The late Phil Bosakowski, a co-founder of New York City's Primary Stages, demonstrated his love for his ancestral Poland in Chopin in Space, a fantasia on the life of composer Frederic Chopin as he travels through the 19th and 20th centuries. The Sacred Fools Theatre in Los Angeles presents the West Coast premiere of the play Jan. 25-Feb. 24. Mike Rainey (Escher's Hands, Glengarry Glen Mary) directs.

Chopin in Space begins during the half-French, half-Polish composer's own lifetime, exploring his friendship and rivalry with the painter Eugene Delacroix before launching into 20th-century confrontations with Hitler, the Roosevelts (played here ala Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont) and Lech Walesa. Bosakowski also penned Crossin' the Line, Nixon Apologizes to the Nation and Bierce Takes on the Railroad.

Jeff Goldman stars as Chopin. Also in the cast are Carla Jo Bailey, Majken Larsson, Paul Plunkett, Stan Freitag, Pogo Saito, Tom Chalmers and Ariadne Shaffer.

The design team features Rainey (sets), Christopher Childs (lighting) and Rik Keller (technical director). Veronika Vorel is the production stage manager.

Tickets are $15. For reservations, call (310) 281-8337. Sacred Fools Theatre is located at 660 N. Heliotrope Drive. The Sacred Fools are on the web at http://www.sacredfools.org. — By Christine Ehren