Howard Zinn is a brilliant historian, a revolutionary thinker, and a... playwright? Catch a special reading of his one-man play Marx in Soho, to benefit Living Earth and performed by Nurmi Husa, who looks eerily similar to Karl Marx. Multnomah Friends Meeting House , 4312 SE Stark St., 788-5366, Fri 7:30 pm, $10
Amber Martin
Evening #2 of the incomparable Amber Martin's solo performance in the cozy confines of the Wild Abandon restaurant. Wild Abandon , 2411 SE Belmont, 232-4458, Thurs 9 pm, through April 28, $13 Break, Then Open Newcomer Jessica Wallenfels presents a theater/dance piece based on the writings of Joseph Campbell, and featuring the influences of Anne Bogart, Commedia D'ell Arte, and Afro-Brazilian martial arts. Tribe Theatre , 403 NW 5th, 227-3976, Fri-Sat 10:30 pm, through April 30, $10
Humble Boy
Humble Boy is a sharp, metaphysical comedy of manners. Call it a soap opera for the Sunday crossword puzzle set. Set in England, it revolves around Felix, a middle-aged theoretical physicist, and his mother, Flora. When Felix returns home for his father's funeral to find his mother already poised to remarry, the play's central conflict ensues. Charlotte Jones' script provides some brilliantly subtle, catty dialogue. AH Artists Repertory Theatre , 1516 SW Alder St, 241-1278, Thurs, Sun 7 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, $15-35
Picnic on the Battlefield
A "humorous, short, war play by Spanish theater artist, Fernando Arrabal," put on by the usually pretty good Sowelu company. Back Door Theatre , 4319 SE Hawthorne, 230-2090, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $8-15
The Vespiary
Luke (Shaun Patrick Hennessy) is a lonely kid in rural Texas with scary eyes and a strange ability to heal people's ailments with merely a touch. The local religious fanatics, led by the chilling Reverend Lyle (Gary Norman), think he's the spawn of Satan. Matthew B. Zrebski's new work, The Vespiary, devotes itself to uncovering the dark history Lyle and Luke share, and the people it's affected. Stark Raving's production of this rare addition to the horror play genre relies heavily on time-tested technical tricks to enhance the goosebump-factor--Elias Foley's ambient sound design is oppressive and seamless and the classic blood-curdling scream is used but not overused. The result is an orderly, well-sculpted array of familiar gimmicks as entertaining and pleasing as any old-fashioned, scary matinee movie. JWS Stark Raving Theatre , 2257 NW Raleigh, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $10-18
