Links to theater and stage organizations within this section: | CET & Indoor Forest Theater | MPC Drama Dept. | MoCo Theatre Alliance | Pacfic Rep | Unicorn Theatre

| theater opening |

Cannery Row Opens Fri 8pm; continues Sat 2pm and 8pm; Sun 2pm. In celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Cannery Row’s publication and the 25th National Steinbeck Festival, the Western Stage remounts J.R. Hall’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s classic bawdy novel. $17/general; $14/juniors, seniors, military. The Studio Theater at Western Stage, 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas. www.westernstage.org or 755-6816. Ends 8/27.

| theater ongoing |

Anything Goes Fri-Sat 8pm; Sun 2pm. As the song says, “There’s no cure like travel/To help you unravel/The worries of living today,” and that is just what Cole Porter and his crew deliver with Anything Goes, a madcap musical farce that has helped thousands of audiences leave their everyday worries in the lobby for the past 70 years, and escape into a world of rollicking laughter and toe tapping music on the high seas. $25/reserved seating; $17/seniors, juniors, and military. Hartnell College Performing Arts Center, 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas. 755-6816 or www.westernstage.com. Ends 8/6.

Cabaret Fri-Sat 8:30pm; Sun 3:30pm. The Wharf Theater presents Kander and Ebb’s classic musical tale of decadence and dissolution in the shadow of the Third Reich. Featuring direction by Gina Welch-Hagen and Desma Johnson with choreography by Gloria Elber, this production of Cabaret is the latest chapter in the theater’s 29-year tradition. $20; $10/children 12 and under. Old Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. 649-2332. Ends 8/28.

Our Lady of the Tortilla Thu-Sat 8pm; Sun 3pm. Based on the true story of a New Mexican woman who saw Christ’s image in a freshly baked tortilla, this thoughtful, bilingual comedy pokes fun at everything from dysfunctional family relationships to overly devout Catholics to in-your-face media types. The Fox Theatre, 243 Main St., Salinas. $17; $15/seniors and students. 675-0521 or www.paperwingtheatreco.com. Ends 8/14.

The Retreat From Moscow Thu-Sat 7:30pm; Sun 2pm. In this recent Broadway hit, the adult son of a “happy” couple arrives home to find two strangers—mom’s passion is poetry and dad’s passion is gone. Like Napoleon’s brutal retreat from Moscow, their journey leaves no winners, only wounded survivors. $20-$35 (discounts available for students, seniors, teachers and military). Circle Theater of the Golden Bough, Monte Verde between 8th and 9th, Carmel. 622-0100 or www.pacrep.org. Ends 8/7.

“Stupid Is As Stupid Does” or “Only You, Dick Tickle, Only You” Fri-Sat 8pm. A classic melodramatic tale of love, lust and chicken barbecue in the South. Don’t wait another cotton-pickin’ minute to escape reality. $14/general; $13/seniors; $8/students; $6/active military. The Barbary Coast Theater, 320 Hoffman at Lighthouse Avenue, Monterey. 655-4992. Ends 8/31.

A Warring Absence Fri-Sat 8pm; Sun 2pm. The Unicorn Theater presents the second half of their two play tribute, “A Feast for the Years: The Life and Words of Dylan Thomas.” Following Dylan’s Under Milk Wood is the winner of the prestigious American College Theatre Festival, A Warring Absence, Jody Duncan’s portrayal of the brilliant modern poet’s tumultuous marriage and its equally rocky unraveling. $18; $15/students and seniors. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Guadalupe and 4th, Carmel. 649-0259 or www.unicorntheatreinc.org. Ends 8/14.