OK, so we don't have a Broadway, but what O'ahu doesn't have in star power it makes up for in diversity and effort. This weekend you'll find everything from improv to the experimental on stage.

'IMPROV TO DA MAX'

Think of a word — but not just any word. You gotta make 'em pidgin — like hamajang or futless — when the improv ensemble On the Spot takes the stage at Kumu Kahua Theatre's Dark Night Series. The Leeward O'ahu-based group will create one-act plays based on pidgin words from the audience. Garrick Paikai, Rod Cachola, Shawn Thomsen, Danel Verdugo, Chris Riel and guest performer Robb Bonnell will make any kine. Losing the language? Get out your "Pidgin to Da Max" to brush up on your vocaboolary. Ho, going be so mento.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday at Kumu Kahua's theater, 46 Merchant St. downtown. Tickets are $5 at the door, available half an hour before curtain. 536-4441.

'PIPPIN'

An innocent young prince learns some hard realities as he searches for meaning in his life in "Pippin," performed by the Punahou Theatre department. The production — directed by Paul Palmore and choreographed by Andrew Sakaguchi — includes 20 singers and dancers commedia del arte costumes. The musical, which made its debut on Broadway in 1972, is recommended for high school and adult audiences.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and Oct. 6-7 at Dillingham Hall on the Punahou campus; doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 general, $5 students and seniors, available at Punahou's Sullivan Administration Building from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and an hour before curtain. 944-5829.

'SKUPPER DUPPERS'

The University of Hawai'i's mainstage season launches with a family-friendly high-seas adventure directed by Tamara Montgomery. The good ship Skupper Dup journeys to Alaska, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and even our own Hawai'i as the cast of sea-goers learns about other cultures.

An added adventure: You can catch a parade of pirates, jugglers and singers in front of the theater 45 minutes before curtain.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 6-7 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 8 at UH-Manoa's Kennedy Theatre. Tickets are $12 general, $11 seniors, military and UH faculty and staff, $10 students and children and $5 UH-Manoa students. 956-7655.

'SHARE A SECRET'

The subject matter is darker in UH's Late Night Theatre season-opener. UHM graduate student Jessica Nakamura directs the unscripted "Share a Secret," an experimental, actor-created piece about the human need to keep and share secrets.

Showtime is 11 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 6-7 and 8 p.m. Sunday at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. There's a post-show discussion Oct. 6. Tickets are $10 general, $8 UH faculty and staff, non-UH students, seniors and military, $4 UH students; available an hour before curtain. 956-7655.