Por Charlene Baldridge

It’s Christmas Eve in a North Dublin home. One by one, four men gather to make merry with the “spirits” of the holiday. The last to arrive brings along Mr. Lockhart, who seems, from his attire and speech, to be of another time and place. Indeed he is, in Conor McPherson’s 2007 Broadway play, “The Seafarer,” which continues through December 13 at San Diego Repertory Theatre.

In a rare onstage appearance, Rep co-founder and Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse portrays Lockhart, a man with a mission. Though not immediately apparent, the mission becomes obvious. The message, according to the playwright, is that all, even fallen angels, have an innate need for love and redemption. In an interview with Woodhouse, McPherson said, “It is in our DNA to want to reach for the beyond, to be comforted by the great mother universal, by a pat on the head from God.” That is the underlying message of this profound and profane work, the tone of which the ensemble brings home under the direction of Delicia Turner Sonnenberg.

McPherson, Dublin-born in 1971, wrote the Olivier Award-winning “The Weir” and is a successful screenwriter. The play is dark and funny and rife with gabby Irishmen (Ron Choularton, Paul James Kruse, Armin Shimerman and Robert J. Townsend), who indulge Mr. Lockhart with a game of poker with stakes much higher than the antes would indicate.

Choularton is absolutely delicious as James “Sharky” Harkin, an unkempt, beaten-down ne’er-do-well who has come to care for his older, even more unkempt brother, Richard (Shimerman). Richard has recently suffered an accident that’s left him blind. Both the caretaker and his unfortunate brother are cantankerous and angry. The quality of Shimerman’s acting here is awesome. Rep audiences remember him as the Fool in “King Lear.” TV audiences remember him most vividly as Quark in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” So easy is Choularton and Shimerman’s repartee that one could easily mistake them for blood brothers.

Sharky, who has lost his girlfriend and his car to the dashing Nicky (the yummy Townsend), welcomes him to the gathering grudgingly. The fourth guest, Ivan Curry (funny and pathetic Kruse) is a jovial, well-meaning dolt who has misplaced his glasses.

Special mention must be made of James Newcomb’s fight direction (Shimerman’s initial fall is extraordinary, and so is the drunken melee later in the play), and Woodhouse’s amazing makeup and hairstyle, which oddly enough make him look like Father Christmas. That image is enhanced by Jennifer Brawn Gittings’ extraordinary costume designs for all the men. Robin Sanford Roberts’ scenic design has many tales to tell. She is supported by Eric Lotze’s lighting design and Tom Jones’ sound.

Evil sometimes masquerades as bonhomie. This production of “The Seafarer” could have been heavy-handed, but is not. Its overall quality and relative restraint bode well for the Rep’s future.

“The Seafarer” continues at 7 p.m. Wednesdays (except Dec. 9), 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays at San Diego Repertory Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, $27-$47, www.sdrep.org or (619) 544-1000.

Charlene Baldridge is a member of the San Diego Critics Circle, with more than 30 years experience writing about the arts.