He knows not

Who lives most easily on land, how I

Have spent my winter on the ice-cold sea

Wretched and anxious in the paths of exile

Lacking dear friends, hung round by icicles

While hail flew past in showers.

– from the Anglo-Saxon poem “The Seafarer,” trans. by Richard Hamer

The Irish are never far from liquor, mythology, religion, the supernatural or, in this case, a poker game. But who’d have thought they’d invite the devil in for a game?

On this particular Christmas Eve, the forces of darkness, light and alcohol will meet in the persons of four friends and a not-so-mysterious stranger, who will play poker, fight, tell stories and get stinking drunk together.

A fine production of Conor McPherson’s play The Seafarer (whose title was inspired by the poem snippet above) is at San Diego Repertory Theatre through Sunday, Dec. 13, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg.

The action takes place in the messy, dark suburban Dublin bachelor pad of Harkin brothers Richard (Armin Shimerman) and Sharky (Ron Choularton). Sharky, past a prime he never had, has just lost another job out of town and returned to take care of his elder brother, recently blinded during a drunken Halloween dumpster dive. Despite his dependency, Richard rules the roost with imperious demands, usually for a drink. The feckless Sharky is two days sober, fighting to remain so, and consequently in bad humor. He also frequently seems to space out, as if haunted by something.

They’ve invited myopic old buddy Ivan (Paul James Kruse), tossed out of the house by his wife after last night’s bender. Sharky is disgusted to find that Ivan has invited Nicky (Robert J Townsend), a constant reminder of the girlfriend who deserted Sharky for the more comely younger man. And Nicky has brought Mr. Lockhart (Rep artistic director Sam Woodhouse), an elegantly dressed stranger he found in the pub. Lockhart is no stranger to Sharky (though Sharky tries to pretend otherwise): he has come to collect on a 25-year-old bet.

This night four of them will play for money, fun and sociability – and Sharky will play for his life.

Christmas cheer and chill, loneliness, guilt, the need for human connection and redemption (and the threat of hell) are the themes that play through this word-rich piece. There’s some wonderfully evocative writing here, such as Mr. Lockhart’s chilling description of hell: “You’re locked in a space that’s smaller than a coffin ... lying a thousand miles down just under the bed of a vast, icy, pitch black sea.”

Choularton is masterful as the hapless Sharky, the titular character, for whom nothing seems to go right. Richard describes him this way: “like a stray cat in a sock.” Choularton conveys more with his face and body than pages of dialogue.

Shimerman’s Richard is terrific at getting his needs met. He cajoles, asks, demands, whatever it takes – and has the likable personality to get others to cooperate. Shimerman is widely known for his TV roles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”

Kruse, a redheaded bear of a man, convinces as the kindly Ivan, who can’t seem to keep track of his eyeglasses. Townsend makes up in looks for what Nicky lacks in intellectual depth.

Woodhouse plays Lockhart as a well-dressed and mannerly devil with a penchant for the truth and winning at cards, whose menace is only felt by those he wants to take “through the old hole in the wall with me.”

Everybody loves an Irish accent, but not everyone can adapt quickly enough to catch all the words. It seems easier in the second act, perhaps because it contains more visual cues like the card game.

The Seafarer seems unusual holiday fare, but despite the chill brought in by the devil, McPherson makes a satisfying case for connection, grace and redemption.

The Seafarer plays through December 13, 2009 at San Diego Repertory Theatre. Shows Wednesday and Sunday at 7 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 619-544-1000 or visit www.sdrep.org.

“Come look at the freaks!” sings the chorus of carney characters in Harts Performance, Inc.’s production of Side Show, playing through Sunday, Nov. 29, at San Diego Repertory’s Space Theatre. Shaun T. Evans directs and stars.

Being different, as any young geek or bookworm can tell you, seldom pays off in a society that rewards conformity. Side Show invites you to consider the lives of the physically different, in particular a set of Siamese twins named Daisy and Violet.

It’s an unusual subject for musical comedy. But Bill Russell (who wrote the book) and composer Henry Krieger want you to do more than gawk at these folks. They want you respond to them emotionally. And the amazing thing is that you do come to care about them.

This particular sideshow is run by the Boss (Joseph Almohaya), a convincing reincarnation of the emcee in Cabaret. This boss is tall, wiry, sharp of feature and tongue. An effective barker and strict taskmaster, he keeps his “freaks” in line by fear.

Side Show is based on the true story of Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, who were spotted by promoters in a sideshow in the 1930s and recruited for the vaudeville circuit, where for a time they enjoyed the spotlight and great success.

Though you can’t suppress a double take at Daisy and Violet’s physical deformity, deep down they are just normal girls. Violet wants “to be like everyone else;” Daisy fancies being “richer and more acclaimed;” like most people, they are also in the market for “someone to love me.”

So when Terry Connor (Jason Maddy) and Buddy Foster (Jeremy Shull) offer to take them from the monotony of the side show and perhaps make them rich in vaudeville, it doesn’t take them long to agree … especially since Buddy has fallen for Violet and Daisy is interested in Terry. Only castmate Jake (Evans) warns them not to go (in the great “Devil You Know” number), partly because he is in love with Violet.

But the question at hand is: Can “One Plus One Equals Three” ever work out in real life, or would it inevitably be “More Than We Bargained For?”

Shauna and Shelly Hart Ostrom (real-life twins), reprising their roles as Daisy and Violet, are lovely and demonstrate a comfort level with the complex music and with the physical demands of their roles.

Maddy is terrific as Terry. Shull is particularly poignant as Buddy, who despite his feelings for Violet is finally forced to admit that it can’t work out.

But it’s Evans’ Jake who steals the show, with his rich, full voice and pitch-perfect acting, followed closely by Almohaya’s terrific Boss, who shows just the right attitude and veiled threat to keep his “freaks” in line.

In addition to seasoned actors, this bittersweet show, a collaboration between Harts Performance, Inc. and Actors Alliance of San Diego, includes kids Evans cast from the ranks of California Youth Conservatory Theatre, of which he is artistic director. Some unevenness in the acting department is the result.

The set is minimalist, the band small but mighty (and sometimes a bit too loud), the direction and costumes good. The elements add up to a not quite satisfying whole, but it’s an intriguing show.

Side Show plays through Sunday, Nov. 29, at San Diego Repertory’s Space Theatre. Shows Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.; matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 858-449-7645 or visit www.hartsperformanceinc.com.