opening this week
The Diaries of Adam and Eve
Based on short stories by Mark Twain, in which the witty fellow used satirical renditions of the Adam and Eve story to explore his own relationship with his beloved wife, Olivia Langdon. e3 productions, at the Electric Company, 2512 SE Gladstone, Suite 200, 232-5955, Fri-Sat 7 & 9 pm, through Mar 1, $8
one week only
Holy Goats!
More improvisational movement, sound, and bagels featuring, this month, the Japanese end-blown bamboo flute stylings of Joel Taylor; Trisha Brown company member Linda K. Johnson; and drummer Delaney Kelly from the band Avenue of the Strongest. Performance Works NorthWest, 4625 SE 67th Ave, 777-1907, Sun 2 pm, $7 (includes coffee and bagel)
closing this week
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Older married couple George and Martha invite younger couple Nick and Honey over for drinks. The night passes, the drinks fly, and the overwhelming dysfunction in George and Martha's relationship begins to emerge. The most amazing thing about Edward Albee's play is that he draws this premise out for three-and-a-half hours, and it never grows boring or tiresome. JWS Portland Center Stage, 1111 SW Broadway, 274-6588, Tues-Wed, Sun 7 pm, Thurs 12 pm, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm, through Feb 9, $12-47
The Langston Hughes Project
A biographical sketch of Langston Hughes, followed by dramatic performances of the great man's poetry. Flooney's Theater Company, at The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th, 275-8352, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 5 pm, $10
current runs
Cart
James Moore's feature-length dramatic writing debut, Cart, tells the story of three squatters who shack up in a seemingly uninhabited house. Rick (Rollin Carlson) is obsessed with a grocery cart that mangled his car. He struggles to determine what is real and what isn't, and the audience struggles along with him. Moore is clearly inspired by the great surrealists--Shepard, Pinter, Charles Mee--but that doesn't mean he hasn't created something entirely new. JWS defunkt theatre, at the Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 993-9062, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm, through Feb 22, $8-15
Child of Pleasure
Directed by the talented Angie Lawless, this eclectic-sounding play delves into the life of 17th century philosopher-courtesan Ninon de L'Enclos. Call me a philistine, but I have no idea who that is. Coho Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh, 220-2646, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Mar 1, $16-$18
Proof
Proof has an interesting premise--daughter of a genius, Catherine (Kristen Brown), tries to follow in her dad's footsteps--and some likable characters--the dorky love interest, Hal (played by a very funny Ryan Lee), is a highlight. The end of the first act ends with a bang, unveiling a genuinely surprising twist regarding a long-lost mathematical proof that Catherine's father supposedly wrote before he died. But the second half unravels. JWS Artists Repertory Theatre, 1516 SW Alder St, 241-9807, Thurs, Sun, Tues-Wed 7 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Feb 23, $15-30
The Edjuhmuhcation Follies
Toad City specializes in improv and sketch comedy with an agenda. This time around they will be focusing on Portland's dismal education system. Toad City Productions, at Itisness, 3016 NE Killingsworth, 736-1027, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Mar 1, $10-$12
dance
Ballet Hispanico
As evidenced by its name, this dance company fuses ballet, modern and Latin dance forms into a spirited image of the contemporary Hispanic world. White Bird, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, SW Broadway & Main, 224-4400, Wed 7:30 pm, $18-$40
Gala Belly Dance Show
The small, but passionate belly dancing contingent in Portland is poised to explode at the Gala Belly Dance Show. Many different styles of Middle Eastern flesh-jiggling will be on display, including the amazing and ageless New York artist Elena Lentini. Fusing Belly Dance with forms like Japanese Budoh and Flamenco, Lentini has performed with butterfly puppets on sticks and an eight-foot Bunraku puppet worm. She is legendary. Sharita Productions, at the Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th, 239-7458, Sat 8 pm, $14-$18
Secreto y Malibu
The Portland debut of an original Argentinean dance theater production in which two women, Secreto and Malibu, have a relationship in a provincial South American town. PICA at the Crystal Ballroom, 1111 SW Broadway, 242-1419, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $13-$16
Voice of the Dragon
Chinese-American composer, saxophonist, writer and political activist, Fred Ho, presents this dance piece based on a 17th century fable about the five disciples of the Shaolin Temple, who band together to defeat their mortal enemy, Gar Man Jang, a renegade Shaolin nun. Oregon Symphony, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, SW Broadway & Main, 228-1353, Mon 7:30 pm, $21-$59