OPENING This Week

Apocalypse Mambo
I've talked before about Hoskins and Breen's amazing talent for creating unique characters, but I haven't talked about their inclination towards philosophical diatribe. Skits with cavemen learning the word, "fuck," or with apocalyptic angels parallel parking and watching soap operas, or with Johnny Cash finally being recognized as the God that he is, are silly and fun. But the truly contemplative can also look for lines connecting these seemingly random skits, and be rewarded for their efforts. Hoskins and Breen are smart dudes, and I guarantee if you look for it, you will find it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is transcendent sketch comedy. Hoskins & Breen, at Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh, 242-0202, Fri-Sat 10:30 pm, through Nov 23, $10

ONE Week ONLY

Seussical the Musical
Combine "Seuss" and "musical," and you get "Seussical," a convenient new term that expresses both ideas at once. It is thus redundant to follow the term, "Suessical" with the explanatory phrase: "the musical." Keller Auditorium, SW Third and Clay, 241-1802, Nov 12-17, 7:30 pm, Nov 16-17, 2 pm, $17-$57

Yes, Women Are Funny
The women of All Jane No Dick are indeed pretty funny. Plus, they generally keep their performances pretty short, which is good because most improv shows are twice as long as they should be. All Jane No Dick, at the Hollywood Theater, 4122 NE Sandy, 233-5798, Fri-Sat 9 pm, $10

Closing This Week

Wings
Wings explores the interior monologue of a stroke victim coming to terms with incapacitation. Emily, a wing-walker in her youth, interprets the stroke and her ensuing paralysis as a series of sensations comparable to the disorienting velocity of flight. It's a difficult subject to translate to stage, let alone watch, but Lightbox pulls it off. Just don't take your Grandma. AS Lightbox Studios, at Ohm, 31 NW 1st Ave, 963-9013, Thurs-Fri, Sun 7 pm, $10

CURRENT RUNS

Hamlet the Vampire Slayer
Something tells me it's not traditional Bard. Six on Shakespeare, at the NW Cultural Center, 1819 NW Everett, 286-2823, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through Nov 16, $10-$12

The Shape of Things
This tale of young people back stabbing and cheating on each other would be standard soap opera fare were playwright Neil LaBute not so damned smart. He throws in fascinating ideas about the fine line between art and life, and culminates his deceptively simple tale with a plot twist that is quite mind-boggling. The final moments bring LaBute's fascination with deceit into the realm of the epic. JWS Artists Repertory Theatre, at the IFCC, 5340 N Interstate, 241-1278, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Nov 17, $22