THEATER OPENING

Cripple of Inishmaan Opens Fri 8 pm, continues Fri-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Cripple Billy is an outcast living on an island of eccentrics. Orphaned and raised by two quirky aunts, he is itching to escape. So, when a Hollywood movie crew comes to his small village to film the documentary “Man of Aran,” Billy seizes his opportunity. Studio Theater, Hartnell College Performing Arts Center, 156 Homstead Ave, Salinas. 755-6816 or www.WesternStage.com. Ends 7/18. (Previewed in this issue.)

Sound of Music Previews Thurs at 8pm. Opens Fri 8 pm, continues Thurs-Sun 8pm. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic, award-winning musical about a woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the children of a widowed Naval officer. Outdoor Forest Theater, corner of Mountain View and Santa Rita in Carmel. 626-1681 or www.Ticketguys.com. Ends 7/24.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown! Previews Thurs at 7pm. Opens Fri 8pm, continues Fri-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. The ironic, irascible and indelible Peanuts characters created by Charles Schultz come to life in Laura Akard’s revised version of the family-friendly musical. $15 advance and $25 the day of the peformance. Internet special of $13 in advance. Morgan Stock Stage at Monterey Peninsula College. 646-4212 or www.Ticketguys.com. Ends 7/11.

THEATER NOW PLAYING

I Hate Hamlet Fri 7:30pm, Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm. A television actor moves to New York and is offered the part of Hamlet on Broadway—a part he hates—and proceeds to lock wits with the ghost of John Barrymore, who used to live in the apartment he’s just rented. $22/general, $18/members, seniors, students, military. Magic Circle Center, 8 El Caminito, Carmel Valley Village. 659-1108. Ends 7/18. (Reviewed in this issue.)

A Bench in the Sun Fri-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Two old friends battle for the attention of a former actress who has moved into their retirement home, then all three get together to resist the sale of their building. “Engaging, well-paced story and superb performances by local theater legends Morgan Stock, Michael Robbins and Edie Karas.” (Weekly, 6/3.) $18/general, $15/students and seniors. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Guadalupe at 4th, Carmel. 626-6796.
Ends 6/27.

Fatthumb of the Opry Fri-Sat 8pm. A pseudo-19th-century melocomedy starring Barbara Stripes, Jane Fondle, Lois Lame and Clarke Kennt. $14/general, $13/seniors, $7/students, $5/military. Barbary Coast Theater, 320 Hoffman Ave., Monterey. 655-4992. Ends 6/30.

Meshuggah Nuns Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2pm and 7:30pm, Sun 2pm. The Little Sisters of Hoboken put on a cruise-ship production of Fiddler on the Roof in this song-and-dance musical comedy. “Filled with slapstick and wisecracks poking fun at religions and our misconceptions of them.” (Weekly, 6/3). $20-35/adults, $15-25/students and seniors, $6/children. Golden Bough Playhouse, Monte Verde between 8th and 9th, Carmel. 622-0100 or www.ticketguys.com.
Ends 7/3.