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'Bad Boy Nietzsche' presents absurdist vision of famed philosopher

When Richard Foreman began writing, directing and designing plays, some audiences were so turned off that a sign was placed in the theater which read, "If you have to leave during the performance, please leave quietly."

"Bad Boy Nietzsche" is Forman's 47th production, running until April 30 at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater, the company that Foreman founded. No one left the theater during last Thursday's performance, as Foreman, non-conformist that he is, has become a celebrated member of New York avant-garde theater scene.

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Though Foreman rarely writes about historical subjects, it is still appropriate that he has written a play about Nietzsche, whose focus on the irrational, the chaotic and the subjective helped create a world in which Foreman and his plays could thrive a hundred years after the philosopher's death. Like Foreman, Nietzsche rejected a systematic approach to philosophy or a specific moral structure.

Here's what "happens" in "Bad Boy Nietzsche:" The philosopher (played by Gary Wilmes), his arms and body continuously twitching, skips and stumbles about the set with the back of his hands against his hips and his knees up high, spouting various odd sentences such as "Where is my Chinese horse?" The stage is frequently invaded by The Cruel Man (Kevin Hurley), The Child (Sarah Louise Lilley), The Beautiful Lady (Juliana Francis) or some combination of the three. Their entrances lead to an almost equally-odd dialogue with the philosopher, such as an argument as to whether a loaf bread contains Jewels or Jews.

Though Nietzsche does react to these characters, usually with a childlike puzzlement or stubbornness, he seems more concerned with what is happening in his own mind. There are also four men dressed in black, who are always together and who enter for various reasons, such as helping Nietzsche onto his couch or scaring him by holding up four enormous eggs.

Technical elements add to the audience's confusion. The back walls are painted black yet covered in skulls, roses, letters, scribbled handwriting, a stuffed horse and other objects. Lamps hang from the ceiling. A glass wall runs around the bottom and sides of the front of the stage, one of Foreman's signature designs. The performance is frequently interrupted by repeated sounds, such as a "ping" or a woman moaning.

The fun in Foreman's play comes from picking out the references to Nietzsche's life. At one point, Nietzsche writhes as the men in black whip a stuffed horse, alluding to the philosopher's hypersensitive reaction to a horse being flogged in Turin, Italy in 1889. Some scholars say that this event set off Nietzsche's insanity, which lasted until his death in 1900 and was probably the result of syphilis.

The Cruel Man seems to be a reference to the composer Richard Wagner, who was one of Nietzsche's early mentors before the composer's controlling nature and anti-Semitism ended their friendship. And Foreman's box-like set and lack of emotional connections between characters is perfect for reflecting Nietzsche's solitude, especially at the end of the philosopher's life.

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But the play does not really "say" anything about Nietzsche. Foreman's work does not make explicit statements; it simply reflects his subjective reactions to the world. At times, Foreman even creates comedic moments by going against the play's "avant-garde-ness" and suddenly jolting the audience out of its assumption that the play has any deep messages.

Throughout the play, all of the characters repeatedly and at random moments thrust their bodies and arms against the walls of the stage. But after one of the thrusts, Nietzsche pulls back and yells "Ow, I have a splinter in my hand!" Nietzsche frequently stubs his toe on a couch or hits himself in the face with a golf club.

The Cruel Man is the voice of skepticism, reacting to the bizarreness of the scene like an engineer watching an interpretive dance. At one point he hands Nietzsche a mysterious briefcase. When Nietzsche asks him what's inside, The Cruel Man says "Jesus Christ," pauses for a bit, and then betrays this pseudo-profundity by saying, "I don't know." More comedy comes from The Cruel Man's anachronisms: "Maybe you should work out a little, Mr. Nietzsche."

"Bad Boy Nietzsche" is fun not only because it challenges you to relate its mysterious words and characters to Nietzsche's life, but simply because it is different. If the play doesn't illuminate the life of a great thinker, it will almost certainly enlighten you to new possibilities that theater has to offer. Sit back and enjoy the weirdness.

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"Bad Boy Nietzsche" plays at the Ontological Hysterical Theatre through April 30. Call (212) 533-4650 for reservations.