closing this week

The Diaries of Adam and Eve
Adam complains about Eve's penchant for naming things in his diary; Eve complains about Adam's poor communication skills in hers. Such moments are funny and poignant, and come across well in e3 Productions' stage adaptation of Mark Twain's great short story. What's missing is tension between Adam and Eve. Twain conceived Diaries as a light, episodic short story without the dramatic arc that would make it suitable for the stage. The stage version is thus faithful; it's fun, funny, and enjoyable... and that's it. MWH Theatre Vertigo, at the Electric Company, 2512 SE Gladstone, Suite 200, 232-5955, Fri-Sat 7 & 9 pm, through Mar 1, $8

The Edjumuhcation Follies
The Edjumuhcation Follies is a collection of skits and improv satirizing the mess Portland public schools have landed in. Each skit takes one shameful and/or excessively pointless aspect of the school system (kids are selling acne medicine to buy textbooks; third graders spend six weeks learning how to fill out ovals for standardized tests; etc.) and plays it out to the most absurd conclusion possible. Funny and bitterly poignant. AS Toad City Productions, at Itisness, 3016 NE Killingsworth, 736-1027, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Mar 1, $10-$12

current runs

Child of Pleasure
Writer William S. Gregory has loaded this chronicle of the 17th-century philosopher-courtesan Ninon L'Enclos with witty dialogue. The performances are nicely understated and the staging by director Angie Lawless simple, but elegant. An entertaining production, even if the passionate and indulgent presence of L'Enclos herself is strangely absent. JWS Coho Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh, 220-2646, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Mar 15, $16-$18

Book of Days
The classic play-within-a-play structure gets maxed out in this play about the star of a production called St. Joan, who goes on a quest to find truth and honesty in her small town. Portland Actors Conservatory, 1436 SW Montgomery St, 274-1717, Thurs 7 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Mar 9, $13-$20

Collage: True Stories from the Inside
Marguerite Scott unveils a slew of surreal characters both tragic and darkly comic in this one-woman show. Play Workshop Theatre at Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh, 274-6838, Fri-Sat 10:30 pm, through Mar 15, $6-$10

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress
Five women are all planning to get married in the same place, on the same day. The fun flies when all five bail out of their weddings and kick it in an upstairs bedroom. Magdelyn Theatre Company, 403 NW 5th, (971) 544-1736, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Mar 8, $12

Illegal Cock Fight
There's nothing fancy about the 3rd Floor. They make funny skits and they make them well. The 3rd Floor, at the Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark, 258-1681, Fri-Sat 11 pm, through Mar 15, $10

Shopping and F***ing
Tells two intertwining stories centered around an apartment where three wayward and emotionally unbalanced young adults engage in behavior ranging from mildly nauseating to outright disgusting. One story chronicles protagonist Mark (Michael Teufel), a gay heroin addict who muscles his way through interactions and resorts to shock-value antics like onstage ass-licking. Story #2 follows Lulu (Val Landrum), an aspiring actress who must spar with a smarmy executive (Joe Healy) for her next gig. Story #2 is interesting; story #1 is excessively tasteless and unfortunately wraps around story #2 like a noose. PB Triangle Productions, at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, 239-5919, Thurs-Fri 8 pm, through Mar 8, $25

dance

30 Days Performance Series
Conduit continues its series of exploratory work in media and performance with works from Emily Stone (movement/theater), Karl Lind (music/song/video), and more. Conduit Studio, 918 SW Yamhill, 4th Floor, 221-5857, Fri-Sat 8:30 pm, $8-$10

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Pretty much the most famous dance company in the U.S., if not the world. Its choreography is exhilaratingly difficult, and its dancers top-notch. White Bird, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, SW Broadway & Main, 224-4400, Tues-Wed 7:30 pm, $18-$60

comedy/improv

All Jane No Dick
The ladies of improv troupe All Jane No Dick will make you giggle like a school girl, which is fitting since they used to be school girls themselves. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 233-5798, Fri-Sat 8 pm, $10

ComedySportz--After Hours
The improv group known as Your Other Left presents an entire musical, made up on the spot and based on a single audience suggestion. ComedySportz Arena, 1963 NW Kearney Street, 236-8888, Fri 10 pm, through Mar 14, $5

Living Newspaper
The Brody will improvise on material ripped straight from the headlines. Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th Ave, 224-0688, Fri-Sat 8 pm, $10