LONG RUNNING

“Triple Espresso” This highly-caffeinated comedy is about three guys, a coffee house and an utter lack of common sense. Through Feb. 17. Horton Grand Theatre.

“When There's a Will...There's a Wake!” Mystery Cafe Dinner Theater brings back the days of the old speakeasies with this gangster, game and dame-filled production. Imperial House Restaurant.

RUNNING

“By the Bog of Cats” SDSU School of Theatre presents this tale of family secrets, deadly legacies and the dangerous power of love. Opens tomorrow; closes Dec. 2. Experimental Theatre.

KEN JACQUES OPERA LITE: Set in Paris of the 1870s, Lyric Opera's staging of Puccini's "The Swallow" features Suzan Hanson (front) with (from left) Enrique Toral, Michele Kei Ishuu, Shelly Hart Breneman, and Shauna Ostrom.

“Cry-Baby” La Jolla Playhouse presents this play 7/8 set in 1954 at the dawn of rock 'n' roll 7/8 that tells the story of bad boy meets good girl. Closes Dec. 16. Mandell Weiss Theatre.

“Dracula” L.A. director Christopher Vened, adapter Steven Dietz, and a strong North Coast Rep cast transfuse Bram Stoker's 1897 vampire tale with wit, irony and enough passion to keep the show teetering gleefully on the brink of camp. Even Drac-haters may be entertained. Closes Sunday. North Coast Repertory Theatre. (Welsh)

“The Frogs” Aristophanes' comedy (405 B.C.), mixing lowdown, highflown and satiric humor, still has political and literary relevance. Actor-director Doug Lay and a froggy chorus are the best things in his Theatre Inc's ambitious, sometimes amateurish production; its lively text and clever concepts outstrip its theatrical execution. Closes Sunday. The Ark Theatre. (Welsh)

“An Ideal Husband” Oscar Wilde's unusually serious comedy has new relevance during our new Gilded Age. Lamb's Players meets the challenge of this high-style, morally complex comedy more than half way, with director Kerry Meads getting good performances from Rick Meads as a not-so-foolish dandy, Steve Gunderson as a fussy dowager, and several others. Closes Sunday. Lamb's Players Theatre. (Welsh)

“Love Letters” Two people, who grew up together, go their separate ways, but continue to share confidences. Closes Saturday. Stagehouse Theatre.

“Love Negotiated” Aspire Playwrights Collective presents a staged reading of this new, full-length play about fear, denial, love, and the fear and denial of love. Monday. Athenaeum School of the Arts Studio, 4441 Park Blvd. www.kristinameek.com

KEVIN BERNE STRAIGHT FROM JOHN WATERS: Allison (Elizabeth Stanley) gives a girly glow to the nerdy close-harmony group (from left, Colin Cunliffe, Christopher J. Hanke, Peter Matthew Smith, Nick Blaemire) in "Cry-Baby," premiering at La Jolla Playhouse.

Lyric Opera San Diego: “The Swallow (La Rondine)” The only operetta ever written by Puccini will be performed in English. Closes Sunday. Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre.

“The Night of the Iguana” Tennessee Williams' story centered around a defrocked, alcoholic and tormented Episcopal priest, who is battling the demons within him and the people around him. Closes Nov. 30. OnStage Playhouse.

“The O'Conner Girls” Scripps Ranch Theatre presents this old-fashioned play about families and love during the holiday season. Closes Dec. 8. Alliant International University.

“Punks” Set in present-day New York, Ion Theatre presents this story about a pair of male hustlers working for a mysterious ex-movie actor. They enact film-noir-like scenes that range from light taunting to lustful revenge. Previews tonight. Opens tomorrow; closes Dec. 15. Academy of Performing Arts, 4580-B Alvarado Canyon Road.

“The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands” Broadway San Diego presents this production, which recreates a legendary evening with The Rat Pack at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Opens Monday; closes Nov. 25. Civic Theatre.

“Side by Side” This musical revue showcases selections from “Gypsy,” “West Side Story,” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Closes Nov. 25. Coronado Playhouse.

“Street Scene” SDSU Opera Theater performs Kurt Weill's American opera, which is a story of love, passion, greed and death. Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. Smith Recital Hall.

“Sweet 15 (Quinceanera)” The Valderama family of National City invites you to celebrate their daughter's “Sweet 15” coming-of-age party. Opens Saturday; closes Dec. 16. Lyceum Theatre.

“Torch Song Trilogy” Diversionary Theatre presents Harvey Fierstein's play about an aging drag queen who is trying to connect with someone, anyone. Opens tonight; closes Dec. 16. Diversionary Theatre.

CLASSICAL/WORLD/EXPERIMENTAL

Han Han Cho, contrabassist Cho performs her rescheduled concert, featuring solo and chamber pieces by Zeynep Bulut, Hans Werner Henze, Paul Ramsier, Sergey Prokofiev and others. Sunday. Mandeville Recital Hall.

Broadway San Diego TALES FROM VEGAS: David Hayes is the Sammy Davis Jr.-look-alike in "The Rat Pack - Live at the Sands," coming to the Civic Theatre downtown for a week beginning Monday.

“A Musical Shakespeare Evening” The San Diego Shakespeare Society presents this performance by Jonathan and Rosina Reynolds, Victoria Mature, the San Diego Civic Dance Company and others. Learn what music meant to a Shakespearean audience. Monday. Neurosciences Institute.

“Pleasure of Your Company” Chamber Series The San Diego Chamber Music Society performs works by Mozart, Beethoven and Heiden. Sunday. Scripps Miramar Ranch Library Center, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive. (858) 538-8158.

San Diego Symphony The symphony, directed by Jahja Ling, performs works by Mozart, Hindemith and Webern. Guest clarinetist, Franklin Cohen, also performs. Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. Copley Symphony Hall.

Symphony on the Green: A Tribute to Heroes The San Diego Symphony, San Diego Children's Choir and the San Marcos High School Jazz Ensemble will perform. Saturday. Rancho Bernardo Community Park, 18448 West Bernardo Drive. (619) 235-0804.

DANCE

Ecstasy of the Whirling Dervishes ArtPower! at UCSD presents this act of love and dramatization of faith that possesses a highly structured form. Tomorrow. Mandeville Center.

Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal This dance repertoire exalts the body and its mechanisms, strength and sensuality. Sunday. California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

San Diego Academy of Ballet: “The Nutcracker” More than 75 local dancers perform this classic holiday ballet. Tomorrow and Saturday. East County Performing Arts Center.

“So You Think You Can Dance Tour” The top 10 finalists from the television show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” dance their hearts out. Monday. San Diego Sports Arena.

PERFORMING ARTS DIRECTORY

ORGANIZATIONS

6th @ Penn Theatre 3704 Sixth Ave. (619) 688-9210 or www.sixthatpenn.com

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. (858) 454-5872 or www.ljathenaeum.org

ArtPower! at University of California San Diego (858) 534-TIXS or artpower.ucsd.edu

Broadway San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave. (619) 570-1100 or www.broadwaysd.com

Butterworth Dance Company (619) 501-5037 or www.butterdance.org

California Ballet (858) 560-5676 or www.californiaballet.org

Christian Community Theater www.cyt.org

Chronos Theatre Group (619) 295-5047

City Ballet of San Diego (858) 272-8663 or www.cityballet.org

Classics For Kids (619) 435-9111 or www.classics4kids.com

Colette Harding Contemporary Dance Company (619) 516-2854.

Common Ground Theatre (619) 263-7911 or www.commongroundtheatre.org

Coronado Playhouse 1835 Strand Way, Coronado. (619) 435-4856 or www.coronadoplayhouse.com

Culture Shock Dance www.cultureshockdance.org

Cygnet Theatre Company 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Suite N. (619) 337-1525 or www.cygnettheatre.com

Diversionary Theatre 4545 Park Blvd., Suite 101, University Heights. (619) 220-0097 or www.diversionary.org

Eveoke Dance Theatre 2805 University Ave. (619) 238-1153 or www.eveoke.org

The Fritz Theatre www.fritztheatre.com

Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego 1010 University Ave. (619) 57-GMCSD or www.gmcsd.com

Grossmont College Theatre Arts (619) 644-7234 or www.grossmont.edu/theatrebrochur

Grossmont Symphony Orchestra (619) 440-2277 or www.grossmont.edu

Ion Theatre Company (619) 374-6894 or www.iontheatre.com

Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater (619) 225-1803or www.sandiegodancetheater.org

LaDiego Dance Theatre (619) 713-0646 or www.ladiego.org

La Jolla Music Society (858) 459-3728 or www.ljms.org

La Jolla Playhouse (858) 550-1010 or www.lajollaplayhouse.org

La Jolla Stage Company (858) 454-7798 or www.lajollastageco.org

La Jolla Symphony & Chorus (858) 534-4637 or www.lajollasymphony.com

Lamb's Players Theatre 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. (619) 437-0600 or www.lambsplayers.org

Lamplighters Community Theatre (619) 464-4598 or www.lamplighterstheatre.org

Lynx Performance Theatre 2653-R Ariane Drive. (619) 889-3190 or www.lynxperformance.com

Lyric Opera San Diego (619) 239-8836 or www.lyricoperasandiego.org

Malashock Dance (619) 260-1622 or www.malashockdance.org

Mainly Mozart (619) 239-0100 or www.mainlymozart.org Miracle Theatre Productions (619) 270-8784

Mizerany Dance www.mizeranydance.org

Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company (619) 342-7395 or www.moolelo.net

Moxie Theatre (619) 544-1000 or www.moxietheatre.com

Mystery Cafe Dinner Theater (619) 544-1600 or www.mysterycafe.net

New City Sinfonia (619) 527-4457

North Coast Repertory Theatre 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Suite D, Solana Beach. (858) 481-1055 or www.northcoastrep.org

The Old Globe 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. (619) 234-5623 or www.theoldglobe.com

OnStage Playhouse 291 Third Ave., Chula Vista. (619) 422-7787 or www.onstageplayhouse.org

Patricia Rincon Dance Collective www.rincondance.org

San Diego Asian American Repertory Theatre (888) 568-2278 or www.asianamericanrep.org

San Diego Ballet (619) 294-7378 or www.sandiegoballet.org

San Diego Chamber Orchestra (858) 350-0290 or www.sdco.org

San Diego Chorus (619) 685-3385 or www.sdchorus.org

San Diego Early Music Society (619) 291-8246 or www.sdems.org

San Diego Master Chorale (858) 581-2203 or www.sdmasterchorale.org

San Diego Men's Chorus (619) 296-SONG or www.sdmc.org

San Diego Opera Civic Theater, 1100 Third Ave. (619) 533-7000 or www.sdopera.com

San Diego Repertory Theatre Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza. (619) 544-1000 or www.sandiegorep.com

San Diego Shakespeare Society (619) 583-8525 or www.sandiegoshakespearesociety.org

San Diego State University School of Music & Dance www.musicdance.sdsu.edu

San Diego Symphony (619) 235-0804 or www.sandiegosymphony.com

San Diego Women's Chorus (619) 291-3366 or www.sdwc.org

San Diego Youth Symphony (619) 233-3232 or www.sdys.org

Scripps Ranch Theatre 10755-F Scripps Poway Parkway. (858) 578-7728 or www.scrippsranchtheatre.org

Sledgehammer Theatre (619) 544-1484 or www.sledgehammer.org Sullivan Players (858) 274-1731

Sushi Performance & Visual Arts (619) 235-8466 or www.sushiart.org

Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park (619) 544-STAR or www.starlighttheatre.org

The Theatre, Inc. (619) 216-3016 or www.thetheatreinc.com

Tonic Productions (619) 246-4854 or www.tonicproductions.org Vantage Theatre (858) 456-9664 or home.san.rr.com/vantagetheatre

Westwind Brass (619) 501-3562 or www.westwindbrass.org

VENUES

The Ark Theatre 899 C St.

Black Box Theater 4580-B Alvarado Canyon Road. (619) 861-5286

Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts 2400 S. Stage Coach Lane, Fallbrook. California Center for the Arts, Escondido 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. (800) 988-4253 or www.artcenter.org

Central Library 820 E St. (619) 236-5810 or www.sandiego.gov/public-library Civic Theatre 1100 Third Ave. (619) 570-1100

Copley Symphony Hall 750 B St. (619) 235-0804 or www.sandiegosymphony.com

Crill Performance Hall at Point Loma Nazarene University 3900 Lomaland Drive. (619) 849-2325

David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre in the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. (858) 457-3030 or www.lfjcc.org

Don Powell Theatre at SDSU 5500 Campanile Drive.

East County Performing Arts Center 210 E. Main St., El Cajon. (619) 588-0206 or www.ecpac.com

Experimental Theatre at San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive. (619) 594-6884 or theatre.sdsu.edu

First Unitarian Universalist Church 4190 Front St., Hillcrest

Florence Johnson Grand Theater 2425 Dusk Drive. (619) 470-0588

Grossmont College 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon. www.grossmont.edu Horton Grand Theatre 444 Fourth Ave. (619) 234-9583

Imperial House Restaurant 505 Kalmia St.

Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall 5775 Morehouse Dr.

Joan B. Kroc Theatre 6845 University Ave. (800) 594-TIXX or www.kroccenter.org Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. (858) 362-1348 or www.lfjcc.org

Lyceum Theatre 79 Horton Plaza. (619) 544-1000

Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre at UCSD 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. (858) 534-4574

Mandeville Auditorium at UCSD 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. (858) 534-4637 or http://hds.ucsd.edu/conference/mandeville.html

Mandeville Recital Hall at UCSD 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla

Moonlight Amphitheater 1200 Vale Terrace, Vista

Molli and Arthur Wagner Dance Building at UCSD 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla

New World Stage 917 Ninth Ave. (619) 374-6894

North Park Vaudeville & Candy Shoppe 2031 El Cajon Blvd. (619) 220-8663 or www.northparkvaudeville.com

The Neurosciences Institute 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. (619) 204-5055 or www.nsi.edu

Old Time Music 2852 University Ave. (619) 280-9035

Poway Center for the Performing Arts 15498 Espola Road, Poway.

Salomon Theatre at Point Loma Nazarene University 3900 Lomaland Drive. (619) 849-2200 or www.pointloma.edu/salomontheatre

Schulman Auditorium, Carlsbad City Library 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad.

Scripps Performing Arts Center 9920 Scripps Lake Drive, Suite 104

Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at UCSD 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. (858) 550-1010 or www-theatre.ucsd.edu

Sherwood Auditorium in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 700 Propect St., La Jolla. (858) 454-3541 or www.mcasd.org

Shiley Theatre at University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park. (619) 260-4162 pr www.sandiego.edu

Sixth Avenue Bistro 1165 Sixth Ave. (619) 239-4194

Smith Recital Hall at SDSU 5500 Campanile Drive. (619) 594-1696 or www.musicdance.sdsu.edu

Spreckels Theater 121 Broadway. (619) 234-8397 or www.spreckels.net

Stagehouse Theatre at Grossmont College 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon. (619) 644-7234 or www.grossmont.edu/theatrebrochur

Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre 2891 University Ave., Suite 1. (619) 239-8836 or www.birchnorthparktheatre.net

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 890 Balour Drive, Encinitas. (760) 753-3017.

St. James by-the-Sea 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. (619) 291-8246 or www.stjamesbythesea.org St. Paul's Cathedral 2728 Sixth Ave. (619) 298-7261 or www.stpaulcathedral.org

St. Paul's United Methodist Church 700 D Ave., Coronado.

Studio Theatre at SDSU 5500 Campanile Drive. (619) 594-1696 or www.musicdance.sdsu.edu

Swedenborg Hall 1531 Tyler

Tenth Avenue Theatre 930 10th Ave. (619) 238-1153

VozAlta Project 1544 Broadway. (619) 230-1VOZ or www.vozalta.org