Buddies in Bad Times Theatre opens its 46th season with rarely performed neo-noir masterwork Roberto Zucco by Bernard-Marie Koltès translated by Martin Crimp.

Witness the living through the eyes of the dead. Roberto Zucco lures us into the wet streets and gloomy rooms of 1980s Europe, where a charming antihero battles his cosmic urge to kill. Written as he was dying in 1989, Koltès’ sordid swan song is Greek tragedy kissed by Gregg Araki—breathlessly violent but with a pitch-black wit and occasional syrupy sweetness that leaves you disarmed. Caught between the realms of true crime and grotesque fantasy, the play shines a blistering sun on our darkest impulses; by the end, you’ll wonder if we’re just flightless birds in the face of our fates.

The cast features Jakob Ehman in the title role, with Samantha Brown, Fiona Highet, Kwaku Okyere, Oyin Oladejo, and Daniel MacIvor. The creative team includes set and costume designer Michelle Tracey, lighting designer Logan Raju Cracknell, sound designer and composer Dasha Plett, and dramaturge Gislina Patterson. Buddies Artistic Director ted witzel directs.

Runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 5. See show page for full schedule.