Opening This Week

Bog of Cats
Coho presents a very welcome production of Irish playwright Marina Carr's darkly comic modern riff on the Greek legend of Medea. Coho Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh, 220-COHO, opens Fri, runs Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, $22

Mitlaufer
Fever Theater's new production explores the life and work of "Hitler's filmmaker," Leni Riefenstahl, through dance, interactive video design, light installation, and a haunting live score from local band Iretsu. Goldsmith Building, 10 NW 5th, 233-4420, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Fri-Sat 10 pm, $10-15, Thurs pay-what-you-can

Current Runs

Assassins
We missed listing this last week, and regret it—Sondheim's musical addresses the biographies of nine presidential assassins from throughout history. It's one of the more interesting, controversial shows around. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1516 SW Alder, 241-1278, Tues-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 & 7 pm, $15-40

Like I Say
In the Hotel Splendide the struggling writer Isaiah Sandoval (a perfectly cast Gary Norman) can spin his kooky story-within-a-play about Coconut Joe (Keith Cable), a hapless coconut buyer whose trip to peruse a particularly high-quality crop launches him into a crazy pulp adventure on the high seas. The Coconut Joe chorus of Nathan Gale, Amy Newman, Darius Pierce, and Jesse Young have a ball racing through the endless slew of wacky characters Joe meets on his journey. They hustle electric fans out on the stage to create snow effects, brutalize sock monkeys, and create general hilarious chaos with all manner of props and costume accessories. Their infectious energy and good cheer sharply contrasts with the "real world" of the play, highlighting the ponderous tedium of the hotel's main action. JWS Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, 306-0870, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $15, Thurs pay-what-you-can

Dance

Free Fall
We love specific little pursuits inflated to epic proportions. A-WOL Dance Collective are a group of (very cute) girls who splintered off from the Pendulum company to create their own company. They love to aerial dance, and do it on a level that demands the vast dimensions of the Winningstad Theater. Expect trapeze acrobatics, rope climbs, and other dazzling airborne feats. Winningstad Theater, PCPA Building, 1111 SW Broadway, 224-TIXX, Fri-Sat 8 pm, $17.25