Stage

Send stage listings two weeks in advance to stage@seattleweekly.com.

* indicates free tickets available for some performances to celebrate Live Theater Week.

Thom Pain

Imagine you went to an open-mike night and one guy took over the stage for hours without really intending to. Thom Pain (based on nothing) feels like that. Thom (Todd Jefferson Moore) is the play's only character, on a humble quest to dissect his childhood, his past relationship, and his place in the world. For 70-odd minutes, Thom, a more morose version of "Seinfeld"'s Kramer, presents a tale that's interrupted by a cavalcade of random thoughts, such as "Do you like magic?" and (to an audience member) "I have that shirt at home." Audience members aren't sure how to respond when addressed-silence is the typical answer, or at least it was at a recent performance. Thom's main soliloquy loosely tracks his boyhood as he loses a dog, a trauma which changes him on a deeper level and presents a point from which to examine his later life and lost love. Sometimes sort-of funny, sometimes profound, sometimes way too disjointed, this play will either you leave you saying "Isn't life ugly but ultimately amazing?" or "What the hell was that?" Written by Will Eno and directed by Jerry Manning. Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 206-443-2222, www.seattlerep.org. $10-$48. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; also 2 p.m. matinee Wed. Nov. 1. Ends Sun. Nov. 5. MOLLY LORI

Openings & Previews

awake and sing!A staged reading of Clifford Odets' tale of a Depression-era Bronx family. Our American Theater Company at Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., www.ouramericantheater.org. Donation. 7 p.m. Mon. Oct. 23 only.

* Black SnowAn adaptation of Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's comic novel about a young writer whose failed novel is turned into a play. UW School of Drama at the Penthouse Theatre, UW campus, 206-543-4880, depts.washington.edu/uwdrama. $8-$15. Opens Wed. Oct. 18. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Oct. 29.

Carlotta & the Curse of Wolf ManorA Halloween musical performed by the popular Wing Ding variety show troupe. Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $7.50-$15. Opens Thurs. Oct. 19; pay-what-you-can Thurs. Oct. 26. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 4.

* CompanyStephen Sondheim's breakthrough musical about five couples and their resolutely single pal Robert. 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., 206-625-1900, www.5thavenue.org. $20-$73. Opens Thurs. Oct. 19. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Wed., 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 1:30 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Nov. 5.

Dante's InfernoActors and glassblowers combine their talents in this Halloween adaptation of Dante's exploration of hell. Hot Shop Amphitheater at the Museum of Glass, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, 253-284-4750. $5-$10. Opens Fri. Oct. 20. 5:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Ends Sun. Oct. 29.

* Native SonKent Gash's adaptation of Richard Wright's 1940 novel, a landmark examination of racism, poverty, and powerlessness. Intiman Theater, 201 Mercer St., Seattle Center, 206-269-1900. Opens Fri. Oct. 20. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs. & Sun.; also 2 p.m. matinees most Sat. & Sun. and Wed. Nov. 8. Ends Sun. Nov. 19.

NightStories: Lost & FoundProfessional actors read short stories on the theme of people and things that are lost and/or found. SecondStory Repertory at Redmond Town Center, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, 425-881-6777, www.SecondStoryRep.org. $8. Opens Fri. Oct. 20. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; no show Fri. Oct. 27. Ends Sat. Oct. 28.

* Sunday on the RocksFour women spend a day exploring the limits of friendship in this play by Theresa Rebeck. Cornish College of the Arts at PONCHO Concert Hall, 710 E. Roy St., 206-325-6500, www.ticketwindowonline.com. $5-$8. Opens Thurs. Oct. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Oct. 22.

Sweet CharityMolly Ringwald (director John Hughes' favorite redhead in such '80s teen comedy classics as The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink) stars as Charity Hope Valentine in this musical with a book by Neil Simon. Paramount Theater, 911 Pine St., 206-292-2787, www.theparamount.com. $22-$70. Opens Tues. Oct. 24. 8 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Ends Sun. Oct. 29.

* The UnderpantsSteve Martin's adaptation of Carl Sternheim's 1910 farce about a housewife who becomes an overnight celebrity when she accidentally loses her underpants in public. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 206-292-7676, www.acttheatre.org. $10-$54. Opens Thurs. Oct. 19. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. Sun.; 2 p.m. matinees Thurs. Oct. 26, Sat. Oct. 21 & Nov. 4, Sun. Oct. 22 & 29, Nov. 5 & 12. Ends Sun. Nov. 12.

* W(h)ackedSeattle playwright Stephanie Timm's "immorality play" about five murderous women. Live Girls! Theater, 2220 N.W. Market St., 800-838-8006, www.livegirlstheater.org. $10-$15. Opens Fri. Oct. 20. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 4 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Nov. 18.

Last Chance

* Arms and the ManGeorge Bernard Shaw's classic romantic comedy which stands heroic ideals on their heads, starring Taproot co-founder Pam Nolte and veteran actor Nolan Palmer and directed by Karen Lund. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., 206-781-9707, www.taproottheatre.org. $23-$30 (25 and under $15). 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Oct. 21.

Beauty, Art & the EroticThe Little Red Studio troupe presents a variety show featuring music, dance, mime, poetry, and performance art with an erotic edge. Little Red Studio, 1506 Franklin Ave. E., 206-328-4758, www.littleredstudioseattle.com. $30. 9 p.m. Sat. Oct. 21 only.