OPENING AND CURRENT RUNS

7 STRANGERS: SEASON 2, EPISODE 2
Opening. A "reality theater spoof" of The Real World. EXITheatre at 2012 Franklin Ave E, 851-8105. $10. Opening Thurs July 28 at 8 pm. Fri–Sat at 8 pm. Through Aug 6.

H ARCHANGELS DON'T PLAY PINBALL
Final week. "This rambunctious production of Dario Fo's early farce is consistently amusing, but the funniest scenes—an impromptu game of musical pants and a slapstick struggle with a dapper coat rack—are only barely related to the plot (such as it is)." (Annie Wagner) Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388-0500. $15–$50. Thurs–Fri at 7:30 pm. Gala Event Sat July 30 at 6:30 pm, featuring Rep. Jim McDermott as keynoter. Through July 30.

DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN
Ongoing. This mid-'90s relic by comedian Rob Becker is about the supposed prehistoric propensities of the two sexes. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $39.50–$45. Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. Tickets available through Aug 28.

DINNER & DREAMS
Ongoing. The summer edition of the rabidly successful dinner theater/circus hybrid. Teatro ZinZanni, 2301 Sixth Ave, 802-0015. $89–$109. Thurs–Sat at 6:30 pm, Sun at 5:30 pm (some additional Wed shows, call for details).

THE FANTASTICKS
"Questionable gender politics aside, this show is good. Kelly Balch is particularly charming, and Jeff Berryman is simultaneously comforting and sinister." (Lindy West) Taproot Theatre, 204 N 85th St, 781-9707. $15–$30. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Aug 20.

H CIRCUS CONTRAPTION'S GRAND AMERICAN TRAVELING DIME MUSEUM
Final week. "Circus Contraption's new and improved version of Dime Museum shows they've been studying their circus skills." (Brendan Kiley) Magnuson Community Center Auditorium, Magnuson Park, Bldg 47, 7400 Sand Point Way NE, www.brownpapertickets.com. Fri at 8 pm (all ages), $20. Champagne Gala and New York City Send-Off Bash Sat at 7 pm (21+ w/ID required), $25–$100 donation. Through July 30.

HENRY V
Prince Hal gains the crown and promptly invades a foreign country. GreenStage at Lincoln Park, 8603 Fauntleroy Way. Free. Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. At various locations through Aug 27.

CIRQUE DE FLAMBÉ: IN THE SHADOW OF THE GIANT
Opening. Cirque noir, avec les fireballs! Magnuson Park, north main entrance, 7400 Sandpoint Way NE, 770-7602. $10–$20. Opening Fri July 29 at 9:30 pm. Sat–Sun at 9:30 pm. Through Aug 7.

LATE-NIGHT CATECHISM
Ongoing. Long-running interactive Catholic-school comedy. Cloud 9 Productions at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $24.50–$29.50. Thurs–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm.

MACBETH
Final week. "This production, directed by Sheila Daniels, attempts to make a saga about bloodlust and revenge into park-friendly family entertainment, sprucing up the murderous and macabre with Utilikilts, witches in pink pajamas, and Celtic musical numbers. An interesting interpretation, in theory, but the show quickly flounders: John Bogar's benign, wishy-washy Macbeth, in particular, brought the play to its knees, leaving Vanessa Miller as Lady Macbeth trying her hardest to revive it by screeching and running around maniacally. The rest of the actors fell into a vacillating quagmire somewhere in the middle of the leading pair's painfully mismatched dynamic, the exception being Peter Dylan O'Connor as Macduff, who revenged his family's death, commanded the nuances of Shakespearean language, and donned his Utilikilt with equal parts gusto and finesse. Most obnoxious were the weird sisters, dressed in pink nightgowns and messy pigtails, whose roles too closely resembled prepubescents at a slumber party; their singsong spells and forecasts were about as bloodcurdling as 'light as a feather, stiff as a board.'" (Mariesa Bus) Wooden O at Mural Amphitheatre, Seattle Center. Free. Sun at 2 pm. Through July 31.

PATIENCE
Final week. The Gilbert & Sullivan musical about foppish aesthetes. Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society at Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, 292-2787. $12–$29. Thurs–Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm. Through July 30.

THE SECRET RUTHS OF ISLAND HOUSE
Final week. A performance based on interviews with six women who live in a local retirement home. Nebunele at Chamber Theatre, 1525 10th Ave, fourth floor, 323-7499. Tickets at the door only, $8–$10. Fri–Sat at 8 pm. Through July 30.

THE TEMPEST
"Richard Clairmont made a hoarse and less than commanding Prospero, but Heather Persinger tears up the park with her broad, swaggering Trinculo." (Annie Wagner) GreenStage at Lincoln Park, 8603 Fauntleroy Way. Free. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 3 pm, Sun at 7 pm. At various locations through Aug 28.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
"David Richmond's comic adaptation of the Dumas romance nicely balances the swashbuckling with court intrigue, but director Beth Peterson doesn't seem entirely at home in her outdoor theater." (Brendan Kiley) Theater Schmeater at Volunteer Park, 1247 15th Ave E. Free. Fri at 6:30 pm, Sat–Sun at 4 pm. Through Aug 6.

THE TRICKY PART
"From a thematic standpoint, Martin Moran's one-man show is fascinating. With unique insight into the complex aftermath of childhood sexual abuse (when your first orgasm comes at the hands of your abuser, where does your capacity for blame end and a complicit sense of guilt begin?), Moran charts the relationship between a former Catholic camp counselor and his 12-year-old self. As theater, though, his monologue is strangely distancing. The Catholic standup routine that opens the show feels queasy, even manipulative—can't audiences be trusted to take scary stories straight up? Once the darker material edges in, Moran's over-composed, actorly persona remains: it's about as far away from the paddle-hoisting kid in the onstage photo as he can get. The story of the abuse itself is bracketed (and earnestly authenticated) by being read from a notebook in a contracted spotlight. Moran's approach to the classic abuse narrative is sophisticated and smart; surely his presentation of that narrative could have negotiated the line between evocation and exploitation with an equal degree of agility?" (Annie Wagner) Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer St, 269-1900. $27–$46. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 and 7:30 pm, Tues–Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Aug 13.

TWELFTH NIGHT
Final week. A tale of shipwreck and mistaken identity, performed in the great outdoors. Wooden O at Mural Amphitheater, Seattle Center. Free. Sun at 5 pm. Through Aug 3.

THE VIOLET HOUR
"The huge chasm between the historical fiction of the first act, when the magical fax machine is mostly ignored, and the science fiction of the second act, when everybody devours its pages, is jarring. But the shift in tone positively rescues the cast." (Annie Wagner) ReAct at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 364-3283. $6–$12. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm. Through Aug 7.

THE WINTER'S TALE
One weekend only. Bears. Chasing. You know the drill. Freehold's East Hall Theatre, 1525 10th Ave, 323-7499. $15. Thurs–Sat July 28–30 at 8 pm.

DANCE

STRICTLY SEATTLE
Two nights only. New work by Seattle choreographers, including Gaelen Hanson and KT Niehoff. Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, 325-8773. $10–$15. Fri–Sat at 8 pm. Through July 30.

CABARET

BRUNCH-O-RAMA
Peggy Platt and Michael Oaks give you presents and tell lots of jokes. Thumper's, 1500 E Madison, 328-3800. $10. Sun at 11 am and 2 pm. Through Aug 28.

LATE NIGHT

H TRAIN OF THOUGHT: LAID OFF
Final week. "The sequence of increasingly inappropriate 'Yield for the Bus' advertisements is just plain funny." (Lindy West) Northwest Actor's Studio, 1100 E Pike St. $8–$10. Fri–Sat at 10:30 pm. Through July 30.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE: LIVE!
Two new adaptations of old Twilight Zone episodes. Cast includes Troy Mink. Theater Schmeater,1500 Summit Ave, 325-6500. $10. Thurs–Sat at 11 pm. Through Aug 6.

IMPROV & COMEDY

KYLE CEASE at Comedy Underground, 222 Main St, 800-325-7328. $6–$12 (21+ w/ID required). Thurs at 8:30 pm, Fri–Sat at 8:30 and 10:30 pm. HAROLD (that's an improv game, not a person) at Market Theatre, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $10. Sat at 8 pm. JET CITY IMPROV at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 325-6500. $5–$10. Fri at 10:30 pm, Sat at 10:30 pm and 12:30 am. SEATTLE G.O.G.A. at Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $8. Sat at 8 pm. THEATRESPORTS at Market Theatre, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $8–$12. Fri–Sat at 10:30 pm, Sun at 7 pm.

SPECIAL EVENTS

ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE ARTS
One night only. A marketing workshop for theater types, led by Cynthia Fuhrman of Seattle Rep. The Shunpike at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. Free. Mon Aug 1 at 7 pm.

BREAKS AND FREAKS
See Theater News. Contour, 807 First Ave. $5–$13 (21+ w/ID required). Thurs July 28 at 9 pm.

OPEN BOX
One night only. An open mic for playwrights. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $3. Sat July 30 at 4:30 pm.