Opening This Week
Ernest In Love
A musical based on Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Lakewood Theatre Company at Lakewood Theater for the Arts, 368 S State St, 635-3901, Thurs-Sat 8pm, Sun 7 pm, through Aug 19, $18-$20
Henry V
Quintessence Language and Imagination Theatre, a new company, presents Shakespeare's 29-role classic with only 9 actors. Mago Hunt Center, at the University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd, 943-7287, Opens Fri, Thurs-Sun 7:30 pm, through July 28, $8-$10
The Famous Tuscan Springs
A computer corporation tries to turn the small town of Tuscan Springs, famous for its mineral waters, into a "virtual" spa resort. Jack Oakes Theater, 2820 NE Sandy Blvd, 238-9692, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through Aug 4, $10
One Week Only
Bel Canto Northwest Festival and Vocal Institute: Opening Gala
An evening of opera classics to kick off PSU's ninth annual Bel Canto opera fest. Brunish Hall, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 SW Broadway, 725-3105, Sun 7:30 pm, $10-16
PIPfest: The Shamans' Amine and House of Deer
The Shamans are an award-winning dance company from Budapest. Amine is a unique and multi-layered performance that draws on Central European folklore, and House of Deer is a solo piece based on a Romanian folk tale about humans transforming into deer. PSU, Lincoln Hall, 1620 SW Park Avenue, 725-3307, Amine: Thurs 7 pm, Fri 8 pm; House of Deer: Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, $20-$35
Portland Opera's World-Class Workshop: Gala Performance
Portland Opera's Workshop wraps up with a showcase of its students and what they have learned the past two weeks from some of the finest opera instructors in the world. Artists Repertory Theater, 1516 SW Alder St, 241-1278, Fri 7 pm, $15
Theatre Vertigo's Christmas In July!
A benefit that invites the community to chat with members of Theatre Vertigo, listen to cool bands like Nine Volt Mile, and attend a performance of playwright, Jeff Goode's latest, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. Russell Street Theater, 116 NE Russell, 306-0870, Fri-Sat 7 pm, $20
Closing This Week
Saturday Night Fever
Beware the Hollywood film-turned-Broadway-Musical! Beware, I say! Keller Auditorium, SW Third and Clay, 790-ARTS, Thurs-Sun 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm, through July 15, $24-$65
* Win/Lose/Draw
Last chance to see Magdelyn's evocative series of one-acts about the trials and tribulations of middle-aged women. Magdelyn Theatre Company, 7600 N Hereford, 708-8554, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through July 14, $12-$14
Current Runs
Frogz
Due to popular demand, Imago has extended the run of this show, so don't miss your chance to see frogs, worms, cowboys, giant paper bags, and crazy cats. Imago Theater, 17 SE 8th Ave, 231-9581, Thurs-Sat 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm, Sun 5:30 pm, through July 29, $9-$18
Harold and Game Piece
An evening of improv divided into two parts. Of the two, Game Piece sounds more intriguing, with the rules for the improv depending on whatever board game in suggested by the audience. Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th Ave, 224-0688, Sat 9 pm, through Sept 1, $8
I Ought To Be In Pictures
Neil Simon's poignant look at a has-been Hollywood screenwriter whose long-lost teenage daughter reenters his life. Sylvia's Class Act Dinner Theater, 5115 NE Sandy Blvd, 288-6828, Thurs-Sat 6:15 pm, Sun 5:15 pm, through Aug 25, $31.95
Naked Boys Singing
They don't waste any time, these boys. Within the first 30 seconds of the first song of this skin-filled revue, you will get what you paid to see: birthday suits. It's a liberating experience, to say the least. Some of the men (there are seven all together) are slightly portly, some are too hairy, and none are particularly well-endowed (compared to the average porn star, at least). And yet, they prance gaily about the stage as if their bodies are the most beautiful things in the world, which of course they are. The point is, the simple shedding of cloth, performed by these very normal men, sent a burst of energy through me, and indeed, the entire crowd. We surged forward in our seats, laughing and cheering. My pretentious sensibilities don't usually allow me to surge, but in this awesome moment, that hardly mattered. I surged with the best of 'em. It's an exhilarating moment, to be sure, seeing normal men bare it all without restraint, but it's also the only exhilarating moment to be found in the show, which is so enamored with its premise--guys gettin' nekked--that it forgets to throw in important things like recurring themes and character development. Dick jokes, amateurish choreography, and a string of unrelated, unmemorable songs help move this $25-a-ticket bore from the land of Misguided-But-Cute to the realm of Total Rip-Off. Triangle Productions! at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St, 239-5919, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through July 21, $23-$25
Open Movement Jam
Join other Portland dancers for an evening of improvised jamming. Performance Works Northwest, 4625 SE 67th Ave, 777-1907, Sun 6-8 pm, $2-3
The Dyke and the Porn Star
Part four of Triangle's Summer Pride Series, in which the lesbian, Chance, falls for the porn star of her dreams. Triangle Productions! at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St, 239-5919, Thur-Sat 8 pm, through July 28, $17-$19
