FRIDAY, JAN. 5 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

Report on Lebanon with Dr. Paul Larudee on his visits during the summer of 2006, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free. 845-4740. 

“Who Killed the Electric Car?” A documentary and presentation by the Sierra Club at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation of $5 acccepted. www.HumanistHall.net 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com (code UCB) 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 6 

Save the Oaks Spiral Dance led by Reclaiming Collective, to celebrate the tree-sitters’ one month anniversary defending the trees, at 2 p.m. at the oak grove just below Memorial Stadium on Piedmont Ave., north of Bancroft Ave. and International House. 548-3113. www.SaveOaks.com 

Sick Plant Clinic Dr. Robert Raabe, plant pathologist, and Dr. Nick Mills, entomologist, will diagnose plant illnesses and recommend remedies. Bring a piece of the plant in a securely sealed container. A zipperlock bag is ideal. From 9 a.m. to noon at Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

Code Pink Bake Sale from 2 to 5 p.m. at the top of Solano Ave. Money raised will help fund activists against the war working in Washington D.C. 524-2776. 

Help “Save The Bay” Plant Natives from 9 a.m. to noon at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. RSVP requested. 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org  

French Broom Removal Help remove this invasive plant from our parks, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Redwood Regional Park, Oakland. We provide tools. Meet at Skyline Gate staging area, 8500 Skyline Blvd. Oakland. 925-756-0195. www.ebparks.org 

“Slug and Salamander Sleuths” Investigate the slippery lives of these creatures through story, song, nature walk, and craft, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 636-1684. 

Kid’s Garden Club for ages 6-9 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Dress to get dirty. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

“The Mosque of Paris: A Forgotten Resistance” Documentary film and presentation on how the Muslim community of Paris saved Jews in Nazi-occupied France. Discussion with Dr. Annette Herskovits who survived the the Holocaust as a child in France. At 7 p.m. at Berkeley UU Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Sponsored by the UU Social Justice Committee. 528-5403. 

“Cuba and Latin America, Adelante!” Interview with author and filmmaker Saul Landau by Casa Cuba’s Karen Lee Wald, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$10 sliding scale. 636-1684. 

Movies that Matter “The Last Temptation of Christ” at 6:30 p.m. at Neumayer Residence, 565 Bellevue St. at Perkins, Oakland. Free. 451-3009. http://joyfulharmony.org  

Freedom from Tobacco Quit Smoking Class from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and runs for six Saturdays. Option of free acupuncture included. For information call 981-5330. quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Sickle Cell Presentation and Discussion at 3 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St., Oakland, in conjunction with the “Can We Spare Some Change? - A Change in Attitude” Exhibition. 637-0200. 

Sunset Walk in Emeryville Meet at 3:30 p.,m. behind Chevy’s Restaurant at the small parking lot for an hour walk through the Marina. Rain cancels. Wheelchair accessible. 234-8949. 

Luna Kids Dance Open House from 1 to 3 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Studio C, 2640 College Ave. 644-3629. 

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

Petite Pooches Playgroup for small dogs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., one block north of Solano on Ensenada at Talbot. 524-2459. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 7 

“Hoot with Winter Owls” Learn the night-time calls of owls that inhabit Tilden’s forests and discover fact, fiction and fables about owls at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 636-1684. 

“Open Garden” Join the Little Farm gardener for composting, planting, watering and reaping the rewards of our work, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cancelled only by heavy rain. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

“Newt Hunt” Every winter, newts return to our freshwater ponds to breed. Catch a glimpse of the incredible mating behavior of newts from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 636-1684. 

“Sausal Creek Canyons Hike” Join a challenging one-way hike through Sausal Creek canyons and green hillsides to reach gorgeous bay views from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We will return to our starting place by bus. Bring snacks, water, layered clothing, good hiking boots, sun or rain gear as necessary, and bus fare. Reservations required. 415-255-3233. www.greenbelt.org 

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

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Timeless Advice from the Tibetan Tradition” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, JAN. 8  

National Organization for Women Oakland/East Bay Chapter meets at 6 p.m. at the Oakland YWCA, 1515 Webster St. The speaker will be Robin Nanni, president of Local 535 Service Employees International Union. 287-8948. 

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

TUESDAY, JAN. 9 

“Stop the Violence - Share the Dream” to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr at noon at 300 Lakeside Drive, Second Floor Auditorium. 464-7139. 

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets at 4:15 p.m. in the Community Theater Lobby. Agenda items include Update on UC approved courses, Maintenance and Safety Plans and Attendance Policy. 644-4803. 

Why You Need A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Opportunities Abounding Public Forum on Arts Education Explore ideas on creating equitable classrooms sponsored by Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership, Alameda County Office of Education at 6 p.m. at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland RSVP appreciated. www.artISeducation.org 

“How to be Healthy through Holistic Therapy” with Su Jok, a therapy that uses stimulation of acupuncture points on the hand and foot to bring symptom relief, at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. Free, all welcome. 526-7512.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Port of Oakland, 530 Water St. To scheduale an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com (code PORT) 

Navigating with National Geographic Learn how to use a GPS with National Geographic mapping software at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

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, JAN. 10  

Oakland Celebrates the Dream in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 78th Birthday at 11:30 a.m. in Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th St. and Broadway. 444-2489. 

Shoreline Restoration and Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Life for middle and high school students from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline. Registration required. 704-4030. 

Volunteer in the Native Plant Nursery Help us reach our goal to plant 10,000 native wetland plants at Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park this winter. From 1 to 3 p.m. RSVP requested. 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org/bayevents  

Poetry Writing Workshop, led by Linda Elkin, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17.  

Financial Topics and You: College Funding at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St., Oakland. 238-3134. 

Julia Morgan School for Girls Admissions Information Meeting at 7 p.m. on the campus of Mills College, Oakland. For information and to register call 632-6000, ext. 125. 

The Culture of Japan at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Avalanche Safety Lecture with Dick Penniman at 6 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $20. 527-4140. 

New to DVD “Quinceanera” at 7 p.m. at the JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors 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. 548-9840. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 11 

Storytime for Babies & Toddlers at 10:30 a.m. Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

World of Plants Tours at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. 

ONGOING 

Peace Action West, a local non-profit which promotes peace and justice, is looking for volunteers to do data entry, stuff envelopes and other tasks. Located across from the Berkeley Bowl. 849-2272, ext. 104. 

Magnes Museum Docent Training Open to all interested in Jewish art and history. Classes begin Jan. 18th. cultural.arts@sbcglobal.net 

CITY MEETINGS 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Mon., Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5400. 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Jan. 8, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510.  

School Board meets Wed. Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Mark Coplan 644-6320.

FRIDAY, JAN. 5 

THEATER 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” at 8 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way and runs Thurs.-Sat. through Jan. 27. Tickets are $15-$22. 800-838-3006. 

Rough and Tumble “43 Plays for 43 Presidents” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Eucid Ave. through Jan. 27. Tickets are $15-$20. 499-0356. www.randt.org 

Shotgun Players “The Forest War” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan 14. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“We’ve Come Undone” Written and performed by Kayhan Hirani, monologues inspired by stories from Arab, Muslim, American and South Asian communities, at 7:30 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. Free, donations accepted. 384-1816. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Deborah Muse “Paintings and Quilts” opens at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. and runs to Feb. 24. 849-2568. 

Don Clausen Oil Paintings Abstract and Portaits at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave., #4. Runs through Feb. 4. 421-1255. 

“Looking Through the Children’s Eyes” Mixed media works by JoeSam. Opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. Runs through Jan. 30. 465-8928. 

“A Deluxe Autonomy: Piedmont’s First 100 Years” on display in the Oakland History Room on the second floor of Oakland’s Main Library, 125-14th St. 238-3222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Salvadora Galan sings ancient Spanish popular songs at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Ric Alexander, jazz saxophonist and his band at 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200 

Lady Bianca Taste of the Blues at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

2007 West Coast Open Human Beatbox Battle at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Tribute to Ornette Coleman at Free Jazz Fridays at 8 p.m. at 1510 8th St. Performance Space, Oakland. Cost is $5-$15. 415-846-9432. 

Houston Jones, roots, rock, Americana at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Camogie, with Robin Flower, Libby McLaren, Mary McLaughlin and Danny Carnahan at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Beep at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Grace Woods and Katie Cajigas at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Temple of Roots, Jesse Brewster Band, The Tranchermen at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Acts of Sedition, Dangers, First to Leave, Bluegill at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

The Skin Divers at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Zoe & Dave Ellis at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159.  

Mark Hummel’s Blues Harmonica Blow-Out at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$30. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 6 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading from 3 to 5 p.m. at Strawberyy Creek Lodge, dining hall, 1320 Addison St. Park on street, not in lodge lot. 527-9905. 

Saul Landau, author and filmmaker at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$10. 849-2568. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Goyamoon at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rim Shot at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $7-$10. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Babtunde Lea & Friends at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Thompson’s String Ticklers and The Knee Knockers in a Breakin’ up Xmas Square Dance at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12, $5 for ages 5-18, free for 5 and under. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Sotaque Baiano, Brazilian, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Katherine Peck and Michael Burles at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Macy Blackman Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Elliot Baker, folk rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

The Pine Needles, The Bittersweets, Amber Rubarth at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Only in Dreams, Point Taken, Lionheart, Break Cadence at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 7 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Interventions” Works by Tony Bellaver, Barbara Foster and Scott Serata. Opening reception at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Exhibit runs to Feb. 10. 644-6893. 

“Fire in the Heart” Paintings by Foad Satterfield influenced by African art opens at the Community Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave., and runs through March 2. 204-1667. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Bobs, a cappella at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Mo’Fone! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, vintage ‘20s and ‘30s dancing, at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Philips Marine Duo at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

“Voices of the Heart” Turkish and Latino songs, at 4 p.m. at The Breema Clinic, 6201 Florio St., Oakland, at College and Claremont. 428-1234. 

MONDAY, JAN. 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Dellums’ Inaugural Week Exhibit of Oakalnd Artists” with student work from local Oakland schools and works by local Latino artists on display at the Oakland Public Library, César Chávez Branch, 3301 East 12th St., Oakland. 535-5620. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Phyllis Whetstone Taper will read from her novel “On Kelsey Creek” and talk about life in the 1920s Lake County at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Jean Lamour and David Applefield at 7 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Leonard Pitt, Berkeley author and chocolate aficionado, will speak about his new book, “A Small Moment of Great Illumination - Searching for Valentine Greatrakes the Master Healer” at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. www.hillsideclub.org  

Actors Reading Writers “Transplants” works by John Candeleria and Firoozeh Dumas at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave.  

Poetry Express with Jeanne Lupton at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Blue Monday Jam at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Parlor Tango at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Buster Williams “Something More” at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

TUESDAY, JAN. 9 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Vikram Chandra reads from his new book “Sacred Games” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Yuliyan Yordanov, Balkan folk dance, at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $6. 841-JAZZ.  

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

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

Buster Williams “Something More” at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200.  

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 10 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Nomadic Rambles Storytelling, hosted by Ed Silberman at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Crucible’s Fire Ballet “Romeo and Juliet” Wed. - Sat. at 8:30 p.m. at 1260 7th St., Oakland, through Jan. 20. Tickets are $30-$55. 444-0919. 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ.  

Cumbiamba Eneye, Aluna at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054.  

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

Paul Manousos at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Kleptograss with Eric Thompson, Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Scott Nygaard and Paul Shelasky at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Frank Gambale Natural High Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 238-9200. w 

THURSDAY, JAN. 11 

EXHIBITIONS 

Art to Action on Berkeley Creeks Photographs Opening reception at 5 p.m. at River of Words Gallery, Sawtooth Building, 2547 8th St., #13B. 848-9358. 

“Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Philosophy of Non-Violence” Books, posters, speechs and other items on display in honor of King’s birthday at te Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 597-5017. 

“La Raza Uprising” Photographs by Francisco J. Dominguez. Reception at 6 p.m. at The Asian Resource Gallery, 310 8th St. and Harrison, Oakland.  

FILM 

A Theater Near You “Army of Shadows” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“A Legacy of Beauty: The Life and Work of Julia Morgan” presentation by Mark Wilson at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes. Sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. Donation $8-$10. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org  

“The Art of Gaman” Lecture by Delphine Hirasuna on the arts and crafts of Japanese Americans detained in WWII internment camps, at 1 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts, Oakland. 238-2200. 

Bocalicious Spoken Word at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Vendela Vida reads from “Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Rachel Sarah reads from “Single Mom Seeking Playdates, Blind Dates and Other Dispatches from the Dating World” at 7:30 p.m. at East Bay Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Sponsored by Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Rebecca Riots at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Fourtet with Kasey Knudsen at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

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

Go Go Fightmaster, Doublestroke at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

Fun with Finnoula at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Frank Gambale Natural High Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 238-9200.

NEW SHOW AT BERKELEY ART CENTER 

An opening reception will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday for an exhibition of works by Tony Bellaver, Barbara Foster and Scott Serata at the Berkeley Art Center. The show runs through Feb. 10. 1275 Walnut St., in Live Oak Park.644-6893.  

HOLIDAY SQUARE DANCE AT ASHKENAZ 

Thompson’s String Ticklers and The Knee Knockers will be the featured performers at Ashkenaz’s “Breakin’ Up X-Mas Square Dance” at 7 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $12 for adults, $5 for ages 5-18, and free for children under the age of 5. 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com.  

A ‘FIRE BALLET’ VERSION OF ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ 

The Crucible will stage its “fire ballet” production of Romeo and Juliet at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays through Jan. 20. 1260 Seventh St., Oakland. $30-$55. 444-0919. 

HITCHCOCK CLASSICS IN EL CERRITO 

The newly refurbished Cerrito Theater in El Cerrito will kick off a series of four classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers this weekend with Vertigo (1958), the seminal classic starring Jimmy Stewart filmed on the steep streets of San Francisco. The film shows at 9 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and at 5 p.m. Sunday. Later films in the series include Rear Window (1954), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960), starring Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates and Janet Leigh as a woman on the run after stealing money from her employer. 10070 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. www.picturepubpizza.com.

Based on a novel by Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil, opening today at the Albany Twin, tells a mannered and melodramatic tale. The actors are great—Edward Norton and Naomi Watts deliver fine performances as a couple navigating the difficult terrain of both their young marriage and of cholera-ravaged rural China—but it’s just not enough to carry the weight of a burdensome drama. 

Watts plays a spoiled and rather petulant young woman who finds herself married, almost against her will, to Norton’s considerate if dull and overly studious young scientist. When her infidelity threatens their fragile marriage he vengefully drags her—over the longest and most arduous route possible—to China, where he is to contribute his knowledge and skill to lessening the impact of a cholera epidemic.  

What follows is an intriguing micro/macro staging of themes as the two resist, resent and finally come to respect each other, the drama unfolding against a backdrop of British colonialism in which the two cultures find themselves in precisely the same predicament.  

It is a story with great promise and great intentions, but it just doesn’t come off. Aside from the tediously Eurocentric perspective, the trouble is that the enormity of the epidemic, as well as the increasingly relevant themes of Western imperialism and occupation, render the domestic portion of the drama trite and uninteresting. In the context of a never-ending “war on terror” and a disastrous occupation of Iraq, the problems of two little people just don’t amount to a hill of beans, to paraphrase another, more successful geopolitical melodrama. In fact, Casablanca is an instructive example in this case. Michael Curtiz’s 1942 film solved this dilemma by making its characters larger than life and with emotions to match. The Painted Veil by contrast keeps its characters small and thus they are overwhelmed by the international political drama that is intended as their backdrop. 

The Maugham novel was written in 1925 as part of the then-popular Westerners Adrift In The Orient genre. Though director John Curran and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner made changes to the story, leavening some of its bleakness with greater understanding between characters and cultures, they curiously retained much of the novel’s chauvinism. While the action concerns cultures getting to know and appreciate one another, the construction of the film itself still sees the Chinese merely as picturesque background material, and indeed much of the understanding the cultures need to come to involves the silly natives simply learning to appreciate the intelligence and integrity of their white savior. Likewise, the domestic plot covers the same ground, with Watt’s selfish young hussy eventually being made to comprehend and bow down to the Great Man that is her husband. Sure, both the husband and Westerners in general are presented as flawed and fallible, but in the end the message is clear: Daddy knows best. 

The film hits a few other snags along the way. Too much of Curran’s direction seems borrowed from the Merchant-Ivory playbook of costume drama adaptation, a school of filmmaking capable of reaching great artistic heights but which in lesser hands revels in overwrought staging, with a tendency to lean too heavily on clothing and set design to establish tone.  

But the most damning flaw comes in the clichéd final scene, when Watts runs into a former lover on the street. The whole scene is ludicrous, seeking to wrap up the film with one of those ubiquitous bookend sequences that place the protagonist right back where she began. The full-circle conclusion is a valid device of course, but it is frequently abused in so many simplistic mainstream productions, and here it is handled clumsily. The gratuitous encounter only undermines the film’s aspirations toward artistry, confirming the triteness of its design. And to top it off, once she finishes the conversation, Watts turns to walk away while the camera pulls back to over-emphasize the symbolism as she steps across the streetcar tracks, leaving behind a former life and a former self and crossing over to a higher plane.  

After two hours of tedium, we’re hard-pressed to care. 

THE PAINTED VEIL 

Directed by John Curran. Written by Ron Nyswaner. Based on the novel by Somerset Maugham. Starring Edward Norton, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber. Rated PG-13. 125 minutes. Playing at the Albany Twin. 

Photograph: Naomi Watts and Edward Norton play a young couple navigating the difficult terrain of a troubled marriage against a backdrop of cholera-ravaged China.

The dawn of a new year, as I reflect on the stage performances of 2006 ... if the old holiday adage is true, that good things come in small packages, it’s particularly true of theater in the East Bay. Last year held a few welcome surprises, and they were mostly on the boards trod by small companies. 

Incredibly, there are more than 400 theater companies and projects in the Bay Area, maybe five or six times the number 20 years ago or so. With such a wealth of ever-changing productions, it means a greater range of styles and material to choose from than ever—and that no single spectator or reviewer can even begin to keep track of, much less see, all of it. 

That also means just what the past year’s experience has borne out: any time a spectator feels jaded that the possibilities of the local stage have been plumbed, she or he will be proven wrong—very likely by some unassuming show dropped in on in some unexpected venue. Nobody, in any sense, has seen it all. 

A couple of cases in point: approaching Alameda’s Altarena Playhouse production of Death of a Salesman, I wondered how much even a venerable community theater could mine from a much-produced and discussed postwar classic, a difficult play even for the greatest of professionals. But Sue Trigg’s direction and a good ensemble brought out lyrical and wryly humorous elements, seldom seen in stagings of Miller plays, in an integral performance, a triumph by any standards.  

And fledgling Ten Red Hen put on a poor mouth production of a big commercial (and usually hi-tech) musical as The 99 Cent Miss Saigon at the Willard School Metal Shop. By playing it straight, as they flaunted “cheap” production values, Ten Red Hen somehow registered a critique of the play’s view of the war in Vietnam, and an unlikely venue became a lively cabaret. Their Clown Blue debuts in March. 

Some smaller companies consolidated their gains in experience, setting new horizons for the future. TheatreFIRST, with their excellent production values and international, socially thematic focus, made themselves the only resident troupe in downtown Oakland in their Old Oakland Theatre on 9th off Broadway. Shotgun Players, who found a home at Ashby Stage, produced an important theater lab series on offnights and, with their past three shows (Ragnarok, Love Is a Dream House in Lorin and The Forest War), including their first commissions, seem to be developing a kind of broadly populist house style of storytelling. And Stan Spenger, founder of Subterranean Shakespeare, put on a lively Richard III at the Berkeley Art Center. He also showed a good hand with Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler for Actors Ensemble, who elected him president of the Berkeley community troupe. 

Community theater has been thriving, not only with Actors Ensemble and Altarena, but with the splendid, mostly amateur Masquers of Pt. Richmond and the more semi-pro Contra Costa Civic, both celebrating many decades of playing. 

An unusual community project realized onstage, the medieval Islamic fable about human stewardship of the world, Island of Animals, brought director, adaptor and scholar Hafiz Karmali from Paris for a joint production with a truly diverse cast, by Fremont’s Afghan Alliance and Golden Thread, the vigorous and important producer of the ReOrient play festival and other cultural events concerning Middle Eastern identity. Occasionally, Golden Thread has joined forces with Oakland’s Darvag, playing in both English and Farsi, for audiences of all ages and cultures. 

Central Works continued in its years of excellence at the Berkeley City Club, a revival of cofounder Gary Graves’ Andromache showing some of the dense theatricality of its Racinean inspiration. Fledgling Ragged Wing staged its second show with The Snow Queen, and will be opening its own physical-style version of The Tempest later this month. 

Some smaller companies, like Oakland’s Eastenders, with their one-act festivals on themes like “100 Years of Political Theater” and “Sex Acts,” and brand-new Arclight, have produced shows in San Francisco—and other memorable performances have been passing through, like Russian actor-director Oleg Liptsin’s stylized show of Beckett’s Happy Days that Antares Ensemble produced, or SF’s Exit Theater in-residence troupe Mugwumpin’s riffing off “Frankie & Johnnie” at Shotgun’s Lab. Woman’s Will staged all-female Shakespeare in the parks and Brecht-Weill’s Happy End at Luka’s Taproom. 

Small opera companies put on several of the most energetically theatrical shows, with Berkeley Opera’s brilliantly staged premiere of Clark Suprynowicz’s Chrysalis—with a wry libretto about a cosmetics exec and her in-the-mirror doppelganger by Berkeley playwright John O’Keefe—and Oakland Opera Theater’s two innovative stagings (Anthony Davis’ extraordinary “X”--the life of Malcolm X, to be reprised this spring—and Philip Glass’ Les Enfants Terribles, Cocteau’s tale of incest (reset in French Indochina) coming first to mind.  

The Marsh in the Gaia Buiding downtown proved itself much more than a venue for solo performance, as its stage saw a profusion of improvisation, works-in-progress, family shows and its founder’s own compound of poetry, choral music, dance and narrative—a kind of personal re-creation myth, Aphrodisia. 

Excellence played in bigger, more established venues, too. Aurora—which started small, in the City Club—staged a fine Master Builder, with founder Barbara Oliver directing James Carpenter and Lauren Grace in an exciting revival of Ibsen’s ironic anatomy of middle class illusions. 

At Berkeley Rep, Glass Menagerie, tinged with the bittersweet Tennessee Williams’ sometimes Chaplinesque comedy, was topped by Rita Moreno’s triumphant break from typecasting as an exotic in her portrayal of Southern Belle-manque Amanda with true Pirandellian humor. CalPerformances featured international touring shows, notably Ratan Thiyyam’s stage poem of the Indian Army occupation of his native Manipur, while the UC performing arts departments produced an ambitious, ongoing new program of diverse contemporary works.  

And to touch again on Arthur Miller, Berkeley’s Joy Carlin scored a hit, directing a splendid cast in a strangely funny late Miller morality play of sorts, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, at the SF Playhouse, near Union Square. 

With this wealth of performance and more, whether you catch a musical outdoors at Woodminster or an interclub competition of conjurors and mentalists at the Oakland Magic Circle, the truth strikes home, from the threat a great director once made of returning to the audience—just to be a spectator again: “that’s the greatest profession in the world!” 

Contributed photo : One of the best of 2006: Berkeley Opera staged the premiere of Clark Suprynowicz’s Chrysalis, a wry libretto about a cosmetics exec and her in-the-mirror doppelganger by Berkeley playwright John O’Keefe.

“Don’t switch the groove up at the beginning of the solo,” says Oakland saxophonist Howard Wiley across the studio to his drummer, Sly Randolph, then counts out a cue for the rest of the ensemble of singers and instrumentalists. 

The drums roll mordantly like a New Orleans funeral march, two basses (Devon Hoff and David Ewell) strike up, two violins (Yedua Caesar and Vivian McBride) sound mournfully, and soprano Janine Anderson comes in singing high, melismatic notes as Wiley intones on tenor below her—and the recording of “Trouble of the World” for the CD of Howard Wiley and the Angola Project gets back on track on the Friday before New Year’s at Coast Recorders, Mission Street, San Francisco.  

The CD of Howard Wiley and the Angola Project—inspired by field shouts and spirituals from Angola State Penitentiary, Louisiana—will be released Feb. 1 on Wiley’s own label, High Cotton Productions. 

“We’re looking for promotion and distribution,” said Rob Woodworth of the Jazz House, formerly on Adeline Street in Berkeley, where he met Howard Wiley a few years ago. 

“Howard would come in very late, after his gigs, to the Tuesday night jam sessions and blow the doors off,” Woodworth said. “I had to find out who this guy was, what he was all about.”  

Woodworth now works with Wiley, helping with business and promotion for the Angola Project, and Howard continues to play for jazz house events, recently improvising with a dancer for a Free Jazz Friday in Woodworth’s series near West Oakland BART (www.thejazzhouse.org). 

Wiley’s Angola Project began two years ago, when his old friend Daniel Atkinson, who had been looking into the music from Angola Penitentiary, “cornered me,” as Howard puts it, and made him listen to the field recordings. 

“I didn’t want to listen,” he said, “Who would want to listen to prison music, I mean the subjects that come to mind. But Daniel played ‘Rise and Fly,’ and it was music from the soul, the kind of songs I’d only read about, from slavery, sharecropping, chain-gangs, but kept alive, and has the same thing that attracted me to Coltrane playing ‘A Love Supreme.’ It’s out of Blues and church music, but so different. I compare it to food, what my mother puts in her pies: is it the cinnamon, what is it? But it’s got it.”  

Now the group’s starting up again after a glitch. Howard clowns around bawdily for a minute, getting the players and singers giggling—an onstage habit, too—then sketches in a little more of what he wants. Gradually, over a few takes, the number fills out, more body’s added by those taking part. Danny Armstrong joins in, making a muted trombone talk eloquently as Janine’s voice spirals up to the ceiling. 

“Danny just retired from the Postal Service,” says scat singer Lauren Benedict, in the booth between numbers. He also plays with singer LaVay Smith and other popular Bay Area groups. “He’s up on a level with any trombonist in the country,” Howard will say later. 

Armstrong isn’t the only local luminary in the session. Vocalist Faye Carol is back in the corner, scatting to “Trouble of the World,” singing, “Soon will be done/Trouble of the world/Trouble of the world/Coming home to see my God.” 

And as the group was setting up for the number, a man in a hat briskly exited down the corridor, carrying a saxophone case—David Murray, long a national figure in jazz, who Howard met when the World Saxophone Quartet played a tribute to the Grateful Dead at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. 

“He did a talk later, when the East Side Arts Alliance in Oakland opened their new space, then played afterwards, and I played with him,” Wiley said. “A fellow Bay Area saxophonist. I knew he’d gone to school with my uncle and my father, and when I mentioned it, he said, ‘I know your people!’ He laid down some extremely powerful and passionate tracks. David Murray and Faye Carol listen to them from the ’70s or last week at the studio—timeless.” 

The Angola Project debuted live some months back at the Mission District’s Intersection for the Arts, with a cellist instead of violins. The next live appearance will be at Jazz At Pearl’s in North Beach, Feb. 23 and 24. This summer, Howard and Daniel will be taking a trip south, back to Angola. 

“The Project is ever-evolving,” says Howard, “Always expanding more and more ...” 

Daniel’s in the booth, talking about the harsh conditions at Angola, “a model prison farm!”—and about Howard, up and running all day, usually on “a couple little instant pancakes ... but I don’t think he’s eaten at all today.” The videographer documenting the whole process scurries up and down a ladder, adjusting lights. Howard looks askance at Anderson and nods, and she starts up “Trouble of the World” again, really warbling it out, as the basses pick up, and the violins play pizzacato under a low, sassing trombone solo. Howard purses his lips, arching his eyebrows, listening, then he and his superb trumpeter, Geechi Taylor, join in as the old spiritual (”I heard it first by Mahalia Jackson”) really takes off. 

For more information on Howard Wiley and the Angola Project, see www.howardwiley.com