The holiday snot-stream of Christmas shows has finally dried to a crust (I do not like Christmas shows.), and we’re back to the Portland theater world’s regularly scheduled programming—not to belabor the point, but what with TV sucking and all, now’s as good a time as any to check out local stages. Not sure what to see this weekend? Aw, allow me.

Theater Vertigo opens Where’s My Money tomorrow night, by playwright John Patrick Shanley (yeah, that guy). Vertigo is an institution, consistently turning out smart, challenging work—not to mention they attract a high level of talent and usually feature some of the best sets in town; this show is supposed to be very funny and very mean-spirited, both of which are OK by me. Details on their website.

The fine folks at defunkt generally tackle work that is less conventionally "accessible" than what you'll find on Vertigo's stage, which can be frustrating or enlightening, depending on the show. I've got a good feeling about their current project, though; the script they're workshopping sounds fascinating:

"By Americans, for Americans," The Communist Dracula Pageant takes place during the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and comes complete "with hallucinations, phosphorescence, and bears." on December 25, 1989, in a hastily converted schoolhouse in the middle of nowhere, Nikolae and Elena Ceausescu are put on trial for, among other things, genocide. presided over by our own Master of Ceremonies Vlad Tepes (the original Dracula), Washburn's play examines this event through a non-stop barrage of styles and scenes, many of which are taken from actual video documentation. this is a one-of-a-kind seriocomic tale of the corrupting nature of power, self-deception, the theatre of politics and the politics of theatre.

Opening tomorrow at the Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne; Thurs-Sun 8 pm, admission is free tomorrow and Saturday, $10-15 after that (Thurs & Sun pay what you will)

And, of course, one of my favorite companies in town, the Miracle Theater group is launching their original bilingual show Zapatista tomorrow night, about the Zapatista movement in Mexico. The Miracle really redefines "community theater," with a commitment to outreach and education in addition to their always solid productions.
Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark Street, preview tonight, 7:30 pm, $12; runs Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm ($20 Fri-Sat, $18 Thurs)

I am trepidatious about New Group Theater's original show Off Book, which opens tonight, and I'll tell you why. Actually, no, I'll let their press release tell you why:

Off Book tells the story of Corgan Bryant, a confident young hero who suddenly finds that his life is taking nothing but bad turns. Like a modern suburban adolescent he cries out for his freedom and independence. But when he has worked his way through the pseudo-religious hierarchy of the modern theatre world, he finds that freedom and independence aren’t at all what he thought they would be.

Eep. Shoebox Theatre, 2110 SE 10th, Thurs-Sat 7 pm, Sun 2 pm, $10

Finally, Third Rail's solid Shining City will probably have a sold out run, so grab your tickets early for that one.

As always, more listings on FoundIt!—and if you're a theater people and I'm missing your show, e-mail ahallett@portlandmercury.com and I'll get you listed.