After a slight delay, Russell Simmons' hip-hop poetry series Def Poetry Jam begins performances June 21. The evening of underground poetic performance, interspersed with recorded hip-hop, jazz, R&B and gosepl tracks, officially premieres at San Francisco's Theatre on the Square June 25 and plays through July 28. "After that, we have our sights on Broadway," Simmons told Variety June 5. The series' co-creator Stan Lathan directs.

Once an HBO show and now a theatrical revue, Def Poetry Jam features the work of nine poets with Tendaji serving as DJ. Their works range from hymns to love and poetry to comic works like performer Georgia Me's poem about her war with Little Debbie snack cakes. Joining Me are Poetrl, Black Ice, Lemon, Beau Sia, Mayda Del Valle, Suheir Hammad, Steve Colman and Staceyann Chin.

Tickets are $25 for previews, $35-$40 for performances. Theatre on the Square is located at 450 Post Street. Def Poetry Jam is on the web at http://www.defpoetryjam.com. Theatre on the Square is on the web at http://www.theatreonthesquare.com.