“The Heidi Chronicles” is totally absorbing and delightful in the current production at the New Jewish Theatre.

The title character of Wendy Wasserstein’s celebrated play is Heidi Holland. In the prologue, Heidi is a professor of art history at Columbia University in 1989. She is completely in her element as she delivers a lecture on neglected women artists. When she says something that reminds her of a high school dance she once attended, the play takes her back to that event in 1965.

As Heidi in the prologue, Emily Baker has commanding poise and self-confidence. She makes a remarkable transition to the 16-year-old Heidi at the dance, who is awkward and diffident. Baker has the full measure of Heidi’s development over the next 11 scenes, which bring her back to 1989 in a challenging journey toward independence and fulfilment in an evolving society. Along the way, Heidi is buffeted by the events of her time and the opposing forces of feminism and entrenched male dominance.

The first two scenes introduce Heidi’s three fellow travellers. Heidi goes to the dance with her friend, Susan Johnston, who pursues boys and opportunities in life with a zeal that leaves Heidi far behind. Kelly Howe nails the drive that propels Susan from a Supreme Court clerkship to a women’s collective and eventually to an executive position in entertainment.

Peter Patrone seeks out Heidi at the high school dance because she looks bored, which tells him she must be bright. In Will Bonfiglio’s finely judged portrayal, Peter has a personal charm that keeps his cynicism from becoming too alienating. Despite their intellectual affinity, the potential of Heidi and Peter’s relationship is limited by his being gay and her being attracted to someone else.

The someone else is Scoop Rosenbloom. In the second scene, he pursues Heidi with unrelenting swagger at a Eugene McCarthy campaign event in New Hampshire. The meeting is the beginning of a long-term physical relationship. It does not lead to marriage because Scoop does not want to compete with someone as accomplished as Heidi. Joel Moses captures Scoop’s roguish appeal and unwavering self-assurance.

Like the four principals, NJT’s supporting cast is excellent. Its members are Courtney Bailey, Paola Angeli, Ashwini Arora and Joshua Mayfield, who all play multiple roles.

Under Ellie Schwetye’s astute direction, the production effectively adopts a broad acting style to satirize excesses in pursuit of social change. The parodies include sendups of a feminist consciousness raising group and a protest against the failure of a museum to include women artists in its exhibitions.

Even more comic possibilities are exploited in a wedding, a baby shower and lunch at a trendy restaurant. The production’s tone changes appropriately for serious episodes toward the end.

Patrick Huber’s clever scenic design has hidden possibilities. The two rear walls meet in one corner of the theater. That corner proves to be turntable. Each wall has a large, elevated video screen facing half the audience. Beneath each screen is panel that can be raised to reveal an alcove. The turntable and the raisable panels add notable flexibility to the staging. Huber designed the lighting, too.

Each episode in the chronicle is placed distinctively in its time by the synergy of the images in Kareem Deanes’s projection design, the popular songs in Schwetye’s sound design, and the costumes designed for each scene by Michele Friedman Siler.

Much has changed in society since “The Heidi Chronicles” won both the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for best new play in 1989. What has not changed is the play’s ability to captivate audiences in productions like the one at the New Jewish Theatre.

‘The Heidi Chronicles’

WHEN: Through June 15
WHERE: The New Jewish Theatre’s Wool Studio Theatre in the Jewish Community Center’s Arts & Education Building, 2 Millstone Campus Drive
HOW MUCH: $29–$61
MORE INFO: Visit newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283