Stage Fog: Flutastic

We're not being dramatic or anything, but we've had the flu for a week now, with massive pain behind our eyeballs and pretty much zero appetite. But you can't all come over and take care of us as we sit on the couch and watch television with us. No, some of you have to go out and see live theater. So we've made it off our deathbed and crawled over to the computer to post these listings for you. This is how much we love you.

One Big Lie at the Exit
We're remiss that we haven't been to a Crowded Fire show yet -- we hear wonderful things about the company. What's more, one of our friends from past Impact shows, the very talented Alex Creighton, is one of the company members. She also happens to be featured in this new CF show by Liz Duffy Adams, who just won the prestigious Will Glickman award for her play Dog Act, which ran at Shotgun last year in conjunction with Playwrights Foundation, which also codeveloped One Big Lie, this time with Crowded Fire. (Relate: friend of SFist Karen McKevitt writes about the wonder of theatrical collaborations in Theatre Bay Area Magazine.) One Big Lie is described as "a musical fable that pits gods against mortals in a search for ultimate truth that takes us from the ancient world to a future that seems all too familiar." Intrigued? So are we. Pay-what-you-can preview tonight (normally $15-20), opening tomorrow, then Thursdays-Saturdays through April 16.

More things that are better than sitting home on the sofa with a fever (we're not being dramatic!) after the jump...

Blood Relative at TJT and the Julia Morgan Theatre
TJT brings an original work to its Potrero Hill stage (and to the Julia Morgan for the latter half of the run), the fruit of a collaboration of TJT company members and friends, known collectively as the Middle East Project Ensemble. The website describes the show: "A young man is born to an Israeli mother and a Palestinian father. Both peoples claim him. Torn apart by unending conflict, he embarks on a journey through the collective memory of the Middle East. The shared and competing stories of each culture push and pull at him as he searches for reconciliation. The play incorporates a range of characters, bold physicality and original live music." Also: not that you shouldn't go the first part of the run, but as an added bonus, Daniel Hoffman is performing the live music during the latter half. And let us tell you, that guy is a brilliant violinist. We've seen him at both TJT and A.C.T., and he has never disappointed us. Through May 1.

Monster in the Dark at the Ashby Stage
Shotgun Theatre Lab and the foolsFURY Incubator project have come together to develop Monster in the Dark, by Doug Dorst, whose resume makes yours look pathetic, trust us. (If we find out that he's also been an active member of Doctors without Borders, we're just going to shoot ourselves out of shame.) From the press release: "Drawn from sources as diverse as Grimm's Fairy Tales, the Bible, current news events, and Edgar Allan Poe, audiences are treated to a collage of familiar figures and characters...directed by Ben Yalom, and created in the vibrant physical style that is a trademark of San Francisco's foolsFURY Theater.... A group of survivors is besieged by the rising tides of the Great Flood, the perfect murder is nearly pulled off until the killer is besieged by paranoia, loved ones are transformed into strangers, and people lose control of their own impulses. How deeply do you explore your fears?" Mondays and Tuesdays through March 29. (Special thanks to SFist Rita for the heads-up.)

Electric Candyland at the Off-Market Theatre
Improv with advanced technology injected into the mix, performed by vets of Killing My Lobster, the Legal Briefs, and Tilted Frame. Presented by Off-Market Theatres and C.A.F.E. Arts. Would someone please ask Off-Market how that name is working out? Are they being successful in pushing that term as our version of "Off-Broadway"? It ought to be more like "Off-Geary," shouldn't it? Hell, it's "Off-Addison" in Berkeley. Oh, never mind. Four performances only, Fridays and Saturdays through March 26.

For more stage options, check out the listings at the Guardian, the Express, the SF Weekly, and the calendar on Theatre Bay Area's website.