THE STAGE

Misalliance, the Summer School Repertory Theater's next-to-last production of the season, begins its first weekend of performances this week, and if you like Shaw you'll certainly like the current production at the Loeb. Crimson informers report that the show is not as slickly done as the Summer Rep's first two plays, and there are a number of rough spots in this treatment of the theatrically difficult farce--but on the whole there's a lot of fun to be had at the Loeb. Liz Samuels's review, no doubt witty and insightful, appears on page two of this issue. Tonight's performance begins at 8, the curtain goes up twice tomorrow at 5 and 9. Tickets for weekend shows cost $5.95.

State of the Union, a topical satire, begins a week of free performances at Kevin's Wharf Restaurant in Boston on Monday, prior to a fall tour through New England. The show is done to music, and the players are supposed to be exceptionally good. Since the Caravan Theater closed down for the summer there's not much around in the way of political revues, so if you go in for that sort of stuff you may want to take a look into this. The price is right and lord knows there's enough for the troupe to satirize. Monday's show starts at 9.

The Giving Tree, a program of mostly kiddy plays, is being produced by the Stage I Theater Company over at the Boston Center for the Arts on Saturdays at 2:30 and 4. If you're mostly a kiddy or if you know someone who is, take note; these little message skits are quite well done despite their propagandistic tendencies. A lot of the sketches are socially oriented, like the ones on litter, pollution, Indians and the hazards of smoking. If you're taking a punk to see this be careful because there's a ribald little number included called "Be Kind to Animals," and we know what that's all about.

Kenyon Martin and the National Mime Theater do a mostly enjoyable show over at Lesley College's Welch Auditorium every Friday and Saturday evening at 8. The first part of the production, entitled "Beyond Words," is made up of nine traditional mime routines. Martin, the grand master of the art form, is the featured performer during this first act and he's a joy to behold.