You'll never view the Bible in the same way again. El Jardín tweaks the bejesus out of the story of Adam and Eve, retelling the ancient Judeo-Christian myth in a way that spoofs everything from the Catholic Church to historic scholarship to colonialism to racism and gender bias. This bilingual play by Carlos Morton also presents a genuine slice of vintage Chicano protest theater as this genre first developed in the late '60s and early '70s.

Karmic Debt at the Tricklock Performance Space

Shenoah Allen—that dirty, dirty dog—lied to me. A week or two ago, he told me that his new one-man show, Karmic Debt, which just opened at the Tricklock Performance Space, would be extremely dark. He made it sound like he'd be torturing small animals on stage while exploring what it would be like to suffer from the simultaneous effects of leprosy, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. He promised a tiny glimmer of light at the end, but I still expected his new show to be macabre and depressing.

Roxanne (Catherine Haun) is not a slut in the Vortex Theatre’s production of Sleep With Me.

Vortex Theatre

The politics of love gets the ruthless skewering it deserves in Sleep With Me!, a play by award-winning local playwright Susan Erickson. A dentist named Elliot comes to terms with his wife's affair with an FBI agent in ways that can hardly be considered constructive. The result is a zany romantic comedy that will be fun for a substantial fraction of the whole family. Sleep With Me! runs through March 7. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Sundays at 6 p.m. $10 general, $8 students/seniors. 247-8600.

I'm on an airplane and I pull out Thieves in High Places. The guy squashed next to me shrinks away a bit when he spots the title. The guy behind me rhythmically sniffs his drippy nose. I read about how the Bush administration favors allowing airlines to increase the percentage of recirculated air—that is, icky, germy, pre-breathed cabin air—from 50 to 75 percent.

Generally speaking, if you decide to become a writer you've opted for professional failure. It's as simple as that. Let's be honest: Like a kid who dreams of growing up to be president of the United States, the likelihood of becoming a successful writer is highly improbable, to say the least.

This novel might not have many spills, chills or thrills, but the story about a life-long friendship between two British women still packs a mean punch. Reviewers have said that Brookner, a Booker Prize winning author, has crafted yet another subtle, well-crafted tale that should find a wide audience.