WRITE ON: Eleanor and Vana O'Brien in Collected Stories.

STAGE

Blood Brothers

[OPENS THURSDAY] Willy Russell's tragic musical about fraternal twins, separated at birth, who grow up on opposite sides of the tracks. The London production is now in its 20th straight year. Arts Equity at the Main Street Theater, 606 Main St., 360-695-3770. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. Opens Nov. 8. $10-$24.

La Carpa del Ausente

[CLOSES SUNDAY] This year's incarnation of Miracle's annual Día de los Muertos revue takes the form of a World War II USO show—for the dead. Excellent acrobatics, choreography, slapstick routines and singing make for an excellent absurdist spectacle that's more than fun enough to forgive some rough spots. If you're looking for the sort of engaging entertainment only live theater can provide, check this one out. Bring the kids. BEN WATERHOUSE. Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., 236-7253. 7:30 pm Thursday, 8 pm Friday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday. Closes Nov. 11. $18-$20.

Cabaret

[CLOSES SUNDAY] Let's get this out of the way right now: This is the finest, most enjoyable production of a musical we've seen from PCS, and director Chris Coleman, to date. Storm Large is electric as Sally Bowles, monopolizing the audience's attention no matter how hard Wade McCollum, the ominous and menacing Emcee, tries to steal focus. Acting is good all around with the exception of NYC import Romain Frugé, who makes a dull straight man (sort of) in the character of Cliff Bradshaw. There's a lot of sex and a lot of pain in this show, but it's (rightly) more grotesque than sensual, and the heat only really rises during Storm's solos. You can't tamp that fire. Fun aside, this story is now more timely than ever—the last scene of Coleman's production, in which the Kit Kat Club performers huddle together as Hitler screams over the radio, is a warning: Don't let this happen again. Portland Center Stage at the Gerding Theater, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 2 and 7:30 pm Sunday. Closes Nov. 11. $18.50-$63.50.

Cheeseburger Dinner Theatre

[OPENS FRIDAY] "The Shakespeare Liberation army has edited Shakespeare's tale of greed and sorcery into a one-act play, and for your convenience added two characters to guide you through the language, imagery and iambic pentameter." And there's a cake walk. Huh. Theatre Uber Alles at East Portland Eagles Lodge 3256, 4904 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 285-6786. 7:30 pm Fridays-Sundays. Closes Nov. 18. $5-$7.

Chocolate Confessions

Joan Freed's one-woman musical is trouble. A veritable gorgefest of saccharine sweetness and ooey, gooey cocoa-cuteness. World Trade Center Theater, 25 SW Salmon St., 784-6220. 7:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 18. $29-$31.

Collected Stories

Zowie! Vana and Eleanor O'Brien—Portland's prolific mother-daughter team, fresh off Artists Rep's run of House & Garden—pull out all the stops for Maureen Towey's production of Donald Margulies' tightly written exploration of the relationship between two writers. Vana, settling into the "irascible dame" phase of her career and apparently loving it, plays Ruth, a successful, witty and deeply troubled author, who takes on Lisa (Eleanor) as an assistant and protégée. The chemistry between the two is extraordinary: The first act belongs to Eleanor, who, even as she grows closer to her mentor, appears to be constantly retreating; but Vana owns the final scene, as Ruth, stricken with cancer and professional jealousy, attempts to sabotage Lisa's success. BEN WATERHOUSE. CoHo Productions at the CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Dec. 1. $20-$23.

The Dinner Party

A Neil Simon comedy about a mysterious soiree. Think Ten Little Indians with divorce instead of murder. Lakewood Theatre at Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego, 635-3901. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 pm Sundays, 7 pm Nov. 11 and Dec. 9. Closes Dec. 9. $25, $23 students and seniors.

The Fall of the House

[CLOSES SATURDAY] The last episode of Portland's hit improvised sitcom. BEN WATERHOUSE. Action/Adventure Theatre at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 358-8646. 10:30 pm Thursday-Saturday. Closes Nov. 10. $10.

Godspell

If you don't care for of Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak's musical passion play, this well-sung but otherwise unpleasantly raucous and frenetic production is unlikely to change your mind; if you are a fan, it might make you break down in tears. Although Ammon Morris makes a likable Jesus, he's mostly drowned out by two hours of childish horseplay, embarrassingly bad rapping, and tasteless allusions to Arrested Development. By intermission, it's apparent that Kirk Mouser, a seasoned professional, has subcontracted the show's direction to his inner kindergartner—and the kid could use a Ritalin regime. Mouser wants very much for Portland to take his company seriously, but Godspell proves he's not there yet. Stumptown Stages at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate Ave., stumptownstages.com. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Dec. 1. $15-$27.

Licking the Plate

[CLOSES SATURDAY] Portland Story Theater present a new collection of tales about going all the way. Hipbone Studio, 1847 E Burnside St. #104, 793-5484. 8 pm Friday-Saturday. Closes Nov. 10. $12.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile

[OPENS THURSDAY] Einstein and Picasso walk into a bar. In Oregon city. New Century Players at Ainsworth House and Gardens, 19130 Lot Whitcomb Drive, Oregon City, 367-2620. 7:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 4:30 pm Sundays. Opens Nov. 8. $10-$12.

Pinocchio

[OPENS FRIDAY] Jon Ludwig's new adaptation of the classic cautionary tale pairs live actors with puppets galore. Tears of Joy Theatre at the Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 248-0557. 7:30 pm Fridays, 11 am Saturdays, 2 and 4 pm Sundays. Opens Nov. 9. $16, $13 children.

Pvt. Wars

[SHORT RUN] A staged reading of James McLure's story of three GIs recovering from their tours in Vietnam. Bob Martin directs. Readers Theatre Repertory at Blackfish Gallery, 420 NW 9th Ave., 295-4997. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, Nov. 9-10. $8.

Same Time Next Year

[READING] Thom Bray and Jami Chatalas Blanchard read Bernard Slade's adulterous romantic comedy. Portland Civic Theatre Guild at the Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave. 10:30 am Tuesday, Nov. 6. $6.

Sharing War Secrets: Oregon Veterans Redeem Memories from Darkness.

[CLOSES MONDAY] Well Arts Institute presents an evening of short plays by vets of the Vietnam and Gulf wars. Well Arts at Artists Repertory Theatre Second Stage, 1516 SW Alder St., 459-4500. 7 pm Sunday-Monday. Closes Nov. 12. $19, $10 veterans.

Six Degrees of Separation

[CLOSES SUNDAY] A promising start to Profile's season of John Guare plays, this unbearably uncomfortable retelling of an incident in which several rich New Yorkers were conned by a young man claiming to be the son of Sydney Poitier weds a large, talented cast with Guare's trademark wit and one enormous Kandinsky. Gripes: long, almost motionless phone conversations; the left side of the house sees mostly behinds. BEN WATERHOUSE. Profile Theatre at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 242-0080. 8 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday. Closes Nov. 11. $12-$28.

Sometimes Toilet Water

Billed as "a kids' show written mostly by kids and performed mostly by grownups," Sometimes Toilet Water is Curious Productions' latest undertaking, an introduction to improv-style comedy for the very young. The CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 380-3516. 2 pm Saturdays. Closes Nov. 17. $10, $5 children.

Spirits to Enforce

This one's better than it sounds: 12 telemarketers on a submarine, trying to raise funds for a production of The Tempest, to be performed by an ensemble of superheroes. Still with me? Underneath the fanciful trappings, this sequel (of sorts) to Shakespeare's anticolonial revenge comedy is an homage to the joys of amateur theater—the sorts of performances that make up for ignorance and incompetence with sheer chutzpah—and it is delightful. Special props to Vivien Lyon (Ariel) and Ian Goodrich (The Pleaser). If only the show were performed in a venue more conducive to fantasy (and more soulful) than Performance Works NorthWest. BEN WATERHOUSE. The Bluestockings at Performance Works NorthWest, 4625 SE 67th Ave., 307-2410. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 3 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 17. $10. Thursdays are "pay what you will."

Titus Andronicus

Without a doubt, Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare's most cruel—and tragically overlooked—play. In this rare performance, Northwest Classical Theatre, working with nearly nothing, has created a show of uncommon, raw intensity. The intimate nature of the show is partly due to the in-the-round setup; there are only 10 ways to not sit in the front row. Not unlike at a football game, the best seats are on the sidelines, but expect to be part of the show—a de facto member of the senate. Performances here are powerful, save for one: The title character, played by Joe Healy, is nervous and shaking, reacting to unfathomable horror with an escaping smile. It isn't until the fourth act that he really settles into the role, as Titus unravels. Fortunately, the rest of the cast supports this brutal play, especially Kareem Hill as the villainous Aaron the Moor. JIM SANDBERG. Northwest Classical Theatre Company at the Shoe Box Theater, 2110 SE 10th Ave., 971-244-3740. 7 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Nov. 18. $12-$18.

The Underpants

In his rewrite of a formulaic German sex farce, Steve Martin flies through philosophical and political questions as if he has a "serious topics" quota to fill. "Have I mentioned antisemitism? Adultery? OK! More dick jokes!" The resulting "comedy" is too ponderous to be funny and too rushed to be interesting. Rose Riordan's direction has some good stuff going for it, with highly stylized sequences of slapstick and melodrama that achieve the humor and humanity the script lacks, but you're probably still better off renting Roxanne. BEN WATERHOUSE. The Gerding Theater, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturdays-Sundays, noon Thursdays. Closes Dec. 2. $16.50-$43.50.

CLASSICAL

Cinderella

No horse-drawn carriages here. Portland Opera's new Cinderella runs dangerously low on fairy-tale magic, and fails to deliver the rush and fizz of Rossini's champagne-sparkling score. Christopher Mattaliano's direction doesn't exactly help three hours in the theater to fly by, either. But true to the essence of this fairy-tale opera, Portland's own Angela Niederloh rises from the ashes with the kind of fully integrated, ebulliently sung performance as Cinderella that lights up every corner of the stage. Niederloh traces an arc from fragile sweeper girl to graceful princess that shines with unforced charm. She nails every dizzying coloratura flight with glamorously ripe tone all up and down the scale. This is singing that could stand on any American opera stage today. Morgan Smith's broad comedy and peerless singing as Dandini is another highlight; tenor Michael Colvin's thin-sounding Ramiro is less so. Conductor Christopher Larkin works harder than he should have to in getting the lead out from the Opera's tired-sounding orchestra: one senses that buoyant bel canto is not their especially favorite stuff to play. STEPHEN MARC BEAUDOIN. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 241-1802. 7:30 pm Thursday and Saturday, Nov. 8 & 10. $41.75-$147.75.

Portland Youth Philharmonic Season Opener

Portland's first-rate homegrown youth orchestra ranks among one of the best in the region, and maybe beyond. After some adventurous years under conductor Mei-Ann Chen (she's moved on to a new position with Robert Spano at the Atlanta Symphony), the orchestra is plotting its future anew. Part of this process is finding a new music director, and four of them take the podium this season with PYP, though two are former music directors of the orchestra (Chen and Huw Edwards). First up this season is exciting young conductor Ken Selden, in his second year as director of the orchestral program at PSU, where he's created quite a buzz. His PYP program has bite and color: Debussy's ineffably beautiful La Mer, Rachmaninoff's high-stepping Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, and the Portland premiere of a newish work from contemporary Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, Asteroid 4179: Toutatis. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 223-5939. 7:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 10. $11-$37.

Sound Detective's Guide

So, apparently this program employs an actor (a musician? maybe conductor Josephine Lee?) as a "musical detective," sleuthing out sounds from orchestral works by Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Benjamin Britten. Why not hire affable composer-educator Bruce Adolphe and do a symphonic program for kids the right way? Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 228-1353. 2 pm Sunday, Nov. 11. $8-$39.

University of Portland Choral Union & Community Orchestra

The University's student chorus and orchestra takes on two sides of the same French coin: Camille Saint-Saëns' dazzling Piano Concerto No. 5, with graduate student Jessica Reed as soloist, and Gabriel Fauré's meditative Requiem. Chapel of Christ the Teacher, University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd., 943-7228. 3 pm Sunday, Nov. 11. Free.

DANCE

BodyVox

To celebrate 10 years of athletic and playful contemporary dance, Body Vox offers something oldish—a revival of its 2004 full-evening work Water Bodies. But there are new elements within: the Mitchell Rose short film Metamorfishes: Like Kafka But Wetter, which follows the aquatic theme with an underwater duet between company cofounder Ashley Roland and dancer Lane Hunter, plus the slightly less H2O-oriented world premiere of Horizontal Leanings, set to an original score by South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen. Third Angle Music Ensemble provides live accompaniment for much of the program. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 229-0627. 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 8-11, 2 pm family matinee Saturday. $12-$40.

Raks Awalim

When we say that Raks Awalim's bellydance performance is interactive, we're not talking about pretty ladies pulling embarrassed businessmen away from their tables to join in the dance. No, we're talking about a quartet of classically trained pretty ladies wielding fire, swords and live snakes while they undulate to live Latin-Middle Eastern fusion drumming. As if you needed further incentive to attend, the show benefits the Sexual Assault Resource Center, and raffle genies will be handing out prizes. Someday Lounge, 125 5th Ave., 715-7219. 7:30 pm Friday, Nov. 9. $10 donation.

Summer Morgan Dance

What separates mankind from monkeys is our ability to communicate in metaphors (well, that and the whole driving thing). Consider this during Evolver, a contemporary dance piece in which Morgan—who has already swung from the rafters at such experimental venues as Conduit and the Merce Cunningham Studio—and her small company juxtapose animalistic movement with the more stylized kind, and the natural life with the fabricated, posing as she goes the perennial head-scratcher: Which is better? Firehouse Theatre, 1436 SW Montgomery St., 239-5350. 8 pm Friday-Sunday, Nov. 9-11. $15.