one of the most alluring musical creations of the last century—or any century. The wistful tunes in Camille Saint-Saëns' voluptuous 1907 Fantasy for Violin and Harp shamelessly tug at heart (and harp) strings. Pianist Andre Watts' wrist injury and consequent sudden withdrawal may have deprived the festival's closing concerts of some star power, but judging by the sterling performances of his replacement, CMNW veteran Shai Wosner, so far, there's no drop in musical quality. And the pieces Wosner added to the weekend program are superior to the Franck Piano Quintet they replace: the first Piano Quartet  by Ravel's beloved teacher Gabriel Fauré, and the great melodist Francis Poulenc's last work, the lovely 1962 Clarinet Sonata  he wrote in tribute to his recently deceased old friend Arthur Honegger, which manages to be both joyous and moving—a fitting conclusion to a fine summer festival. BRETT CAMPBELL. Kaul Auditorium at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 294-6400. Catlin Gabel School, 8825 SW Barnes Road. Debussy: 8 pm Thursday, July 24, at Kaul Auditorium and Friday, July 25, at Catlin Gabel School. Ravel, et al.: 8 pm Saturday and 4 pm Sunday, July 26-27, at Kaul Auditorium. $10-$43. Map

Darrel Grant & One O'Clock Jump

One of Portland’s finest musicians, the pianist joins guitarist Dan Gildea and bassist Dennis Caiazza in classic midcentury American jazz by such deities as Ellington, Jamal, Nat Cole, Errol Garner and more. BRETT CAMPBELL. Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Northwest 3rd Avenue and Everett Street., 228-8131. 7:30 pm Tuesday, July 29. $18-$22. Map

Portland Symphonic Choir

If you can’t wait for Chamber Music Northwest’s final concerts for your fix of fab French sounds, you can hear—and sing along with—Faure's lovely Requiem and his early Cantique de Jean Racine. Singers of any skill level may participate. BRETT CAMPBELL. Moriarty Fine Arts Center at PCC, 705 N Killingsworth St., 233-1217. 7 pm Wednesday, July 23. $7. Map

DANCE

Water in the Desert Festival

If you suddenly run into a rice-flour-dusted, loincloth-wearing stranger creeping around a rose bush, you’re probably at the Water in the Desert Festival, which offers a butoh adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream outdoors. The daylong, eco-themed festival hosts dancer Luciano Proaño (whose own ecoconsciousness includes crafting costumes out of natural elements), cellist Adam Hurst, the imaginative Portland performance company tEEth and San Francisco butoh troupe Harupin-Ha, among others. Kids’ art and activities are included. Peninsula Park, , 1-10 pm Saturday, July 26. Free. Map