Salem Theatre Company presents Tom Stoppard’s comedy ‘The Real Thing’

A two-time Tony Award winner, the comedy portrays an articulate and romantically idealistic playwright, Henry, whose second wife, Annie, is trying to merge worthy causes with her art as an actress.

The cast includes Joseph O’Meara of Brookline; Sarah Carlin and Audrey Claire Johnson of Beverly; Mark O’Donald and Will Neely of Salem; Sebastian Konarski of Middleton; and Jenn Parkos of Newburyport. John Fogle directs.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays at the Salem Theatre Company.

Tickets are $22; $18 for senior citizens; and $12 for students. Call 978-790-8546 or visit salemtheatre.com.

MARBLEHEAD RUNS ‘MEMOIRS’: Marblehead Little Theatre presents Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs’’ Friday through Feb. 5.

Set in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn in 1937, the coming-of-age comedy focuses on Eugene Morris Jerome, a Jewish Polish-American teenager who experiences puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his extended family.

The show is produced by Christine Dhionis and Kara Nelson and directed by Steve Black.

The cast includes brothers Owen and Alex Grover as Eugene and Stanley, respectively. Also appearing are Ursina Amsler, Bobby Kerrigan, Meghan Holtz, Jacqui Amrich, and Annie Krivit.

Opening night on Friday will honor artist Elaine Daly of Marblehead, who created artwork for the theater’s new vestibule. It will also include a post-show reception with the cast.

Performances are at Marblehead Little Theatre, 7:30 p.m. on Fridays; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays; and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door: $15 for students. Call 781-631-9697 or visit MLTlive.org.

AUTHOR’S CORNER: The Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester presents a family event Saturday based on the book “Daughter of Winter’’ by Pat Lowery Collins. The novel, set in Essex in the mid-19th century, is the story of a 12-year-old girl’s experience living on Hog Island during the winter. It brings together tales of the Essex landscape, the California gold rush, and Eastern woodland Native Americans. The event begins at 11 a.m. with an exploration of the daily life and traditions of the Wampanoag people. From noon until 2 p.m., there will be drop-in art and history activities. At 3 p.m., Collins reads from her book, followed by a discussion.

IN LOCAL GALLERIES: “Sustenance,’’ an exhibit of oil paintings by Michael E. Jones and poetry by his wife, Christine M. Jones, is at the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell through Feb. 24. The show features many forms of what sustains people physically, emotionally, and spiritually, gathered from observations throughout the Merrimack Valley. The main themes are farms, farmers, and nature. Michael Jones is a professional fine artist and professor at UMass Lowell, where he teaches art law and directs the legal studies program. Christine Jones is a licensed physical therapist and massage therapist with a private practice in Bedford. Her poetry appears in the most recent edition of “Offering,’’ published by UMass Lowell. They maintain studios at their homes in Billerica and Orleans. . . . Sculpture and drawings by Thomas Matsuda are on display in the Winfisky Gallery at Salem State University through Feb. 16. Matsuda presents a lecture on his work 1 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a 2 p.m. reception. Matsuda studied at the Pratt Institute as a lithographic printer. Strongly influenced by Eastern philosophy, he accompanied Japanese Buddhist monks on a peace pilgrimage walking across America, then embarked on an apprenticeship in Japan with sculptor Koukei Eri. During his 12 years in Japan, Matsuda created more than 200 sculptures for businesses, individuals, villages, temples, and shrines, and exhibited in major cities. His work reflects a synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas with a contemporary approach.

Wendy Killeen can be reached at wdkilleen@gmail.com.