German theater asks guests to wear swastikas for Hitler play

BERLIN (AP) - A theater in southern Germany is proceeding with plans to open a satirical play about Adolf Hitler's youth in which some patrons will be wearing swastika armbands.

The Konstanz Theater's production of George Tabori's "Mein Kampf" opens Friday night for a monthlong run. Though named after Hitler's infamous anti-Semitic manifesto, the play tells a fictional story of how a young Hitler is befriended by a Jewish man who puts him on his political path.

In a twist introduced by the theater, patrons who agree to wear a swastika armband will be given free admittance, while those who purchase tickets will be asked to wear a Jewish Star of David.

Theater manager Christoph Nix says the point is to show how easily corruptible people are, and provoke dialogue about racism.