Only a lucky few saw the Actors Group production of “;Art”; at the old Yellow Brick Theatre in Kakaako in 2003, but the show still stands as one of TAG's best.

Now, six years later, Paul Mitri and the All the World's a Stage Theatre Company are putting an equally impressive stamp on this thought-provoking piece of contemporary theater.

The only problem this time is that with only three performances remaining in a six-day run at one of Honolulu's smallest theater spaces, even fewer people will be able to enjoy it. Don't count on being able to show up without a reservation Sunday afternoon to see the final performance.

Mitri's production lives up to expectations on all counts. Playwright Yasmina Reza's exploration of the nature of art and friendship is provocative and entertaining and feels just as fresh now as then.

Mitri, the director of the show, credits the other two members of the cast, Ryan Wuestewald and Tony Young, with contributing to the directorial process. The trio does a excellent job developing every nuance in the script.

It seems at first that the story is about “;trends”; in art. Serge (Young) buys an expensive, avant-garde white-on-white painting and raves about the great deal he got — it cost only 200,000 francs!

Marc (Mitri) is appalled by the expense, but even more so by the thought that his friend believes the white-on-white painting is great art; Marc describes it with a word that can't be printed here.

Yvan (Wuestewald), a working man with problems of his own, tries to avoid disagreeing with either of them and gets caught in the middle.

IS THE white-on-white painting a “;masterpiece”; or an overpriced joke? If Serge is a fool for spending 200,000 francs on the painting, he is not alone. He tells Marc that Huntington, a major dealer and collector, has offered him 220,000 for it.

But the debate isn't only about the definition of “;art”; or whether Serge can afford the painting. Deeper issues gradually emerge. Does Serge's decision to spend 200,000 francs on the white-on-white painting signal a change in the nature of his friendship with Marc?

What ensues is the male equivalent of a “;cat fight”; as the three conflicted friends battle over the timing, tone and context of their conversations. Who laughed first? Was it a “;sincere”; laugh or a “;condescending”; laugh?

And, as often happens when friends fight, Marc and Serge unite in attacking Yvan for not taking a side in their fight.

Young, stylishly dashing in basic black, is a master of the arched eyebrow and cold stare.

Wuestewald, crumpled and harried as the somewhat reluctant husband-to-be, earned a round of spontaneous applause Friday in a scene in which Yvan re-creates a tumultuous telephone conversation; Wuestewald also makes Yvan's rebellion believable.

Mitri anchors the show with his performance. Marc seems completely in the wrong early into the story, but it becomes easier to see his concerns as the story develops. Mitri skillfully embraces the conflicting demands of drama and comedy. Young and Wuestewald follow suit.

And when all's said and done, Mitri's “;Art”; turns out to be great art.