FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 

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 

Compost for Berkeley Residents from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Berkeley Marina Maintenance Yard, 201 University Ave., next to Adventure Playground, Berkeley. 981-6660.  

“This is my Home” a film on the struggle of displaced public housing residents in post-Katrina New Orleans, at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way, under the Sather Gate Parking Garage. 848-1196. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 

Remembrance, Reflection, and Recommitment on the 20th Anniversary of the attempt to stop the naval weapons shipment to Central America at 10 a.m. at the tracks opposite the Concord Naval Weapons Station, off Highway 4 on Port Chicago Hwy North, where the tracks cross the road. 528-5403. NurembergReunion@comcast.net 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around Preservation Park to see Victorian architecture. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Preservation Park at 13th St. and MLK, Jr. Way. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

The Scoop on Ponds Learn how our pond critters have held up through the dry summer at 10:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Read the Signs Learn how to find out where animlas have been and what they were doing, on a walk around Jewel Lake. Meet at 1 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Art & Soul Festival, with live music, children’s entertainment, arts and crafts, and food from local producers, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat.-Mon. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, downtown Oakland. ArtandSoulOakland.com 

Politcal Affairs Reading Group will discuss “Class, Race and Women’s Equality: A Strategic View” by Sam Webb at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library for Social Research, 6501 Telegraph Ave. 595-7417. www.marxistlibr.org 

Fast Pitch Softball for Adults at noon on Saturdays in Oakland. For information call 204-9500. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

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

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

SUNDAY, SEPT. 2 

Poetry Garden Celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. on the corner of Milvia and Lincoln at Berkeley Arts Magnet School. Open mic for poetry performance and paper and pencils for on the spot poetic inspiration. Children especially welcome. 548-1707. mccoatty@hotmail.com  

Birdwatching Bicycle Tour of the Eastshore State Park Meet at 8:40 a.m. at El Cerrito Del Norte BART station. Trip ends at Aquatic Park in Berkeley. Bring bicycle lock, lunch and liquids. Kathy_Jarrett@yahoo.com 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. www.cal-sailing.org 

“Evil is Not Good for You: The Dangers of Demonization” with Walter Truett Anderson at 10 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Solo Sierrans Sunset Walk in the Emeryville Marina. Meet at 5 p.m. behind Chevy’s for an hour walk on a paved trail. 234-8949. 

Kensington Farmers’ Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

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

MONDAY, SEPT. 3 

Labor Day Open House at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park, with crafts, nature walk,s and farm activities from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 525-2233. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 4 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit Wildcat Canyon. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

Introduction to International Folk Dance at 7:45 p.m. at Live Oak Park, 1201 Shattuck Avenue, Live Oak Park. Dance classes continue for 8 weeks. Cost is $30. 528-9168. www.berkeleyfolkdancers.yahoo.org  

Birding Class on Migrating Shorebirds, Tues. evenings in Sept., with Sat. field trips. Cost is $60. To register call 843-2222. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

“America: From Freedom to Fascism” A film on the erosion of civil liberties, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

“Climate Change, Empowerment, and Despair“ A presentation by Rainforest Information Centre, Rainforest Action Network, and Pachamama Alliance, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center 2530 San Pablo Ave. www.climate.net.au  

“What Happened to the Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville High School Seniors Who Did Not Pass the Exit Exam in 2006 and 2007?” Brown bag lunch with Helene Lecar at noon at Albany Library, at Marin and Masonic Aves., Albany. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 843-8824. 

“Nature and Nurture: The Challenge for Adoptees” a six-week class on Tues. from 7 to 9 p.m. at Albany High School, 655 Key Route Blvd. Cost is $50. To register call 559-6580. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 4 to 5 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

“Please Vote for Me” A documentary by Weijun Chen on fifth-graders in China at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 100 Oak St., Oakland. Free. 326-1440.  

Free Diabetes Screening Come find out if you might have diabetes with our free screening test and make sure not to eat or drink anything for 8 hours beforehand, from 8:45 to noon at the Latina Center, 3919 Roosevelt Ave., Richmond. 981-5332. 

Free Sewing Class for Youth at Sew Your Own, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Bolivar Drive, Aquatic Park. 644-2577.  

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

Community Sing-a-Long every Tues, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Tuesday Documentaries at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Arts Center, 2120 Allston Way. Donation of $5 benefits the Berkeley Food and Housing Project. 665-0305. 

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.  

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. 

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. Open bicycle repair lab where participants may use our tools as well as receive help with their own repairs free of charge. Waterside Workshops, 84 Bolivar Drive, Aquatic Park. 644-2577. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 

Stone Pillars of Northbrae Walking Tour Learn about the history of one of Berkeley’s most park-full neighborhoods through its scores of stone pillars. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of North Berkeley Library, on the Alameda near Hopkins St. 524-2383. www.berkeleypaths.org/events/wedwalks.htm 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

“Inventing Human Rights” with Lynn Hunt, Prof. of History, UCLA, at 2 p.m. at Townsend Center for the Humanities, 220 Stephens Hall, UC Campus. 643-9670. http://townsendcenter.berkeley.edu/publicworld.shtml 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon in Oakland. Advanced sign-up is required. 594-5165.  

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra Auditions at 4 p.m. at the Crowden School. For information on what to prepare and to make an appointment call 849-988. 

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Colloquium with Paul Groth on “Bodies and Storefronts: Orchestrating Dances of Desire” at 1 p.m. at Wurster Hall, Room 315A, UC Campus. All welcome. http://laep.ced.berkeley.edu/events/colloquium 

Recording African American Stories Add your voice to the Library of Congress and the National Museum of African American History, Wed. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment, at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, through Sept. 12. For appointment call 228-3207. 

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 548-9840. 

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, SEPT. 6 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 7 to 8 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

The Princess Project - East Bay Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. at Youth Uprising, 8711 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. Come help Bay Area girls feel confident and special; help organize a volunteer-run effort to distribute free prom dresses and accessories. 846-5271. 

El Sabor de Fruitvale from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fruitvale Transit Village, Fruitvale BART station, with music, fresh produce and children’s activities. 535-6900. 

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

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.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Tues. Sept. 4, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Tues. Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Sept. 5 , at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Sept. 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Sept. 5, at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 981-4950.  

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400.  

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7419.  

Public Works Commission meets Thurs. Sept. 6, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6406.  

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Hysteria” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Sept. 30. Tickets are $40-$42. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

California Shakespeare Theater “The Triumph of Love” at the Bruns Ampitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, through Sept. 2. Tickets are $15-$60. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

“Citizen Josh” with monologoist Josh Kornbluth, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St., through Sept. 2. Tickets are $25-$30. 647-2949. 

Masquers Playhouse “The Shadow Box” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through Sept. 29. This show is not recommended for children.Tickets are $15. 232-4031. www.masquers.org  

TheaterInSearch “Epic of Gilgamesh” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Sept. 2. Tickets are $12-$20. 262-0584. 

Viaticum “The Carnal Table” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. through Sept. 2. Tickets are $10-$15. 848-3338. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Hit the Road, Jack...” A mixed-media group show. Opening reception at 7 p.m at Eclectix Gallery, 7523 Fairmount Ave., El Cerrito. 364-7261. 

FILM 

From the Tsars to the Stars: A Journey through Russian Fantastik Cinema “The Heavens Call” at 7 p.m. and “Zero City” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Los Boleros, Havana dance party, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jessica Jones Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

8:00 p.m., August 31, VidyA, South Indian jazz group. Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley. $15 at the door; $10 for club members and seniors.  

Melvin Seals & JGB, The Jolly Gibsons at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Judea Eden Band at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Mike Eckstein and Vanessa Lowe at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Matthew Hansen, James Deprato, Sean Hodge at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Jeff Jernigan at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Pacuzo, Digust of Us, alt, jazz, latin, at 9:30 p.m. at the Stork Club Oakland, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5. 444-6174. 

Lifesavas at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8-$10. 548-1159.  

Shim Sham Rebellion at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Allan Hodsworth at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 

CHILDREN  

“Aesop’s Fables Puppet Show” Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “The Three Musketeers” Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkle Park, Southampton Ave., off The Arlington, through Sept. 9. Free. 841-6500. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with David Alpaugh and Lynne Knight at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Roseanne Dimalanta & Ray Obiedo’s Latin Project at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

M’Balou Kante at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Guinean dance workshop at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $15. 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.  

Heaven with Your Boots On, Kevin McCarthy at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Jonathan Segel, Victor Krummenacher, P.A.F. at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Allegiance, Set it Straight, SBV, Down Again, at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 2 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Naked Barbies record release party at 4 p.m. at The Starry Plough. all gaes. 841-2082.  

La Kay, Haitian, at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Doomhawk, Red Herring, Pet Club at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, SEPT. 3 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Face of Place” mixed media by Janet Brugos opens at L’Amyx Tea Bar, 4179 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. www.lamyx.com 

“Found Photos” An exhibition of photographs by Yvette Hoffer shot 50 years ago in Europe on exhibit at Downtown Restaurant, 2102 Shattuck, through Oct.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Don Coffin and Paul Ellis, Celtic, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100.  

TUESDAY, SEPT. 4 

EXHIBITIONS 

CCA Photography Retrospective Works by recent graduates as well as faculty opens at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., at 25th St., Richmond. 620-6772.  

FILM 

“Please Vote for Me” A documentary by Weijun Chen on fifth-graders in China at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 100 Oak St., Oakland. Free. 326-1440.  

Devotional Cinema: Films by Dorsky and Ozu with Nathaniel Dorsky at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

David Kirp describes “The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

John Aubrey Douglass discusses “The Conditions For Admission: Access, Equity, and the Social Contract of Public Universities” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Gerard Landry & the Lariats at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Duke Robillard, blues guitarist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 

FILM 

“Ankur” with filmmaker Shyam Benegal at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Khalil Bendib introduces “Mission Accomplished: Wicked Cartoons by America’s Most Wanted Cartoonist” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Zachary Schomburg and Lily Brown read their poetry at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

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 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz Masters Concert with Cow Bop, jazz goes Western, at noon at 12th and Broadway, Oakland.  

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Michael Seth Orland, solo piano at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Ben Flint Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

The Mighty Diamonds, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054.  

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Jamie Davis at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, SEPT. 6 

FILM 

“Shorts by Lindsay Anderson” at 5:30 p.m. and “Bhumika” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Brenda Hillman reads her poetry at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Ruthann Lum McCunn reads from her novel “God of Luck” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Mary Gordon reads from “Circling My Mother: A Memoir” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Eric Yates & Friends, Americana, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054.  

Jamie Laval with Ashley Broder, Celtic violinist and mandolin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Marmadou & Vanessa Sidibe Music Mali at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Beltaine’s Fire, Boudica, Greenbridge at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

Otro Mundo at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

Kenny Burrell & The Jazz Heritage All-stars at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

I’m dying! Bring in the gravediggers. Let the mourners come.” On a set out of a Gothic fairytale (designed by Kim A. Tolman)—a crypt with a crazy rose window above, a hovering eye and the Mona Lisa with her face half covered by a hand as she gazes out over the audience, a chessboard below as flooring—Saul Strange (David Usner, himself a skydiver) writhes on his seeming deathbed, rigged with parachute lines, in an upbeat final agony, attended by his family with painted faces (and occasionally a fantastic creature, a kind of celestial butoh drag queen, played by Kinji Hayashi). 

But on being wished “Happy Birthday, Grandpa!” by May Strange (Maikiko James), who presents him with his old combat medal and ribbon she’s discovered, and donning an O.D. jacket with epaulets and fringe over longjohns and (gold Arabian Nights slippers) taken from a coffin-shaped armoire, the old campaigner’s mournful talk turns to thoughts of restaurants and food. 

As Helen Pau’s creation, which she wrote and directed, shifts gears, and shifts again and again, to settle in (though not for long) at the “Carnal Table” that figures as the subtitle of Viaticum, an Incubator 16 production going into its final weekend at Live Oak Theatre. 

It’s not so much the dishes served at that fleshly board as the manner in which the feast unfolds that gives Viaticum its ultrachromatic, even atonal resonance. Monologue follows repartee after vignette, flowing right along like a branching stream into various landscapes, the connectives (as in a dream) quickly brushed over, or eliminated. It’s like a Mannerist painting, in which all kinds of action exists side-by-side in a variety of perspectives on the same canvas—nervewracking to take in all at once, but enjoyable in courses, once the spectator sits back and partakes in the procession of offerings, one by one, and lets it all correspond in its own way, mostly through wry (even skewed) humor. 

The deathbed, turned round, becomes the table of a Last Supper that easily outdoes any Da Vinci Code blather (and Leonardo’s name and work are invoked, under the shy Mona Lisa hovering above, just as Lewis Carroll seems to be in the wings, ready to step on the chessboard, or present in the sub-sub-title/description of “A TragicFarce in Ten Fits,” à la his “Hunting of the Snark”). 

The motifs jostle each other awkwardly, visually and verbally, as in a de Chirico painting, or a book by his prolific brother Savinio. In some ways less Surrealist (in the fullbore Parisian sense) than pre- and para-Surrealist, Viaticum plays off the mad Gothic sensibilities of, say, Poe or Comte de Lautreamont, dragooned as predecessors by Andre Breton’s gang—or the fascination with eccentric popular genres, like pirates, porn, secret agents and salacious nuns—all served up with a dollop of scatology and oodles of incest. 

Auditors straining for a plot may be hard pressed to respond, and some will find Viaticum irritating or “too conceptual” if they focus on the foreground, which evaporates constantly over the horizon or off the vanishing points. Better to take in the textures of offbeat stories spinning out, as the family of characters shifts shape to suit whatever gambit they’re on, all accompanied by cello (often in pizzicato), pennywhistle and toy piano by musical trouper Alex Kelly. 

The family (including Jacquie Duckworth and Steve Budd) moves through its various characterizations, anchored by the constants: parents/grandparents Saul and Jean Beatrice—Michaela Greeley, excellent in an almost deadpan performance, whether echoing the tail ends of others’ lines like a parrot as she serves as dresser and factotum in brown karate drag, or in basic black, hat and veil, squatting on an enormous white pawn, reeling out long lines of Strindbergian monologue. 

An unusual stage event, especially to end a slower summer than the past two. With another original out there like George Charbak’s Gilgamesh, also ending this weekend, it makes for a picaresque time of show-hopping in Berkeley, just like Helen Pau’s peripatetic script ... ready to praise the Prince of Darkness at any moment, while excusing oneself to run off to prayers! 

VIATICUM: THE CARNAL TABLE 

8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. $10-$15. 848-3338. 

Live Oak Theater. 1301 Shattuck Ave.

Time is running out to see a superb and fascinating photography exhibit at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art. “Think While You Shoot!” a career-spanning retrospective of the tremendously varied body of work by Hungarian-born photographer Martin Munkacsi, runs through Sept. 16. 

Munkacsi could do it all—and with style, insight, and humor. From sports and action to war and politics, from bathing beauties to portraits and fashion, from pop culture to gripping photojournalism, the versatile Munkacsi seemed to master every subject he took on. 

He began his career in Hungary, working primarily as a sports photographer, capturing athletes in motion with crystal-clear precision. The exhibit begins with some of this early work. One image shows a goalkeeper lunging, frozen in time while floating horizontally above the ground with outstretched arms, straining for a ball that passes just out of reach. Another shot shows the gritty rush of speed as a motorcyclist crashes through a puddle, eyes squinting as dark jets of mud splash up all around him. 

In the late 1920s Munkacsi made his way to Berlin, where he took a job with the leading German photo weekly Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung, for which he traveled the world in search of photojournalistic fodder. Some of his most striking images from this era present a radical departure from his usual joyous photographs, as he documented the transfer of power from German President Paul von Hindenburg to Adolf Hitler.  

The force of Munkacsi’s shots of German soldiers on the march is only intensified by their placement in the gallery opposite a long wall of lighthearted portraits of beautiful young women frolicking on sun-soaked beaches. The rise of the Nazis prompted the Jewish photographer to emigrate to the United States, where he took a job with Harper’s Bazaar. The bathing beauty portraits illustrate how Munkacsi immediately influenced his profession: he transformed fashion photography from a static, studio-bound form to a celebration of the body in action, producing kinetic, exuberant photographs of models in motion outdoors, on city streets and beaches. His models didn’t just strike a pose and let their finery hang in luxurious folds; they walked, they ran, they jumped and danced. 

Also on view are shots that display Munkacsi’s sense of humor and his curiosity about people. At some point he stopped shooting the athletes at sporting events and focused his camera instead on the spectators, making for a delightful series of images that bring out the emotion—heartache, anticipation, and joy—of people watching other people. This semi-voyeuristic approach comes to full fruition in another striking display: Munkacsi’s series of a couple riding a double-decker bus. The body language in these three photographs suggests that a particularly intimate conversation is taking place against the shifting backdrop of urban streets. One of Munkacsi’s most noteworthy talents was this ability to distill an image in such a way that it suggests meanings and plot lines and happenings far beyond what is within the frame. 

Other images take a more comic approach. One shows a skier making his way uphill, the criss-crossing pattern of his splayed ski prints in the snow behind him sharply telling of his cumbersome journey. Another shot looks down on a field full of schoolchildren reclining for what appears to be an impromptu nap or perhaps a group cloud-watching session. Munkacsi’s camera transforms them into a haphazard geometric pattern without losing the human appeal of a lazy afternoon spent lolling in the grass with a few dozen friends. 

Munkacsi had a gift for finding the humanity in everything he photographed. And though his images of the rise of the Nazis and his respectful but harrowingly intimate documentation of the death and sorrow of a mine disaster may be stirring, jarring, and powerful, his most lasting contribution to photography is the joyful exuberance he brought to his best work. 

MARTIN MUNKACSI:  

THINK WHILE YOU SHOOT! 

Through Sept. 16 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 151 Third St., San Francisco. Open 10 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 10 a.m.-8:45 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Closed Wednesday.  

www.sfmoma.org. (415) 357-4000.