“Sunday in the Park” a UCI masterpiece

Stephen Sondheim’s genius extends beyond the realm of musical theater, though this is the medium through which he chooses to express it. Watching his “Sunday in the Park With George,” for instance, is akin to taking a crash course in art history.

That class is in session this weekend in the Irvine Barclay Theater on the UC Irvine campus, where Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is undergoing a magnificent revival. Music, art and drama intertwine seamlessly in one of the finest productions ever offered by a local institution of higher learning.

“Sunday,” now over two dozen years old, still appears fresh and vital -- perhaps because only one local theater group, South Coast Repertory, has had the artistic courage to mount the project. It is challenging and demanding -- and tremendously entertaining when all of its myriad pieces come together as one.

Director Eli Simon and musical director Dennis Castellano have forged a superb piece of theater, aided immeasurably by scenic designer Chris Hansen -- recreating the famous painting that serves as the musical’s centerpiece, Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” First seen in teasing sections, then finally as a finished whole, with live actors, the artwork dominates the stage in the first act, set in the late 19th century time of its creation.

After intermission, the scene shifts to the present time, when Seurat’s great grandson mounts some high-voltage pop art of his own -- and is lured back to the French countryside where his ancestor’s painting was created. He also interacts with a character present in both time periods -- his 98-year-old grandmother, who was an infant in 1884.

In the central roles of both Seurat and his descendant, Jeffrey Benson Parker tackles them with unyielding dedication and vision. Involved with his model, Dot (Karin Hendricks), in the union that produces the grandmother of the second act (also played by Hendricks), Parker combines a rich vocal quality with a solid interpretation in both centuries.

Hendricks, a semi-literate beauty in the early period, brings a splendid humanity to sway the stuffy artist from his canvas. She is both captivating in the first act and, as her wheelchair-bound daughter in the second, wise beyond her near-century of years.

Benjamin Mathes excels as a haughty rival artist who grudgingly admires the fervent Seurat. Katherine Coppola renders a feisty turn as the painter’s outspoken, elderly mother. Jason Vande Brake stands out in the first act as a bullying boatman.

While the play’s first act centers on sight, its second places the emphasis on sound, and here two of Sondheim’s most accomplished numbers appear -- “Putting it Together,” about the ongoing clash between art and commerce, and “Move On,” which charts separate courses for the lovers. The former is one of the composer’s famed examples of spirited musical wordplay, much like his “Your Fault” from “Into the Woods” or “Getting Married Today” from “Company.”

While Simon and Castellano have done impeccable work, and Hansen’s backdrops are truly works of art, the production also is elevated by the elegant period costumes created by Martha Gretsch and the superior lighting effects of Lonnie Alcaraz, not to mention Michael Hooker’s mood-enhancing sound designs and synthesizer arrangements.

“Sunday in the Park With George” may be the finest artistic achievement you’ll see on any stage this year. Only one weekend, remains, however, on its regrettably abbreviated engagement on the UCI campus.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: “Sunday in the Park With George”

WHERE: Irvine Barclay Theater, UC Irvine campus

WHEN: Closing performances at 8 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. and 8

p.m. Saturday.

COST: $35, $30 & $14

CALL: (949) 824-2787