MusicThe final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Suite No....

Music

The final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3 is a series of increasingly complex variations on a simple theme. It’s an object lesson in how a composer

develops musical material. But nothing short of genius can explain how Tchaikovsky spins out the final breathtaking variation (a regal polonaise) from the simple tune that begins it.

The Suite No. 3 will be played Sunday by the State Symphony of Russia (previously the USSR State Symphony) led by Yevgeny Svetlanov on a Tchaikovsky program that also includes “Marche Slave” and the Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, with soloist Vladimir Ovchinikov. The concert is sponsored by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

* What: The State Symphony of Russia.

* When: 3 p.m. Sunday.

* Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: Exit the San Diego (405) Freeway at Bristol Street; go north. Turn right onto Town Center Drive.

* Wherewithal: $10-$48.

* Where to call: (714) 553-2422.

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Art

Painter Monique Prieto (who uses a computer to work out her vivid arrangements of flat patches of color and oddly angled drips), Peter Hopkins (who

soaks bedsheets in toxic substances and overlays them with cheap, glittering fabrics) and Ruben Ortiz Torres (whose intensely colorful photographs slyly mingle multicultural stereotypes) are among the most critically lauded artists in a 13-person exhibition at UC Irvine Art Gallery.

“TRANS/INTER/POST: HYBRID SPACES” demonstrates many of the ways recent art has incorporated luscious appearances and significant ideas. Curator Pamela Bailey says her show offers new perspectives on distinctions between “the generic and the sublime, art space and retail space, power and pop philosophy.”

* What: “TRANS/INTER/POST: HYBRID SPACES.”

* When: Through Nov. 23. Gallery hours: Noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

* Where: UC Irvine Art Gallery, at Bridge and Mesa Roads.

* Whereabouts: Exit San Diego (405) Freeway at Jamboree Road; go south. Turn left onto Campus Drive, then right onto Bridge Road.

* Wherewithal: Free.

* Where to call: (714) 824-6610.

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Comedy

As a former regular (a loopy lifeguard) on “Baywatch” and with a recurring role on “Roseanne” as Jackie’s insecure Ob-Gyn, Tom McTigue has an edge over

most other stand-up comics when it comes to recognition. But in a comedy-club setting, recognition will only get you so far. McTigue, who has also done dozens of commercials, boasts the ability to wed the obvious to the obscure. He finds humor almost anywhere: the banks of the Nile, the Pope’s bathtub, the bird feeder in his backyard . . . .

* Who: Tom McTigue.

* When: 8:30 tonight, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday.

* Where: The Improv, 4255 Campus Drive, Irvine.

* Whereabouts: Exit the San Diego (405) Freeway at Jamboree Road; go south. Turn left onto Campus Drive. The club is in the Irvine Marketplace.

* Wherewithal: $10-$12.

* Where to call: (714) 854-5455.

Family Affair

Even as Euripides’ “Medea” rages on at Alternative Repertory Theatre in Santa Ana (through Nov. 17), the company presents matinee performances this weekend of a companion piece for families, “Mythology and Man.”

The show uses costumes, masks and musical effects to retell classic Greek myths including “Demeter and Persephone,” about the changing of the seasons, “Hyacinthus,” about jealousy, and “Psyche and Eros,” about the power of love.

“Mythology and Man” is also the current production of the ART on Tour outreach program to local elementary schools.

* What: “Mythology and Man.”

* When: 12:30 and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

* Where: Alternative Repertory Theatre, 1636 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana.

* Whereabouts: Exit the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway at Edinger Avenue; go west. Turn left onto Grand Avenue.

* Wherewithal: $8.

* Where to call: (714) 836-7929.