Theater

“Present Laughter”--Robert Curtis Brown, above, portrays the vain Garry Essendine and Kaitlin Hopkins a predatory vamp in Noel Coward’s comedy at the Pasadena Playhouse.

* “The Cervantes Project”--Stages Theatre Center celebrates its 18th anniversary by staging the Cervantes Interludes: “The Sentinel of Love” and “The Theatre of Wonders” through Sunday.

* “You Better Work! A Cultural Anthology of the Black Work Ethic”--Fana Baba Dayo’s choreography and Derf Reklaw’s music pay tribute to African Americans at the Tell-It Theatre in Watts.