To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Geary Theater, ACT held a giant open house, with demonstrations, discussions and -- best of all -- the chance to wander around nearly every corner of the building on a self-guided tour. How many times do we mere mortals get to stand upon the stage and, as Hamlet directed, "Speak the speech... trippingly on the tongue"...? More pictures here.

THEATER: Based on the classic book by Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest explores "a world where sanity means conformity and following the rules is the only way to survive." Tonight through Friday are preview nights, and the play runs through September 5th.

8 p.m. // The SF Playhouse (533 Sutter St, Upstairs) // $30

BENEFIT: As part of the Riptide's Wet Wednesdays, the last Wednesday of each month with benefit a different environmental or humanitarian non-profit. This month's party, presented by Surf Pulse, benefits the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, which wrapped up in February. Films from past festivals will be screened, complimentary food by Caffe Macaroni will be served, DJ Paul will spin, and various prizes will be raffled, including a 6'0'' Classic Eco-foam Fish surfboard, VIP tickets to the SF Ocean Film Festival, and gift certificates from Wood House Fish Co. and Mocha 101. A portion of the bar proceeds and tips will be donated to the film festival.

8 p.m. to 2 a.m. // The Riptide (3639 Taraval St) // free

COMEDY: See some great comedians, "and some bad ones," at the Romane Event Comedy Show, which has been happening every fourth Wednesday for the past three years. This month's performers include Brent Weinbach, Brendan Lynch, Mary Van Note, Janine Brito, Amir Malekpour, and music by DJ Specific.

7:30 p.m. // The Make-Out Room (3225 22nd St) // $7

THEATRE: In Stale Magnolias, presented by Foul Play, you will meet the ladies of Texas’ Last Chance Salon, inspired by the kind of women found in such ’80s films as Steel Magnolias, Crimes Of The Heart, and Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. "High hopes, dashed dreams, betrayal, murder and... male-pattern balding."

8 p.m. // Glama-Rama Hair Salon (417 South Van Ness) // $15-20

MUSIC: SFJazz presents High School All-Stars with Eric Harland, who represent the highest caliber of young jazz musicians from the Bay Area. The All-Stars will perform in small group and 19-piece big band formats, highlighting the music of piano legend McCoy Tyner, as well as original compositions. Pro-level drummer Eric Harland of the SFJazz Collective will be the band’s special guest.

8 p.m. // Herbst Theatre (401 Van Ness Ave) // $5-15

Andanza Spanish Arts co-founders, internationally acclaimed choreographer Danica Sena, and world-renowned tenor Claudio Santomé lead this one-of-a-kind program featuring special guests: choreographer Norberto Martinez and Grupo Folklorico Atlatonin, choreographer Alicia Adame, a cast of ten dancers, vocalist Rosa de Huelva of Seville, pianist Alison Lovejoy and guitarist Alfredo Caceres.

Andanza Spanish Arts is a company of professional singers, dancers and musicians dedicated to promoting and presenting the elegant, colorful and widely varied repertoire of Spain, and is the only one of its kind in California.

Details after the jump.

On Saturday night, sitting front and center at the Duncan Sheik musical, , we couldn't help but draw comparisons between the show's plot and this year's most vital presidential election. The show has a haunting relevance to the issues that have been looping nonstop on CNN. More of the same vs. change we can believe in. Curmudgeonly adults vs. a hopeful, vibrant youth.

For us in San Francisco, the Spring Awakening tour offers a most attractive cast with stellar vocals that power through a thoughtful and exceptionally well-arranged pop score. And although we haven't been able to get the songs out of our heads since Saturday (kind of annoying, let's face it), our brains are still processing the message so boldly and passionately portrayed in the show.

Since tour productions are typically scaled-down, cheaper versions of the Broadway show, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the cast. Standouts included Steffi D (Ilse) of Canadian Idol fame and Kyle Riabko (Melchior) from The N's Instant Star. We also have to acknowledge Andy Mientus (Hanschen) and Kimiko Glenn (Thea) who so boldly broke the fourth wall to admire our hot-ass red heels and to scowl at our plus one, respectively and in character. Impressive.

We highly recommend that you download the OBC album from iTunes and go see the show while it's here in SF. We also dare you to get rush tickets ($30) for onstage seating, dress in period clothing and jump around during "Totally Fucked" with the cast. That's our secret dream.

Playing at the Curran Theatre through October 12th.

P.S. The ticket price includes the flashing of one nipple and a bare ass.

Photo: "The Bitch of Living" with the National Touring Cast of Spring Awakening, Paul Kolnik

MUSIC: Late '90s Santa Cruz band the Huxtables headline a night of "fun rock" tunes. Take, for example, the song their dedicated to Dungeons & Dragons, "Dungeon Master," which they had to revise after the latest edition of the game was released. Talk about staying true to your deliciously dorky roots. (For a more in-depth explanation of this adorable geek-rock song, go here.) Alt-country band the Bitter Sweets and Two If by Sea open for the SC gang.

9 p.m. // 12 Galaxies [2565 Mission] // $6

FILM: It's an all-Lana Turner night featuring The Postman Always Rings Twice (screening at 7 p.m.) andThe Lady From Shanghai (1948) (starting at 9:15 p.m.)

7 p.m. & 9:15 p.m. // The Castro Theatre [Castro & Market] // $6-9

THEATER: 12th century Japanese comedy and 18th century French satire collide when the Theatre of Yugen presents its annual take on Voltaire's classic Candide with Sorya! A Candid Dispute.

8 p.m. // NOHspace (in the Project Artaud) // $10-$15

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

*COMEDY/THEATER: Rejoice, mama's boys of San Francisco. According to SF Weekly, "Judy Gold and award-winning playwright Kate Moira Ryan traveled around the U.S. for five years, interviewing over 50 Jewish women of different ages, ethnicities, and occupations," resulting in the Drama Desk Award-nominated comedy hit, . For those of you who have yet to cut the cord, this show is for you. (Runs until March 23.)

7 p.m. // Marines Memorial Theater [609 Sutter] // $29-$75

FILM: Ryan O’Neal stars in The Driver (1978) tonight. This stylized '70s-era film noir. The real reason to check out this film is to see the formidable Isabelle Adjani and Ronee Blakely (Nashville) together in Walter Hill's minor but entertaining cinema classic.

7 p.m. // Castro Theatre [Castro & Market] // $29-$75

MUSIC: (Very attractive) Afro-Cuban jazz guitarist Gonzalo Rubalcaba takes stale jazz tunes and miraculously makes them sound ultra-fresh again -- a feat that's almost impossible to do with the notoriously dated jazz genre. Catch him tonight and/or tomorrow night over in the Fillmore district.

8 p.m. & 10 p.m. // Yoshi's SF [609 Sutter] // $20, $24

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

*CLUB: Check out Rock Out Karaoke over at Amnesia. What is Rock Out Karaoke? Well, it mean that you will hear neither a Righteous Brothers cover nor a note from everyone's least favorite musical, . And isn't that what you really want in a karaoke night? Of course it is. (Glenny Kravitz hosts.)

READING: Sorry to throw another Valencia Street happening your way, but: author and artist Ian Philips, of Suspect Thoughts Press, reads from his latest illustrated tome, The Rapture for Big Sinners: 66 + 6 Things to Do Before and After the Righteous Lift Off . Oh, and Michelle Tea recommends him, so he can't be all that bad. Head over to Dog Eared Books to check it out.

MUSIC: Howlin Rain describes themselves as "easy listening" rock -- our favorite kind! Catch them tonight over at Bottom of the Hill along with Enablers and East Bay Grease. (Failing that, Rush is over at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord!)

FILM: War vets take center stage at the Castro Theatre via screenings Cutter’s Way, where gigolo Jeff Bridges and crippled war vet John Heard plan "an audacious blackmail scheme," and Rolling Thunder, a "pitch-black coming home drama about a Vietnam vet seeking vengeance on a band of murderers."

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

*MUSIC: Kelley Stoltz, Grand Archives, the Morning Benders, and le Weather Underground sing some songs for you over at the Independent. (Part of Noise Pop 2008.)

COMEDY: Get ready to hee yourself silly. Kenny Altman hosts Ron Vigh, Kelly McCarron, Maggie Newcomb, and Morgan Ryan Kasmier at "Gays and Dolls," a homosexually-charged night of stand-up hilarity. You can catch the queers killing it over at the Clubhouse. (BYOB, people. For reals.)

CLUB: New York-based DJ Satoshi Tomiie forces you to like house music all over again at Mighty. (Be sure to take a disco nap, kids. The party will go well into the wee hours of the morning.)

FILM: It's a Coen brothers blowout! The Depression Era adventure/ reimagining, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and that movie they did a few years ago with Billy Bob Thornton that we never got around to seeing, The Man Who Wasn't There, screen over at the Castro Theatre. (7pm and 9:10, respectively.)

The Weather Underground's image credit goes to Indie for Bunnies.

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

*COMEDY: That wacky/sexy comedy troupe, SPF7, puts on a show at The Dark Room tonight. According to Justin Lamb, "there will be a politically incorrect ad campaign for fruit, a massage, He-Man erotica [an aside: while cleaning out our old bedroom the other day, our mother came across and disposed of our cherished Man-E-Faces figure. Needless to say, we are crestfallen. -- ], food stealing from Satan, a sex offender with low self esteem, and you'll learn why voting for Obama is like drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air reruns. Buy tickets here.

FILM: Zodiac was a great movie. Yes, it was. Yes huh. And that scene of the dual stabbing in broad daylight still kills us. We think about it at least once a day. Don't know what we're talking about? Well then, see for yourself when David Fincher's thriller about the infamous Bay Ara serial killer screens tonight at the Castro Theatre.

MUSIC: Thee Parkside is having an SF AIDS Foundation benefit, and you can help. How, you ask? By coming down to the rustic yet charming venue to get ragingly blotto while listening to indie/punks tunes from Pidgeon, the Mumlers, Schande, Make Me, Holy Kiss, and Top Critters. See you at tonight's "Scatterbrain Jamboree," folks!

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

ROCK: Over at Edinburgh Castle, the aptly-titled indie-punk band Cupids headlines tonight along with Levator (Seattle) and Dazzling Strangers.

*FILM: The film you all had to sit through in English Lit class goes up on the big screen, Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. In addition to the gorgeous Shakespearean tragedy, KRON 4's Jan Wahl interviews Olivia Hussey ("Juliet") and the divine Connie Champagne performs. (Psst, Connie Champagne will be the highlight of the night. Worth the ticket price alone.) Happens at the Castro Theatre.

SINGLES: Don't do it.

CLUB: Good Vibrations hosts the "Queen of Hearts Ball and Fairytale Pleasure Faire," featuring such sexual-pleasing gaiety as go-go dancers, "erotic" fashion displays, burlesque troupe the Vau de Vire Society, strippers from the Lusty Lady, Peaches Christ, and more. Happens at SOMA hotspot Mighty.

JAZZ: You can't go wrong with Kim Nalley. Check her out at Jazz at Pearl's.

THEATER: How We First Met, a theatrical spectacular that uses audience members' real-life love stories and spins them into improvised comedy gold, has been entertaining people for over eight years. The curtain goes up at the Herbst Theater.

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

According to the fine folks over at The Sword (NSFW), the GayVNs (NSFW) will be held here on Saturday -- you know, those homosexual pornography achievement awards, which led to Mayor Gavin Newsom getting all Berkeley City Council on us after he declared Feb. 23 to be Colt Studio Day last year? -- coinciding with that hairy-large-gay-appreciation festival thing happening.

Anyway, last year the GayVNs had comedienne and social critic Kathy Griffin hosting the show. From what we heard she was a phenomenal success. But this year the AVN/GayVN committee refused to pay her performance fee, deciding to go in a cheaper direction with their emcee: that blond drag queen Lady Bunny. Allegedly unthrilled with the snub by the GayVNs sponsors, Griffin scheduled a show at the Castro Theatre this Saturday night for the bears, the same night as the awards show. Our sources tell us:

...essentially the main sponsors of the awards, AVN/GayVN, decided not to spring for the Castro Theater and not to pay Kathy Griffin’s high appearance fee this year, opting instead for the Gift Center and a couple of F-list satellite radio stars (and Lady Bunny). So then Kathy, miffed, and knowing she has an audience here, decided to mount a competing show at the Castro the same night.

Silly gays.

Anyway, is it true? Who cares. Where's our after-party invite? And remember to be on watch this weekend for Griffin, hairy men, GayVN attendees/Ryan Seacrest apologists, and scores of twinks sporting pupils dilated to the size of dinner plates.

After Carole Migden won the endorsement of the Harvey Milk Club, things were looking grim for Assemblyman Mark Leno. But today Gavin Newsom shined his megawatt charm over in Leno's direction today, endorsing his bid for a state Senate seat. According to the B.A.R., " Newsom [is] expected to publicly endorse Leno Wednesday night at the Herbst Theatre during a special screening of Pursuit of Equality..."

Leno is trying to dethrone state Senator Carole Migden from her Third District seat. The two bent lawmakers will go head to head during the June 3 primary. (Another election? Oh man.) San Francisco Police Commissioner Joseph Alioto Veronese and former state Assemblyman Joe Nation (who, it seems, just entered the race last Saturday) will also make an attempt to steal the seat, but neither candidate is expected to win.

Image credit: B.A.R. / Rick Gerharter