If it's the beginning of a new year, it must be time for Richard Foreman's latest production. Right on time, the writer-director's Bad Boy Nietzsche will begin performances Jan. 27. Official opening is Feb. 8 for a run through April 30. The new work focuses on an encounter between the philosopher and a dray horse being beaten -- a moment that, according to production notes, sent Nietzsche hurdling into madness. The production will star two actors found in Foreman's Hotel Paradise last year, Juliana Francis and Gary Wilmes (as Nietzsche). Francis has also been seen in John Jahnke's Lola Montez in Bavaria (in the title role), while Wilmes practiced his deadpan in Richard Maxwell's House. Also in the cast are Kevin Hurley and Sarah Lilley.

Forman's many plays include Pearls for Pigs, Benita Canova and What Did He See?, most of which featured, in production, Foreman's trademark cluttered set designs, festooned with mirrors reflecting the audience and strings stretched across the playing area.

Tickets are $15. The Ontological Theatre is located at 131 E. 10th St. In Manhattan. For information, call (212) 533-4650.

--By Robert Simonson