Closing their doors on an enthusiastic note, Chicago's Cafe Voltaire will be presenting the world premiere of Bad Ass & the Devil written and directed by Arik Martin, May 1-9.

In Bad Ass, two strangers in a car grapple with mistaken identity while a serial killer wreaks havoc on the highway outside. As each man starts to suspect the other of being the killer, psychological games of guessing and intimidation ensue.

Martin is the founder of Half Cocked Productions and a co-founder of the New York based theatre company, The Cloven Patriarchs. Previous plays by Martin include: Jerking Off at the Mouth and Crossing Mr. Bridge.

Over the last decade the underground performance space at Voltaire, a restaurant and coffeehouse in the Lakeview neighborhood, has been one of the Chicago theatre community's most prolific playgrounds. Due to financial instability, Voltaire will close its doors on May 15.

Cafe Voltaire, named after the infamous Zurich club where in 1916, the founders of the Dada movement (Tristan Tzara, Hugo Ball, Jean Arp, Richard Huelsenbeck) created performances intent on infuriating their audiences to the point of violence. Previous productions at Voltaire include: Lepers, by Neil LaBute (screenwriter of In the Company of Men), the now-national hit Schoolhouse Rock Live! and Barto Productions' acclaimed 1991 revival of Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood.

For tickets or more information about Half Cocked's Bad Ass & the Devil, call (217) 529-8611.

-- By Sean McGrath