Opening This Week
A New Brain
PCS's first musical ever, about one man who contemplates his life in the face of a fatal brain disease. Portland Center Stage, 1111 SW Broadway, 274-6588, Opens Fri, Tues-Wed 7 pm, Thurs 12, 8 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7, 2 pm, through Apr 22, $10-$43
Long Days Journey Into Night
Eugene O'Neill's study of a family stricken by alcoholism is easily one of the most depressing plays in the history of theater. Jack Oakes Theater, 2820 NE Sandy Blvd, 238-9692, Thurs-Fri 7 pm, through May 19, $10
* The Killing Game
Ionesco's scathing satire of suburban conformity. Contains puppets, politicians, and plague. Lewis & Clark College, 615 SW Palatine Hill Road, 224-8499, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through Apr 21, $3-$8
The Ride Down Mount Morgan
A man with two wives who don't know about each other finds himself in the hospital, with both wives about to come visit... Profile Theater Project, at Theater! Theater!, 3430 SE Belmont St, 242-0080, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through May 6, $12-$15
One Week Only
Doug Varon and Dancers
The White Bird/PSU dance season closes with this company of "dare-devil profoundly human super-humans." White Bird, at the Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave, 224-8499, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $12-$24
Everywoman
A staged reading of this new play by Hungarian playwright, Peter Karpati, followed by a question-and-answer session. Artists Repertory Theater, 1516 SW Alder St, 241-1278, Mon 7 pm, $5
Jane Comfort & Company present Asphalt
The story of Racine, an aspiring young DJ who transcends his dismal surroundings through the power of music. Includes, dance, jazz, and Zuni mysticism PICA at the Scottish Rite Center, 12000 SW 49th, 242-1419, Fri-Sat 8 pm, $13-$16
Closing This Week
No Can Do
The always-innovative Imago serves up a dizzying study of an actor's inner demons. Imago Theater, 17 SE 8th Ave, 231-9581, Thurs 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Apr 14, $14-$18
The Life And Death of So-And-So
A struggling playwright receives help on his new play from Job, the guy in the Bible. Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Fri-Sat, 10:30 pm, through Apr 14, $7
The Relapse
A buoyant, bawdy comedy by Sir John Vanbraugh. Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd, 522-9453, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Apr 14, $1-$5
Current Runs
a Kind of Surrender
A man gets lost in his own apartment and a woman, not surprisingly, mocks him. The Engaged Theater, at It's A Beautiful Pizza, 3341 SE Belmont, 788-6670, Thurs-Fri 8 pm, through May 5, $1-$6
Brutality of Fact
Keith Reddin's effort to shed a ray of artistic light on the cause and effect of religious extremism. Wow. Theatre Vertigo at the Russell Street Theater, 116 N Russell, 306-0870, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through May 5, $12
Lend Me A Tenor
The adventures of an opera-singing, temperamental womanizer, all served up with a healthy portion of food-o Italiano! Sylvia's Class Act Dinner Theater, 5115 NE Sandy Blvd, 288-6828, Thur-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, through June 17, $31.95 (includes dinner)
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
Pirates of Penzance
Gilbert and Sullivan's classic tale of pirate love. Musical Theater Company, Eastside Performance Center, 531 SE 14th Avenue, 916-6592, Thurs-Fri 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Apr 22, $16-$28
Riders to the Sea
Catamount interprets John Synge's famous text through physical and vocal actions. Seating is limited, so call for reservations. Catamount Theatre, 1306 NW Hoyt, Suite 307, 231-0839, Fri-Sun 8 pm, through Apr 29, Free
The Swan
A nurse from Nebraska is transformed by a swan that crashes in her living room. Sowelu Theater at the Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 230-2090, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm, through Apr 29, $7-$15
* The Weir
Conor McPherson's masterpiece about ghost stories in an Irish pub: each character--Finbar, the local wealthy loudmouth; Jim, the Mr. fix-it who lives with his mother; and the mysterious Valerie--is haunted by something, and MacPherson's deceptively simple storytelling device somehow manages to expose those haunts with both conciseness and tenderness. (Justin Sanders) Artists Repertory Theater, 1516 SW Alder St, 241-1278, Tues-Thurs, 7 pm, Fri-Sat, 8 pm Sun 2 pm, through Apr 29, $22-$26
Two by Four
An evening of thematic improv from Brody veterans, Tom Johnson, Brian Kameoka, Kerry Leek, and Kate Poland. Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th Ave, 224-0688, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Apr 28, $8
