BEST BETS Friday 6/30

ORANGE

8pm

Theater

Petruchio wants Kate, Kate resists, he wears her down with mind games that are uncomfortably reminiscent, at times, of the torture techniques used by police states. So goes the ever-troubling narrative line in Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Look for Shakespeare Orange County’s version, played traditionally in the Bard’s original Renaissance Italy setting, to hew toward the more benign, romantic interpretation of this thorny, outrageous comedy: that Petruchio, for all the bizarreness of his wooing technique, truly loves and admires the headstrong and hostile Kate and by the end sees her as an equal, kindred nonconformist soul.

* “The Taming of the Shrew,” by William Shakespeare, at the Waltmar Theatre, Chapman University, 301 E. Palm Ave., Orange. Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends July 15. $22-$24. (714) 744-7016.

SANTA ANA

8pm

Theater

“Hell is other people” is the famous clinching line of existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1944 drama, “No Exit.” The people in question are a would-be pacifist hero who turns out to be a coward, a lesbian who drives her lover to murder-suicide, and a socialite who drowns her illegitimate infant before the father’s eyes, driving him to suicide. The unhappy three, now dead, are locked in a room for eternity to stew in their regrets and recriminations. And now you know why one of them concludes, “There’s no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is--other people!” This production’s fresh wrinkle is a new translation from the French by Rude Guerrilla Theater Company member Andrew Nienaber.

* “No Exit,” by Jean-Paul Sartre, at the Rude Guerrilla Theater Company’s Empire Theater, 200 N. Broadway, Santa Ana. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends July 23. $10. (714) 547-4688.

ANAHEIM

8pm

Pop Music

Asleep at the Wheel continues its “Ride With Bob” tour supporting the Bob Wills tribute album that won the veteran Texas swing band two Grammys this year. Sharing the bill at the Sun Theatre and returning with her first new album in three years is Kathy Mattea, the West Virginia singer-songwriter known for her exquisite taste in choosing songs.

* Asleep at the Wheel, Kathy Mattea, Sun Theatre, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. 8 p.m. $29.50-$38.50. (714) 712-2700.

FULLERTON

8:30pm

Jazz

Singer Karen Gallinger’s new CD, “Remembering Bill Evans, A Vocal Tribute” (Sea Breeze Jazz), is a heartfelt collection of the late pianist’s compositions that showcases Gallinger’s impressive voice and her skills as a lyricist. With the cooperation of Evans’ estate, Gallinger has unearthed tunes written, though never recorded, by Evans, while creating new lyrics for such Evans classics as “We Will Meet Again” and “Funkanello.” She’ll perform in the company of pianist Tom Zink, bassist Kevin Axt and drummer Kendall Kaye.

* Karen Gallinger, Steamer’s Cafe, 138 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. 8:30 p.m. $5. (714) 871-8800.