Closing This Week

The Brain That Wouldn't Die
The Brain That Wouldn't Die follows the mishaps of Dr. Bill Cortner (T. Austin Sabel), a mad scientist-type who is working on techniques to graft body parts from one human onto another. When his girlfriend Jan (Sabra Choi) is decapitated in a car crash, Cortner rescues her head, keeping it alive until he can find a body to reattach it to. He begins cruising strip clubs, looking for the perfect body for his girlfriend's head; when he finds an unsuspecting victim (Gwen Lahti), he lures her back to his cabin to perform the surgery. Only problem is, Jan doesn't want a new body; Jan just wants to die, and maybe to kill Cortner before she goes. In the same vein as Last Rites' successful "Manos" The Hands of Fate, Brain is a spoofy, goofy good time, noteworthy for the gleeful energy with which it reaches out to its audience. AH The Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark, 547-4019, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $10-12

Current Runs

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Proof that the depressing trend of updating Shakespeare to make his work "relevant" may never die, Lakewood presents a version of Midsummer Night's Dream that's set in California and soundtracked by the Beatles, the Doors, and the Beach Boys. Lakewood Theatre Company, 368 S State St, Lake Oswego, 635-3901, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, $22-24

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Wade McCullum revisits his Drammy-winning role as Hedwig, in Triangle Productions' encore run of the wildly popular musical about an East German transvestite who fronts an unsuccessful rock band. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1516 SW Alder, 241-1278, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $20-38

Moby Dick: The Musical
This is not actually a musical version of Moby Dick. Rather, it's a play about a girls' school putting on a musical version of Moby Dick, which sounds marginally more appealing. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1516 SW Alder, 241-1278, Fri 8 pm, Sat 8 pm, 11 pm, Sun 2 pm, $16-20

Private Eyes
See review this issue. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm, $10

Wit
La Bodega's sophomore production is the Pulitzer-prize winning drama Wit, about a woman with cancer struggling to navigate the world of treatment. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, 998-0034, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm, $12-15

Comedy/Improv

Summer in Brodavia
An evening of long-form improv, based on suggestions from the audience. Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th, 224-0688, Sat 9 pm, $7-10

Theatresports
Two teams go head to head in this comedic battle of wits, in an all-improv contest based on audience suggestion. Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th, 224-0688, Fri 9 pm, $7-10