Opening This Week

1944 Christmas From Home
Tapestry continues its radio theater-style study of servicemen and the people they know, trying to celebrate Christmas in the throes of World War II. The company's last production, 1943 Christmas From Home, was a rousing success. Tapestry Theatre, at the Hollywood, 4122 NE Sandy, 245-6919, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Dec 21, $8-16

Jump for Joy!
It has a nauseating title, but Do Jump!'s new holiday show should be jam-packed with cool aerial stunts and funny bits, if their past shows are any indicator, that is. Do Jump! at the Echo Theatre, 1515 SE 37th, 231-1232, Opens Sat, runs Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 3 pm, through Jan 4, $15-20

Closing This Week

* Brilliant Traces
Set in the midst of an Alaskan whiteout, Brilliant Traces commences when a tattered, crazed bride from Arizona, Rosannah DeLuce (Val Landrum), bursts into the cabin of Henry Harry (Ted Schulz), a hermetic cook on leave from his job on an oil boat. Confined to a womb-like room within the depths of a blizzard, the two have no choice but to figure out why the other is there. Henry Harry's character drives the play as he picks apart Rosannah's resolve to not divulge why she left her husband at the alter, got into her car, and drove for four days in a wedding dress. Set designer Torry Bend has created a marvelously sprawling backdrop behind the actors of transparent walls of snow, evoking the wide-open isolation and indecipherable blankness both characters struggle against. AS e3 Productions at the Electric Company, 2512 SE Gladstone, Suite 200, 232-5955, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Dec 6, $15

Current Runs

Altered States of America
The always interesting Steve Patterson's new work is a series of mock documentary vignettes envisioning how it feels to take really fucked up drugs. Pavement Productions, at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, 777-2771, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through Dec 20, $13.50-15

Attendance Is Mandatory
A one-man show starring local improv guy Reuben Nisenfeld, who will use the format of a government propaganda film to mock the idea of government propaganda. Toad City Productions, at the Back Door, 4321 SE Hawthorne, 736-1027, Thurs 8 pm, through Dec 18, $7-9

* Biglittlethings
After years of perpetually re-mounting Frogz, Imago finally presents a show in the same vein that is entirely new and original. Biglittlethings features singing ducks, hitchhiking rabbits, insomniac hippos, and more. Like Frogz it will mix puppetry, masks, soundscapes, and live actors to what will almost certainly be dazzling effect. Imago Theater, 17 SE 8th Ave, 231-9581, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm, Sun 5:30 pm, through Dec 28, $14-24

Judy's Scary Little Christmas
A musical adaptation of a fictitious Judy Garland Christmas special, with characters like Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, and Richard Nixon. Sounds like theatrical suicide, though it features Triangle faves Daria O'Neill as Ethel Merman and Michael Teufel as Liberace. Triangle Productions, at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, 239-5919, Thurs 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 5 pm, through Dec 21, $19-23

The SantaLand Diaries & A Christmas Memory
The lesson learned when PCS put on this show last year is that David Sedaris' writing does not translate well to a theatrical setting, and yet the production was hugely popular, so PCS is reviving it. But local boy Steve Wilkerson's mugging performance in SantaLand Diaries is hammy and silly, two adjectives that are the dry, dry, dry Sedaris' worst enemies. Portland Center Stage, 1111 SW Broadway, 274-6588, Tues-Wed, Sun 7 pm, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, Thurs noon, through Dec 23, $16-51

Comedy/Improv

* Stephen Lynch
Lynch's funny/filthy singer/songwriter shtick is nothing new (Adam Sandler, Jack Black), but the thing is, he does it really, really well. Whether he's singing about offing his grandfather for inheritance money, missing his testicle, or losing his car keys (in a pitch-perfect Billy Corgan voice), his lyrics are always clever, and his voice is surprisingly strong. Roseland, 8 NW 6th Ave, 219-9929, Fri 8 pm, $18

* The 3rd Floor Takes a Holiday
Jordana Barnes, Andy Buzan, Kevin-Michael Moore, and the rest of the mah-velous 3rd Floor crew present a holiday-themed sketch comedy bundle of joy. They'll address Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Easter, and the always hilarious Armistice Day. The 3rd Floor, at the Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark, 258-1681, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Dec 27, $10

* Antiques Improv Show
The Brody revives its popular riff on the Antiques Road Show, and for good reason. The Antiques Improv Show's blend of audience participation and object "appraisals" is one of the most fun and innovative the company has ever come up with. Brody Theater, 1904 NW 27th Ave, 224-0688, Fri-Sat 8 pm, through Dec 20, $12