FRIDAY, MARCH 24 

Reduced City Services Today Call ahead to ensure programs or services you desire will be available. 981-CITY. www.cityofberkeley.info 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Marian Diamond on “The Everlasting Gain in Biology” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020.  

“The Real Truth About Iraq” with former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter, Iraqi citizen Faiza Al-Araji, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and Medea Benjamin at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-255-7296, ext. 200. www.globalexchange.org 

Activist Series: Faiza Al-Araji, Iraqi Shia woman married to a Sunni will speak at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. Note that this is a change in location. 526-2900. 

Candlelight Vigil to Remember Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyred in El Salvador on March 24, 1980, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker, 1640 Addison. 482-1062. 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente, Dining Conference Room, 1950 Franklin St., Oakland. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., room 17. 843-0150. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

“Does the Torah Teach Us to Live In Post Modern Society?” at Kol Hadash Humanistic Judaism Shabbat, at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Please bring finger dessert to share, and non-perishable food for the needy. Free and open to all. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 

Make Your Own Rope We will learn about the history of rope-making and make rope from various natural fibrous materials, from 2 to 3:30 p.m at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $3, registration required. 636-1684. 

Creating a Meditation Garden with Peter Bowyer at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Landscape Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

Mt. Wanda Wildflower Walk in the hills where John Muir took his daughters, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Meet Ranger Tad Shay at the “Park and Ride” lot at the corner of Alhambra Ave. and Franklin Canyon Rd., Martinez. 925-228-8860. 

Spirit Walking Aqua Chi (TM) A gentle water exercise class at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Cost is $3.50 per session. 526-0312. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 26 

Early Bloomers Find the earliest spring flowers on an easy hike through the canyon. Meet at 1 p.m at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“The Challenge of Global Climate Change” with Suzanne Jones Ph.D and sponsored by Richmond Environmental Fund at 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, Martina and W. Richmond Sts., Point Richmond. 234-4669. 

“The Scream Inside: California Women in Prison” A Women’s History Month lecture on the realities of women incarcerated in California at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Venezuela: Worker-Controlled Factories” A multi-screen video installation and talk at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Music for Babies at 9 a.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Donation of $4 suggested. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org  

Parent First Aid & Emergency Care for Babies at 4 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Cost is $30, $50 for couples. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org  

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are sponsored by the Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. The Berkeley City Club is located at 2315 Durant Ave. For group reservations or more information, call 848-7800 or 883-9710. 

Punk Rock Flea Market from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at at 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

Yoga and Meditation from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Awareness, Dream and Self-Image” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com  

MONDAY, MARCH 27 

Community Meeting on a Sunshine Ordinance for Berkeley at 7 p.m. at 2180 Milvia St., 6th floor. 981-7170. 

Fruit Tree Tour encouraging the planting of urban orchards, a caravan of hand-painted veggie oil-powered busses, and African drumming and eco hip-hop program at 10 a.m. at Peralta Elementary, 460 63rd Ave. Oakland. www.CommonVision.org 

World Affairs Discussion Group for seniors at 10:15 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center. Cost is $2.50. 

Free Business Loan and Business Plan Writing Boot Camp Mon. and Fri. from 9 a.m. to noon at 519 17th St., 2nd Floor, Ste. 200, Oakland, through March 31. 395-6003. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

Sing-A-Long from10 to 11 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Beginning Bridge Lessons at 11:10 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Cost is $1. 524-9122. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 28 

“Circling the Globe-More Than a Dream,” with Bryan and Audrey Gillette at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

National Nutrition Month Cooking Demonstration with Michael Bauce on sautéeing greens, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley High School Site Council meets at 4:30 p.m. in the Conference Room. 525-0124. 

Teen Babysitting Class at 4 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org  

Raging Grannies of the East Bay invites new folks to come join us the 2nd and 4th Tues, of each month, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. to sing (any voice will do), help plan our next gig, or write outrageously political lyrics to old familiar tunes, and have fun at Berkeley Gray Panthers office, 1403 Addison St., in Andronico’s mall. 548-9696. 

Berkeley PC Users Group meets at 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St. near Eunice. 

Stress Less Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at New Moon Opportunities, 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. In case of questionable weather, call around 8 a.m. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Free Handbuilding Ceramics Class 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also, Mon. noon to 4 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Materials and firing charges not included. 525-5497. 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29  

Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association Lecture “Human Rights in an Age of Terrorism” with Allan Solomonow, Director, American Friends Service Committee, at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $40 for the eight lecture series. 526-2925. 

Total Solar Eclipse A live webcast from Turkey from 1:15 to 3:15 a.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. Tickets are $5-$8. 336-7373.  

Oakland Unified’s Annual Science Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. Cost is $9-$13. 336-7300.  

Warriors Basketball Benefit for Habitat for Humanity at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way. Discounted tickets available for $25 or $30, with $5 going to support the Habitat affiliate of your choice. 1-800-980-5434. www.bayareahabitat.org 

Early Childhood Education Workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the California Ballroom, 1736 Franklin St., Oakland. Sponsored by the Alameda County Office of Education. Free, but registration requested. 670-3175. 

“Empowering Yourself, Empowering Your Parents” with Donna Robbins at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 848-1960, ext. 246. 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “The New Media Monopoly” by Ben H. Bagdikian, at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Coffee Shop, El Cerrito Plaza. 433-2911. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Prose Writer’s Workshop An ongoing group made up of friendly writers who are serious about our craft. All levels welcome. At 7 p.m. at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. georgeporter@earthlink.net 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Meditation and Discussion at 7 p.m. near the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. No commitment to a particular religious or philosophical viewpoint is required. Free. www.heartawake.com 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, MARCH 30 

Artists With Heart Fundraiser for the homeless children at the Children’s Learning Center at Ursula Sherman Village. Reception with KQED’s Josh Kornbluth, live music and food donations from the East Bay’s top restaurants and art sale at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $100. 235-6502. 

“Harvest of Shame” Edward R. Murrow’s 1960 documentary on farmerworkers, will be shown in honor of Cesar Chavez Day at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Bring seat cushions and snacks. 548-2220. 

“9/11 The Myth and The Reality” A talk by David Ray Griffin at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10. 496-2700. www.pdeastbay.org/ 

f911MythReality 

The Berkeley Retired Teachers Association, (CRTA Div. 49), holds its annual general meeting at 1 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 841 The Alameda. The featured speaker will be Ms. Peggy Plett, Deputy CEO of the California State Teachers Retirement System, Benefits and Services. 

Living with Threes and Fours at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org  

Oakland Unified’s Annual Science Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. Cost is $9-$13. 336-7300.  

Berkeley Public Library’s Teen Readers meets to discuss Douglas Adam’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” at 4 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue (at Ashby). 

“Understanding Senior Care Options” Learn about residential care facilities and how to find the right one, residents rights when living in a residential care home, and other services, from noon to 2 p.m. at East Oakland Senior Center, 9255 Edes Ave. at 98th St., Oakland. 638-6878, ext. 103. 

Ask a Union Mechanic every Thursday, 4:30 tp 6 p.m. at Parker and Shattuck, until the strike is settled. They will offer advice on all makes of car. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

FRIDAY, MARCH 31 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Sally Baker, producer of “Wee Poets” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

“Preparing Our Communities for the End of Cheap Oil” A presentation by the Post Carbon Institute at 7:30 p.m. at Laney College Forum, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. Cost is $10. Day-long conference on Sat. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St. http://bayarea.relocalize.net, www.postcarbo.org 

Arts and Crafts Cooperative of Berkeley Gallery Spring Seconds Sale from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

Historical & Current Times Book Group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1249 Marin Ave. 548-4517. 

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., room 17. 843-0150. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

ONGOING 

Free Tax Help—United Way’s Earn it! Keep It! Save It! program provides free filing assistance to households that earned less than $38,000 in 2005. To find a free tax site near you, call 800-358-8832 or visit www.EarnitKeepitSaveit.org 

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is seeking volunteers who will spend a morning or afternoon greeting tour participants and answering questions at the free native plant garden tour, featuring sixty-four gardens located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties on Sunday, May 7, 2006. Volunteers can select the garden they would like to spend time at by visiting the “Preview the 2006 Gardens” section at www.BringingBackTheNatives.net 

Public Art Opportunities Request for Entries The City of Berkeley is looking for artists for the 2006 Civic Center Art Competition and Exhibition. Entries are due April 18. For details contact the Civic Arts Program, 981-7533. 

Artwork for the Corporation Yard Gates Request for Proposals Applications are due April 3. For details call the Civic Arts Program at 981-7533. 

Proposal for a Mural in Tribute to Maudelle Shirek in Old City Hall. Artists are requested to submit proposals by March 31. For details contact the Civic Arts Program, 981-7533. 

Albany Library Free Drop-in Homework Help for students in third through fifth grades, Mon. - Thurs. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Find a Loving Animal Companion at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Adoption Center (open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday). 2700 Ninth St. 845-7735. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

Medical Care for Your Pet at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society low-cost veterinary clinic. 2700 Ninth St. For appointments call 845-3633. www.berkeleyhumane.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Mar. 27, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Virginia Aiello, 981-5158. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/parksandrecreation 

Solid Waste Management Commission Mon., Mar. 27, at 7 p.m., at 1201 Second St. Tania Levy, 981-6368. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/solidwaste 

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FRIDAY, MARCH 24 

THEATER 

Berkeley Rep “Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell” at 8 p.m. in the Roda Theater. Tickets are $45-$59. Runs through April 16. 647-2949.  

Black Repertory Group Theater “Judgement Day” Where Are You Gonna Run? at 6 p.m. Fri. and Sat. at 3201 Adeline. Tickets are $20-$25. 916-613-6165. 

Central Works “Shadow Crossing” Thurs. - Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through March 26. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

“(The 99 Cent) Miss Saigon” at 7:30 p.m. at Willard Middle School Metalshop Theater, 2425 Stuart St. through Mar. 25. Tickets are $5-$15. 547-8932. 

Opera Piccola’s Reality Tour at 9:30 a.m. at Paul Robeson Visual and Performing Arts High School, on the Fremont Federation Campus, 4610 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. 658-0967. www.opera-piccola.org 

Shotgun Players “Bright Ideas” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. to April 23. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Heroic Grace: The Chinese Martial Arts Film at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sharon Smith and Phil Gasper discuss “Subterranean Fire: A History of Working-Class Radicalism in the U.S.” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Ada Limón and Kaya Oakes, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Mary Elizabeth Berry introduces “Japan in Print: Information and Nation in the Early Modern Period” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zorro Remixed Dance and theater in conjunction with the Berkeley Youth Arts Festival at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. 644-6893. www.berkeleysrtcenter.org 

All Ages Hip Hop Concert with Crank Jai, Blayze McKee, Influence and others at 9 p.m. in the East Pauley Ballroom, UC Campus. Benefit for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Tickets are $10 and available only in advance at http://umca.berkeley.edu/calbattles.html 

Oakland East Bay Symphony performs Elgar, Beethovan and Mozart at 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Pre-concert lecture at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are $15-$60. 652-8497. www.oebs.org 

What’s Up!? Aerial Dance Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Studio 12, 2525 Eighth St. Tickets are $10-$15. 587-0770. www.movingout.org  

Son con Trova: A Celebration of Contemporary Latino Songwriters and Music, with Trova sin Traba at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

James Gilman, tenor, and Cara Bradbury, piano, perform Schubert’s “Winterreise” at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $12. 848-1228. 

Cesaria Evora, Cape Verdean morna, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Ajamu Akinyele with Gemini Soul at 4:30 p.m. at Borders Books, 5800 Shellmound St., Emeryville, and at 6:30 p.m. at Starbucks,1600 Shattuck Ave. 848-7155. 

Eric Swinderman Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Stompy Jones at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Deborah Levoy, singer/songwriter, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Angie Stevens, indie alt country, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

Caren Armstrong at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Matt Renzi Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Coaster and Roberta Chevrette at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Akimbo, An Albatross, Last Clear Chance at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Girl Fest Bay Area with Ali Wong, Velocity Circus, La Paz and others at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Angie Stevens at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204. 

Guru Garage at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Lydia Mills, songs, games and puppets in Spanish, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

East Bay Children’s Theater, “Cinderella’s Glass Slipper” at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m at James Moore Theatre, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St. Tickets are $7. 655-7285. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Celebrates “Si Se Puede” in Homage to César Chávez Poster exhibit at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Through March 30. 981-6107. 

“Still Present Pasts” A collaborative exhibition on Korean Americans and the “Forgotten War” Intergenerational discussion at 1 p.m. at Pro Arts, 550 Second St., Oakland. 763-4361. 

FILM 

Asian American Film Festival “Café Lumiere” at 4:45 p.m. and Chinese Martial Arts Films at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Brian Fies provides honesty, emotion and humor in his book of cartoons “Mom’s Cancer” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mic at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. 

Justus Ballard, Henry Baum, Laurence Dumortier, Mary Rechner and Carol Treadwell read from their fiction at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Cello Recital in conjunction with the Berkeley Youth Arts Festival at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. 644-6893. www.berkeleysrtcenter.org 

Helda Wilking, contemporary recorder music at noon at A Cheerfull Noyse, 1228 Solano Ave., Albany. 524-0411. 

Healing Muses “A Celebration of Robert Burns,“ at 8 p.m. at Parish Hall, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 1501 Washington St., Albany. Venue not wheelchair accessible. Tickets are $15-$18. 524-5661. www.healingmuses.org  

Pacific Mozart Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Free. 981-6100. 

“Dangerous Beauty” Hip-hop, modern, African and jazz dance, with spoken word and rap performed by Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company at 7:30 p.m. at Malonga Casquelourde Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. Tickets are $6-$20. 597-1619. 

Cesaria Evora, Cape Verdean morna, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Seething Brunswicks at 8 p.m. at the Lucre Lounge, 2086 Allston Way. Cost is $8. Benefit for Berkeley Community Media. 

Anything Goes Chorus 25th Anniversary Concert with jazz, pop, Broadway and world music at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison at 27th St., Oakland. Tickets are $15, children 12 and under $10, at the door.  

What’s Up!? Aerial dance performance at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 3 p.m. at Studio 12, 2525 Eighth St. Tickets are $10-$15, and must be purchased in advance. 587-0770.  

“The Waters of March” folk, jazz and a capella harmonies with Mary Ford and friends at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific School of Religion Chapel, 1798 Scenic Ave. Suggested donation $10-$25. 704-7729.  

Son con Trova: A Celebration of Contemporary Latino Songwriters and Music, with Son Sabrosón at 9 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568.  

Jamie Davis & Mark Little Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Girl Fest Bay Area with X-Factor, Rachel Kann, Jennifer Johns and others at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Christina Kowalchuck, Judea Eden and others, indie folk, poprock, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

Joshua Eden and The Blank Tapes at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Matt Morrish Quartet at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Unjust, Omissa, Nuclear at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Rhoda Benin at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Sam Bevan Jazz Trio at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Alan Smithline, country blues at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

All Shall Perish, Suffocate, The Assailant at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 26 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Now-Time Venezuela: Worker Controlled Factories” A multi-screen projection by Dario Azzellini and Oliver Ressler, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Discussion with the artists at 2 p.m. 642-0808. 

“Dance Anywhere” Photographs and video from 2005 at 2 p.m. at 8th Street Studio, 2525 Eighth St.  

FILM 

The Wide Angle Cinema of Michael Brault “The Times That Are” at 3 p.m. “The River Schooners” at 5:20 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Son con Trova: A Celebration of Contemporary Latino Songwriters Songwriting Workshop hosted by Lichi Fuentes at 12:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568.  

Poetry Flash with Sandra Stone and Barbara Tomash at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

What’s Up!? Aerial Dance at 3 p.m. at Studio 12, 2525 Eighth St. Tickets are $10-$15. 587-0770. www.movingout.org  

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra, with young cellist Paul Hyun, winner of the Khuner Competition, at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave., Oakland. Admission is free, donations requested. 

Marcelle Dronkers, soprano, Larry London, clarinet at 4 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. A benefit concert for Children’s Hospital. Donation $7-$25. 527-6202. 

Pacific Collegium, works of twentieth-century a cappella choral literature at 3 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $8-$18. 459-2341.  

Chamber Music Sundaes with San Francisco Symphony Principal Cellist Michael Grebanier at 3:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $9-$21. 415-584-5946.  

“Dangerous Beauty” Hip-hop, modern, African and jazz dance, with spoken word and rap performed by Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company at 3 p.m. at Malonga Casquelourde Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. Tickets are $6-$20. 597-1619. 

Steve Seskin, Brian Joseph, Kenny Edwards at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Vadim Repin, violin, and Nikolai Lugansky, piano, at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$58. 642-9988.  

Jewish Music Festival Comunity Music Day with Josh Kornbluth and Ira Levin from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the BRJCC. Tickets are $7-$24. 415-276-1511. 

Mario Correa’s Brazilian Soul Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Celia Malheiros, Brazilian vocalist, at 4:30 at the Jazz 

school. Cost is $15. 845-5373.  

Head-Royce School Jazz Combo and Jazz Choir at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Myra Chaney and Kristan Willits at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Funeral Diner, Racebannon, Gospel at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, MARCH 27 

EXHIBITIONS 

Hideo Hagiwara “Mount Fuji Woodblock Prints” opens at the IEAS Lobby, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Floor, and runs through May 19. Sponsored by the Institute of East Asian Studies. http://ieas.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Carol Jameson will read from “Trollope in Divine Valley” a contemporary Victorian soap opera, at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Meet the Kellermans: The First Family of Crime Fiction with authors Jonathan Kellerman, Faye Kellerman and first-time author Jesse Kellerman at 6:30 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael, 2132 Center St. Dinner is $75. Benefit for the American Friends of the Israeli Red Cross. 644-9500.  

Poetry Express theme night: Poems About Women, with guest Selah Geissler at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Diana Rowan, 3 harps, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Zilber-Muscarella Quartet and Invitational at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 28 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Tell it on Tuesday” Story- 

telling with Lauren Crux, Kate Frankle, and others at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $8-$12 sliding scale. www.juliamorgan.org 

Rosalind Wiseman gives parenting advice in “Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Swamp Coolers at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Larry Vuckovich, solo jazz piano at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Ellen Hoffman Trio and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Randy Craig Trio at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Debra Dean introduces her new novel “The Madonnas of Leningrad” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean on harpsichord at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra with Garrick Ohlsson, piano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$54. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Blue Roots at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Five & Dime Jazz, The Great Auk at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

Orquestra Bakan at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa dance lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Sol Spectrum at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Tret Fure at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

THURSDAY, MARCH 30 

FILM 

The Enchanting World of Jacques Demy “Lola” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tom Tomorrow introduces his first compilation of cartoons “Hell in a Handbasket: Dispatches From the Country Formerly Known as America” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Betty Lucas, life coach, introduces “Many Roads to Love” at 7 p.m. at A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 La Salle Ave., Oakland, 339-8210.  

Word Beat Reading Series with Phillip Deitch and Susan Birkeland at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Children’s Choral Festival at 12:30 p.m. at Regents’ Theater, Holy Names University. Free. 436-1234. 

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, music of Zulu mine and factory workers, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$46. 642-9988.  

Ellis Paul at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Adam Blankman and his Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Travis Jones & Friends at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Michael Bluestein Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Selector with Black Edgars Musicbox at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277.

Berkeley husband-and-wife filmmaking team Cliff Orloff and Olga Shalygin have taken several trips to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, and their most recent visit has resulted in a poignant film about the lives of Afghan women. Cut From Different Cloth: Burqas and Beliefs, a one-hour documentary, will air on PBS at 5 p.m. Sunday and again at 8 p.m. Thursday. 

The filmmakers focus their attention on Hasina, a 27-year-old woman who is, as the film states early on, Afghanistan’s equivalent of a radical feminist. 

The film features interviews with Afghan men and women and government officials, but it is at its best when it centers on Hasina. She is a remarkable woman, walking a delicate line between defiance and devotion. She is intelligent, sensitive, articulate, charming and strong. There is no ill will in her stance toward her culture’s restrictive mores; there is only the desire to be true to herself, to be true to womanhood and women’s rights, to do right by her family even when they think it’s wrong. Hasina is too humble to speak of herself as setting an example, as blazing a path, but that is essentially her role; she and other Afghan women like her are sacrificing a great deal to chip away at the barriers that their culture places before them. 

The filmmakers employ an interesting device: Orloff and Shalygin took their 27-year-old daughter Serena with them, to see the country and its women through her eyes as she lived with Hasina for two months. The approach has its rewards—a genuine friendship seems to take shape, and Serena’s presence does provide a vantage point the average American viewer can probably relate to—but it is hardly necessary. There is no need to set up an east-west conflict, for there is more than enough conflict in Hasina’s heart to carry this film. In a series of painful and poignant moments, Hasina’s brothers and sisters discuss their relationship with her and the ramifications of her lifestyle, revealing the unresolved conflicts between family and society.  

The film portrays much of modern-day Afghanistan’s repressive climate as the result of 25 years of warfare, combined with a backlash against the permissiveness of the country’s mid-century Communist era. In a society of great internal strife, women have essentially become the battleground. It’s as if the country’s men have for so long felt so beset upon by outsiders that they have compensated by exerting control over their women. 

The situation poses a difficult and potentially dangerous dilemma: Women must consent to oppression out of compassion for the oppressors. They do not necessarily walk in fear of outsiders or of the Taliban; they walk in fear of the shame they bring to their fathers and brothers should they step out of line. They obey out of love for the men who control them. Defiance is not a stick in the eye of Islam or the Taliban—it is a swipe at the very family that clothes, houses and feeds them. It takes a strong woman to walk that line, to retain the love of and for her family while setting her own path. And though governments may set more enlightened policies and police may enforce them, it is these acts of defiance and devotion that gradually win hearts and minds.  

What is especially maddening is watching a country in such need of strong, talented people as it ignores, stifles and condemns such a wide swath of its population—among them many of the country’s most potentially valuable leaders. It is painful to see Hasina, a woman of such depth, of such charm, of such intelligence, competence and ambition, go unappreciated by her family, by her culture, by her country. What a waste of potential, what a crime to condemn a person of such talent and grace.  

Cut From Different Cloth paints a picture of an Afghanistan that is regressing, that has been torn asunder and is slipping backward in a retreat from modernity. This a hardly a blueprint for rebuilding the country or healing its wounds, and it leaves the viewer with the impression that it is a nation that has little chance of making itself whole again if it cannot bear to embrace its better half. 

Cut From Different Cloth 

Produced and directed by Olga Shalygin and Cliff Orloff. 

Airs on PBS at 5 p.m. March 26 and at 8 p.m. March 30.?

Brian Jones seems all but forgotten these days, at least outside his native England. He founded the Rolling Stones, but they passed him by, leaving him to gather moss, or at least ingest a great deal of grass.  

Jones essentially created white-boy blues, using his band to bring the sounds of American blues to a British audience at a time when American blues artists were obscure, even in their own country. Stoned, opening today (Friday) at Shattuck Cinemas, depicts Jones’ rise and fall, from his childhood in upper-class Cheltenham to the dizzying heights of rock ‘n’ roll success to his ignominious death at the bottom of his swimming pool.  

The opening credits show the Stones performing at a small club, and the staging of the scene is indicative of Jones’ role in the band: The rest of the Stones are in dark clothes and standing in the shadows while Jones wears a white shirt and is illuminated by the spotlight. This is an exaggerated depiction for the sake of dramatization, but check out virtually any of the band’s Jones-era record covers and you’ll see precisely this sort of composition. Jones is almost always dressed differently and standing apart from or in front of the other band members. He was their leader, their founder, the heart and soul of the group. But not for long.  

Jones was basically a blues purist; if it had been up to him, the Stones might never have done anything other than cover blues and rock ‘n’ roll classics. His decline as leader of the band began once their producer, Andrew Loog Oldham, convinced the band that they must start writing original material if they wanted to have a future.  

The problem for Jones was that he couldn’t write. He was a remarkable musician; he could seemingly pick up any instrument and learn to play it within an hour or two. Anything out of the ordinary on those early Stones albums is more than likely Brian’s doing: marimba, sitar, dulcimer. His talent lay in transforming the raw materials of his bandmates’ work into something quite unique. He was not a songwriter, but an interpreter.  

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took on the songwriting duties and excelled, turning out a string of blues-based rock and pop classics and catapulting the band to the top of the charts, positioning them as the Beatles’ primary rivals. Stoned hints at this but doesn’t overtly express it, and this is perhaps the film’s most significant flaw: It speaks to the initiated, to those who already know the tale. Those who don’t may find the film’s plot points and timeline confusing and the characters’ motivations a bit vague. 

Along with the creative responsibilities, Jagger and Richards began assuming leadership roles within the band, further alienating Jones. The band was maturing, developing its talents and range, while Jones himself was essentially stagnating, content to wallow in success and excess. His powerful ego, combined with his fragility and insecurity and growing dependence on drugs, quickly made him a liability as his total immersion in the benefits of fame led to increasingly erratic behavior. And it certainly didn’t help matters when Jones’ longtime girlfriend Anita Pallenberg left him for Keith Richards.  

The movie is flawed from the start in that it takes one possible scenario for Jones’ death and plays it through, the scenario being that Jones was murdered. An apparently unsubstantiated 1993 deathbed confession by Jones’ building contractor provides the rough outline of the musician’s demise. A more interesting film could have been made without taking a position on Jones’ death, instead depicting the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the tragedy, and the circumstances that launched a troubled rock star into martyrdom. Biopics often make this mistake, replacing the messiness and ambiguity of life with simple plot resolutions and facile explanations of character and motivation.  

First-time director Woolley makes a few unfortunate rookie mistakes. For whatever reason, there are no Stones songs on the soundtrack, nothing to denote Jones’ actual contribution to the music of the era. Instead we hear plenty of his influences—Robert Jones, Muddy Waters, etc.— and that’s appropriate. But we also hear several current artists performing very modern versions of blues classics, and the juxtaposition can be jarring. It is likely meant to demonstrate Jones’ influence on the blues-based artists who followed him, but it doesn’t quite work. 

There is also a completely moronic sequence, shot like a music video, in which Gregory lip-synchs his way through “Not Fade Away” during a montage sequence of significant moments in the life of Brian. The scene threatens to sink the film with camp and cheek and should have been left on the cutting room floor. 

But for what it is, the movie is quite good. The direction is for the most part effective and the performances are solid. Luke de Woolfson as Jagger, though it’s only a small part, nails the singer’s mannerisms, off stage and on. And Leo Gregory brings out the fierceness and fragility of a man who acquired all the fame and fortune he could have wanted, yet immersed himself in it to the point of drowning.  

Stoned 

Director: Stephen Woolley  

Cast: Leo Gregory, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey, Tuva Novotny, Amelia Warner, Ben Whishaw, Monet Mazur, Luke De Woolfson, James D. White 

Playing: Shattuck Cinemas

In front of an enormous projection of the Bear Flag, alternately in full color and eerie x-ray blue, morphing into the view through the windshield of a fast superhighway, there’s a masked man seated onstage at “The Berkeley Rep of Alta California”—but he bears no resemblance to the masked man of the title, a kind of processed Latino Lone Ranger. This one’s not caped in black with black silk mask and mounted on a saddle. This figure’s in restraints, effaced (while a bitchy burlesque nurse tries to force m eds on him, then goes for the suppositories) mumbling “I’m the Wal-Mart price slasher! ... one man can start a revolution or recall a standing governor ...” And when a couple of Homeland Security-type spooks put him through whatever degree, demanding “Why did you threaten the governor? Who are you really?”, the man in a bind replies, “I’m bi-cultural, bi-curious and bipolar ... My California is now an endless series of strip malls ... I am Zorro! I must be Zorro! A muhajadeen Zorro! I have my own guitar flourish! There was a time when I was a normal Chicano ...” 

So, starting out from the aftermath in a kind of upside-down One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, we enter backwards into an odyssey of high stakes and cultural kitsch, of identities shifting faster than Christopher Acebo’s ultra-mobile sets and Alexander V. Nichols’ dynamic lights and cinema-surround effects, as a Latino writer engaged to write a play about Zorro checks into the El Camino Real, the oldest motel in the world, encountering a phantasm agoria of Old California icons. Routines play out and one-liners fly in Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell.  

It’s post-agit-prop spectacle, as deliberately 2-D as a comic strip, and very amusing in its ricocheting quips that cover the statewide scene and wha t’s thought and said about it, pilloried with the same poses struck by commentators and spectators alike. Richard Montoya of Culture Clash, playing the halfhearted scribbler (“Just because you got no talent don’t mean you can’t write”) is coached and prov oked by the Calamity Jane-like 200 Year Old Woman (a juicily comic Sharon Lockwood) who’s seen (and done) them all, as well as Don Ringo (canny Herbert Siguenza of the Clash), constantly striking a skewed pose and reiterating his battlecry: “I am the firs t Chicano!” There’s also a grisly Bear-a-pist (Clasher Ric Salinas), a kind of Jungian-of-Nature, who advises the bewildered playwright (who has said, “God is dead—I know, because I Googled God!”) that even the Zorro romance, from a cheap 1920s novel, has its place in the scheme of things. “When do myths become real? When people believe in them,” he says. Coming from a bear—the one they named the Bear Republic after?—it’s hard to quibble with.  

Vignettes fly by as the set shifts in and out of clever li ve-action parodies of the big-Z films, bathed in cinematic flicker. One, a silent with swordplay and supertitled intertitles, is somehow reminiscent of Will Rogers’ camera-tricky spoof of yet another Fairbanks Senior swashbuckler, Robin Hood. Another, a talkie, plays off George Hamilton’s Zorro—The Gay Blade, with effeminate Don Diego (Joseph Kamal) and a masher as his beloved old friar. In a post-intermission face-off between a youthful Davey Crockett and a puerile Zorro, a handgun accident delivers the baby Zorro into the arms of a bright white Guy Williams, the Disney Mr. Z, on whose pinions the slain youth will rise to heaven, not California (”that’s hell!”). In another sketch-within-the-program, Joaquin Murrieta is discovered within a private shrine—and later, his severed head mugs in a jar of whiskey, whence it was displayed at fairs. 

The evening is less a play than a program of skits, though it all adds up in its blitzkrieg of images (Siguenza as an Erich Von Stroheim Prussian gubernator, or alte rnately in a Schwarzenegger mask running a mini-Hummer up against Zorro’s defensive rapier) and self-conscious quips (”Now I understand; I’m caught in an SF Mime Troupe play!”)—into a princely sum of its parts, but not much more. It would be interesting t o see how the Mime Troupe, or say the Dell’Arte Players would do with the elaborate and expensive tech set-up and fine artistic support Culture Clash has from The Rep. This production is what it was intended to be: a brisk (and briskly directed by The Re p’s artistic director, Tony Taccone) and gleefully rude political entertainment, not The Marx Bros. but vaudeville with a barcode, so the check-out is faster. 

The litany (or catechism) of California dreams and atrocities rolls along with the outrageous q uips (“I’m dreaming of a White Kwanza” or “My god! I have nothing to wear to the quail hunt!”). But the disheartened Zorro who found himself in the wrong movie discovers his inner action hero in the end, as the Bear Flag goes into hibernation, and the las t villains fade away, one strangely muttering a critic’s begrudging regret: “I hate to waste a single bullet on a playwright!” 

Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell 

plays through April 16 at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater. $45-$59.647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org›e