There's no justice here, Justice has a department of its own," barks Senator Hamfat Hum's aide as he turns away grant applicants. But this surreal political allegory's message seems to be that justice only exists outside the Beltway, although it requires government funding.

The Bathtub is a modernized version of a Russian political satire script from the 1920s. The updated play takes on the issues of federal funding for science and the arts, industrial exploitation of nature, sexual harassment and Senator Jesse Helms.

A bizarre mix of didacticism and absurdity, "The Bathtub" eschews realistic character development in favor of a morality-play approach. The depthless characters here are personified abstraction. This frees the play from having to reconcile the conflicting claims of moral message and realistic psychological portrayal.

The message's sometimes strident tone is lightened by moments of strange and occasionally pointless humor or slapstick, in addition to some very funny lines. Nonetheless, the 2 1/2 hour play would be less tiring to watch if the actors cut down on some of the shouting and bouncing around, especially in the first act.

The Bathtub

Adapted by Paul Schmidt from Vladimir Mayakovsky's "Banya"

Directed by Patrick Tan

At the Loeb Ex

Through July 11

Even if the production does not aim to create the illusion of realism, too much declaiming instead of speaking makes the play sound forced and unnatural, as if the actors want to be really, really sure we get the message. Fortunately, this is less of a problem in the second act.

Talented acting by the entire cast gives depth and nuances to the one-note characters. Especially commendable is Richard Nash, who plays both Senator Hum and scientist Harry Stranger. The plot is full of odd digressions, but its basic theme is Stranger's efforts to finance his time machine and use it for the benefit of humanity.

Stranger of approached by numerous corrupt types who want to use their tainted money to buy his idea. Among them is reporter Jim Jettison (Director Patrick Tan), who seeks to sell papers by uncovering "sex secrets of the past--where did the Venus de Milo have her hands before she lost her arms?"

Stranger and his friends turn away these purveyors of tainted loot and repeat their determination to seek government support. Yet given the corrupt character of Senator Hum, one wonders why money conferred by him is any less rotten. This question is never addressed.

Hum is the classic good ol' boy who oppresses his wife, sexually harasses his secretary ("There are laws about safety in the workplace and you just ignore 'em with those hazardous things o' yours, Miss Undertow"), and makes speeches about the "brown tide of wetbacks" encroaching on "this great white nation."

Opposing the forces of big Government and Evil Money are the Peace and Egalitarianism of a character from the future (Shelley Salamensky), who travels via the time machine and preaches about our present failures in women's rights, the environment and respect for the arts. Billed in the program as "the phosphorescent woman," she wears a floor-length Indian print dress of 1960s variety and talks in a blissed-out voice about sharing the earth.