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Southern Baptist Sissies. Del Shores' tragicomedy mixes what New Conservatory productions tend to do best (camp) with what they tend to stumble over (sentiment). Four teenage choirboys in a Southern Baptist church experiment with their changeable, fickle desires under the inattentive but feverish eye of a fire-and-brimstone preacher. Mark, who snarkily narrates, falls in love with T.J., a straight-up military son who prefers not to think of himself as gay. Andrew is a sweetly suffering closet case; Benny rejects his upbringing to become a drag queen. The show amounts to a survey of the wreckage caused by Baptist fundamentalism, with music: Church ladies and choirboys sing hymns, while Benny channels Dolly Parton and Wynonna Judd. But the liveliest characters are a pair of barflies who seem to live in the club where Benny sings. An old fag hag named Odette Annette Barnette (J.R. Orlando) makes friends with an overweight, over-the-hill queer named Peanut (Richard Ryan). "Oh, no, honey, I'm not a lesbian," Odette tells him chirpily. "I'm a alcoholic." Unfortunately, they have little to do with the main story. The Baptist-community satire is stronger here than any drama of self-discovery: Sissies, overall, preaches to the converted. Through July 11 at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness (at Market), S.F. Tickets are $18-28; call 861-8972 or visit www.nctcsf.org. (Michael Scott Moore) Reviewed June 23.
Also Playing
Are We Almost There?: Morris Bobrow's rollicking, long-running musical comedy about the trials and tribulations of travel, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, $20-$22. Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter (at Powell), 433-3040.
As You Like It: The all-female Woman's Will company sets Shakespeare's tale in 1960s London with a cross-dressing cast, Saturday, July 10, through Aug. 15, free; see www.womanswill.org for a schedule of performances, 510-420-0813 (information). Multiple locations.
Beach Blanket Babylon: This North Beach perennial features crazy hats, media personality caricatures, a splash of romance, and little substance, 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 and 7 p.m. Sundays, $25-$65. Club Fugazi, 678 Green (at Powell), 421-4222.
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Deaf West Theatre's production is an unusual combination of spoken English and American Sign Language that also incorporates dance and various storytelling traditions in an effort to create a show appropriate for both deaf and hearing audience members, through Saturday, July 10, $30-$85, see www.bestofbroadway-sf.com for a schedule of performances. Curran Theatre, 445 Geary (between Taylor and Mason), 551-2000.
Boxcar Bertha: A one-woman play based on the life and times of 1930s rail-riding hobo Bertha Thompson, 8 p.m. Thursday, July 8, through Saturday, July 10, $12-$20. Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy (at Taylor), 673-3847.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle: The Shotgun players retell the story of King Solomon and his solution to a problem shared by two mothers in this free outdoor production, 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, beginning Sunday, July 11, through Aug. 29, free. John Hinkel Park, Southampton (between San Diego and Somerset), Berkeley, 510-655-0813.
The Good Body: Award-winning playwright Eve Ensler looks at the whys and wherefores of women changing their bodies for social approval, 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through July 25; $11-$68. Geary Theater, 415 Geary (at Mason), 749-2228.
Henry IV: Mladen Kiselov directs Dakin Matthews' adaptation of of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts One and Two; Previews, 8 p.m., through Friday, July 9; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, beginning Saturday, July 10, 2 p.m. Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, beginning Saturday, July 10, through Aug. 1; $10-$52. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, Siesta Valley, Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Blvd., Hwy. 24, Orinda, 510-548-9666.
I Look Like an Egg But I Identify as a Cookie: Comic Heather Gold bakes chocolate chip cookies and recounts funny memories with her audiences while asking them to share recipes and other secrets, 8 p.m. Sundays, through July 18, $20-$30, 866-468-3399 (information). Hotel Adagio, 550 Geary (at Taylor).
"I Wanna Be a Republican": The winsomely ornery cross-dressing "beautyshop quartet" turns its attention to politics, with a mock GOP fundraiser, 8 p.m. Friday, July 9, $20-$32. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness (at Grove), 392-4400.
"A Midsummer Night's Madness": Proceeds from the variety show, which features performances from Auntie Drew, Christian Cagigal, Suppositori Spelling, and others, benefit the Theatre Rhinoceros, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 10, $20. The Center, 1800 Market (at McCoppin), 865-5555.
Open Process Series: Fist of Roses: Campo Santo reads through Philip Kan Gotanda's new production as the audience listens and provides constructive criticism, 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 12, $5-$15. Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia (at 15th St.), 626-2787.
Orpheus Descending: The Jean Shelton & Kenneth Vandenberg-directed production resets the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in a small, backward Southern town., 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 28; $10-$40. Actors Theatre San Francisco, 533 Sutter (at Powell), 296-9179.
