BY AMANDA GOAD
Whether you’re seeking tragic catharsis after a hard week of Ames preparation and war talk, or just comic relief from the agony of a 1L grade report, try going to the theater (or something similar):
The Athena Theater Company presents The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, directed by Emily Leithauser (Harvard College ’05) Thursday, February 13 – Saturday, February 15, at 8 p.m. Agassiz Theater, Radcliffe Yard Tickets $6 students and $8 adults, available at the Harvard Box Office in Holyoke Center or online. Traditions related to this show, besides Valentine’s Day productions on campuses everywhere, include selling out well in advance, donating proceeds to women’s shelters and other local charities and rendering squeamish men faint with its frankness.
Magician/illusionist David Copperfield performs “An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion” at the Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, Friday, February 14, at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 15, at 11:30 a.m., 2:30, 5:30, and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.74 to $64.75; call (800) 447-7400.
Modern mindless classic Mamma Mia!, featuring the music of ABBA. At the Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston (617-931-2787), through April 26. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, at 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tix $27 to $87.
Nickel and Dimed, a dramatic rendering of Barbara Ehrenreich’s nonfiction bestseller about living on less than a living wage, plays at Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street in Providence, RI, through March 9. Tickets are $33 to $48; call (401) 351-4242.
Ghungroo, a South Asian cultural celebration sponsored by the Harvard South Asian Association, runs from February 27 to March 1 at Agassiz Theater, Radcliffe Yard. Tickets $8-9 at the Harvard Box Office or online, and the show, which includes traditional forms of dance, music, and more, typically sells out.
InterseXion, a production of the Women In Color Collective, bills itself as “a multi-racial, multi-cultural, controversial, contemporary, and experimental showcase of student musical groups, spoken word artists, poets, playwrights, and dancers.” The second annual rendition runs March 6 to March 8 at Agassiz Theater, Radcliffe Yard. Tickets $5-7, Harvard Box Office/online.
The American Repertory Theatre (featuring actors from Saratoga International Theater Institute) presents La Dispute, a medley of several plays by French great Marivaux, at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street in Harvard Square, through February 22. Tickets are $34 to $68. call (617) 547-8300.
Jimmy Tingle in the Promised Land, a vaudeville-like but politically infused one-man show. At Jimmy Tingle’s Off Broadway, 255 Elm Street (Davis Square), Somerville (617-591-1616), through March 2. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tix $20; discounts for seniors and students.
Tangled Up In You: Women Cross the Line is a militantly feminist edition of the monthly poetry/spoken word night at Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center. Featuring poets Letta Neely, Talia Kingsbury, and Ann Kilough. Friday, March 7, 2003, 7:30 p.m. $7; $5 for CMAC members, students, and seniors. Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge, MA. CMAC is fully accessible.