GOINGS ON : Comedy and Christie Play Set to Make Debut at Area Theaters : It’s opening night for Pasadena Playhouse’s ‘The Fourth Wall’ and Seaside Theatre Company’s ‘The Unexpected Guest.’

Curtains are raising all over.

Tonight is opening night for the Pasadena Playhouse production of the A. R. Gurney comedy “The Fourth Wall” at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre. The show will run through June 9.

Featuring an experienced cast that includes Barrie Youngfellow, Sam Freed, Laura Gardner and Jim Fyfe, “The Fourth Wall” concerns the place theater has in society. It centers on a woman going through a mid-life crisis who turns her home into a stage set, upon which she and those around her act out their real lives.

Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $24.50 tonight through Sunday, and $28.50 thereafter. Call 583-8700. The Lobero is at 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

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This is also the first night of Agatha Christie’s “The Unexpected Guest,” as performed by the Seaside Theatre Company of Carpinteria. The production will run through June 18. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, with a 2 p.m. matinee June 12. Tickets are $9. There will be no shows May 28 to 30. The theater is at 5141 Carpinteria Ave. Call 684-6380.

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The life of legendary Cuban bassist Israel (Cachao) Lopez is examined in the documentary “Cachao,” showing tonight at UC Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall. The movie, to be introduced by its director, Andy Garcia, was filmed at a concert in Miami and includes appearances by singer Gloria Estefan and actor Robert Duvall. The movie will begin at 7 p.m. General admission is $5, with tickets available at the door only. Call 893-3535.

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Violinist V. Balaji, Ph.D., and tabla player Ramesh Kumar will join UCSB’s Sitar Ensemble on Friday for “An Evening of North Indian Classical Music,” at the university’s Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall. Balaji, performing for the first time in the United States, is a lecturer in violin at Banaras Hindu University. Kumar is known for his work as an accompanist in India. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. General admission is $8. Call 893-3535.

Santa Barbara’s Oak Park will be the site Saturday and Sunday of the second annual Chinese Festival. There will be lion dancing, folk dancing and singing, martial arts demonstrations, a fashion show featuring traditional Chinese costumes and Chinese food from area restaurants. The festival will run from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Admission is free. Call 969-3577.

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Santa Barbara’s Anacapa String Quartet will perform works by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Dvorak on Sunday in the “Maytime at Les Mirabelles” benefit party for the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Guests are invited to bring picnic lunches to the Mediterranean-style, ocean-front estate known as Les Mirabelles, beginning at 2 p.m. Ten Santa Barbara County wineries will have their products available for sampling. There will also be a live auction.

General admission is $35. There is also a “patron plus” package for $75, which will include a tour of the interior of the estate and a champagne / dessert reception with pianist Linda Nager Brandt performing. For reservations and directions to Les Mirabelles, call 965-6596.

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What’s on tap Wednesday night at UCSB’s Campbell Hall? Tap’s on tap. More than 90 tap dancers from Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties are expected to turn out for the second annual National Tap Dance Celebration.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Call 564-1123 for tickets.

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Fifth-grade students in Santa Barbara are getting a chance to show what they know about endangered sea life with the “Sea Creature Crisis” art exhibit on display at the Sea Center Gallery. The 27-piece show will be on display through June 12.

The sea center is at 211 Stearns Wharf. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call 963-1067 for information.