Theater

THEATER

Birds

{bullet} A wealthy woman falls into the city’s urban underbelly after she gives a homeless man her lover’s coat. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Through July 28. Rorschach Theatre, 1459 Columbia Road NW. $12-$20. 202/452-5538.

Brooklyn Boy

{bullet} A successful author returns to his hometown when his father’s health fails. 1:45 and 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday; 7:45 p.m. Thursday-Friday. Through July 29. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. $25-$46. 301/924-3400.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

{bullet} A lonely woman answers a stranger’s cell phone and finds herself the guardian of his memory. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through July 14. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW. $22-$52. 202/393-3939.

Democracy

Michael Frayn’s intellectual drama of mid-century West German politics and the spy scandal that engulfed Chancellor Willy Brandt’s government. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 7:30 Sunday. July 18-Aug. 12. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. 301/924-3400.

Emergen-SEE!

{bullet} A slave ship rises out of the Hudson River and sets New York City into a whirlwind of emotion in this one-man show. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through July 22. Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., SW. $38-$50. 202/488-3300.

Godspell

{bullet} The Gospel according to St. Matthew, told through clowning, charades and vaudeville. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 1:30 and 7:30 Saturday, 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Through Aug. 5. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. $25-$46. 301/924-3400.

Hamlet

{bullet} Commanded by his father’s ghost to seek revenge, Hamlet struggles with the human and spiritual costs of pursuing justice. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through July 29. Shakespeare Theatre Company, 450 Seventh St. NW. $19-$76.25. 202/547-1122.

Macbeth

{bullet} Shakespeare’s tragedy of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday July 15. Washington Shakespeare Company at the Clark Street Playhouse, 601 S. Clark St., Arlington. $25-$35. 703/418-4808.

My Name is Rachel Corrie

{bullet} A monologue inspired by the true story of an American peace activist who was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza. Showtimes vary. Through July 29. Contemporary American Theater Festival, Studio Theater, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, W.Va. $26-$36. Festival packages available. 800/999-2283.

1001

{bullet} This take on the on the classic “1001 Nights” investigates the human condition like a freely associative time machine. Showtimes vary. Through July 29. Contemporary American Theater Festival, Frank Center Theater, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, W.Va. $26-$36. Festival packages available. 800/999-2283.

Pangs of the Messiah

{bullet} A family exhibits widely divergent responses after a peace treaty is signed between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through July 22. Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. $15-$45. 800/494-8497.

The Phantom of the Opera

{bullet} Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical about a mysterious man who lives under the Paris Opera House and his obsession with a chorus girl named Christine Daae. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Through Aug. 12. Kennedy Center Opera House, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $36-$94. 202/467-4600.

The Pursuit of Happiness

{bullet} A middle-class family in Maine mounts a quest for wealth, joy and intellectual challenge. Showtimes vary. Through July 29. Contemporary American Theater Festival, Frank Center Theater, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, W.Va. $26-$36. Festival packages available. 800/999-2283.

Pygmalion

{bullet} A British linguistics expert meets his match when he transforms a cockney girl into a refined young lady. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Aug. 6. Quotidian Theatre Company at The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. $20. 301/816-1023.

Reefer Madness: The Musical

{bullet} It’s 1936 and a new drug, “marihuana,” is threatening the American way of life. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through Aug. 5. Studio Theatre Secondstage, 1501 14th St. NW. $35-$39. 202/332-3300.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

{bullet} The 40th anniversary production of Tom Stoppard’s comedic tragedy, in which Hamlet’s two schoolmates find themselves the reluctant heroes of their own play. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through July 22. Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. $39-$55. 202/332-3300.

Souvenir: A Fantasia on the LIfe of Florence Foster Jenkins

{bullet} The biographical tale of a tone-deaf socialite who finances her own private operas. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Sunday. Through July 15. Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. $39-$42. 202/332-3300.

Shear Madness

{bullet} The long-running whodunit comedy continues indefinitely. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday, 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Kennedy Center Theater Lab, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $34. 202/467-4600.

The Witches of Eastwick

{bullet} Three unhappy women innocently conjure up their perfect man; their dreams come true when he arrives, but only one woman can have him. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through July 22. Signature Theatre, 2800 S. Stafford St., Arlington. $38-$63. 703/820-7790.

Valparaiso

{bullet} A series of misadventures lands a man and his wife in Valparaiso, Chile, where they are ultimately destroyed by media attention. Through July 22. Forum Theater and Dance at the H Street Playhouse, 1365 H St. NE. $15-$18. 202/489-1701.

Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper

{bullet} The British rock musical based on London’s darkest and most notorious resident. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Through July 15. Landless Theatre Company at DCAC, 2438 18th St., NW. $15-$18. 301/515-4494.

COMMUNITY THEATER

Annie

The Summer Stock Theatre mounts three performances of the beloved Tony-winning musical. 7:30 p.m. July 13 and 14, 2:30 p.m. July 15. Academy of the Holy Cross, New Theatre, 4920 Strathmore Ave., Kensington. $15. 301/942-2100, ext. 591.

STAGE

The Capitol Steps

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202/397-SEAT.

n The musical and political satire troupe. 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $31.50.

Comedy Sportz D.C.

Ballston Common Mall

Old Vic Arena, 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703/294-LAFF

n Teams of comedians battle each other in competitive improvisational comedy sketches. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday. $8-$12.

Improvapalooza 2007

Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. 202/315-1318.

n The Washington Improv Theater’s once-a-year marathon of 26 improv shows, each 10 minutes long. 7 p.m.-midnight July 14. $10 at the door.

DINNER THEATER

Here’s Killing You, Kid

{bullet} Blair Mansion Mysteries performance. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 30. Doubletree Hotel, Crystal City, Arlington. $42.95. 888/471-4802.

Little Shop of Horrors

{bullet} A down-and-out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving. Through Aug. 19. 8:15 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 12:30 and 7:15 p.m. Sunday. $28.50-$47. Toby’s Dinner Theatre, 5900 Symphony Woods Road, Columbia, Md. 301/596-6161.

Murder Upon Request

{bullet} The Interactive comedy-mystery group performs plays at two locations: “A Deadly Private Party” at Alfio’s La Trattoria, 4515 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, and “Just Killing Time” at the Arlington Hilton, 950 N. Stafford St., Arlington. 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday. $55. Both run indefinitely. 703/379-8108.

The So-So-Sopranos

{bullet} Blair Mansion Mysteries performance. 7:30 p.m. July 20-21. Blair Mansion Inn Restaurant, 7711 Eastern Ave., Silver Spring. $52.95. 301/588-6646.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

{bullet}The biblical story takes on a musical twist. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through July 22. Lazy Susan Dinner Theater, 10712 Richmond Highway, Lorton. $39.95-$42.95. 703/550-7384.