Elgin Theatre Company to present 'M*A*S*H'
In 2010, the Elgin Theatre Company produced "M*A*S*H," a play about doctors and nurses working at a medical facility in Korea during the Korean War.
"I directed 'M*A*S*H' for ETC in 2010 and it was just a roaring success for the company," said the play's director, Madeline Franklin, a member of the ETC board of directors. "In the years following, the cast members gathered, there were many reunions, and we kept saying, when will we do 'M*A*S*H' again?"
When the board met to decide the shows to produce in 2015, the play popped up in the discussion.
"When the board was looking at the season, we said, let's do 'M*A*S*H,'" said Franklin.
Ten of the actors who participated in the original production agreed to return, leaving 20 slots open for auditions.
"I noted it said that certain characters were pre-cast before the auditions," Franklin said.
"I was a little nervous coming in," said Stephen Pickering of Fox River Grove, who plays Sgt. Divine, a character who runs the mess hall and a number of side endeavors, which are less than legitimate.
"When I auditioned I knew it was a reunion of a production done a few years ago, and you know a lot of people will know each other and I'm coming in and I'm new and I know a couple people, and you're never sure how it's going to be. Right away, this cast couldn't be more welcoming and more giving of themselves.
"If you hadn't told me this was a reunion, I wouldn't know," he added.
"The cast that hadn't done it before brought new blood into the show," said Nancy Braus of Schaumburg, who plays Bridgette McCarthy and is a veteran of the first production.
"It seamlessly came together. It wasn't like us and them, it all melded together."
The cast was not the challenge so much as the passing years, according to Braus.
"There's physicality to it so it's a little more tough," she said. "It's a high energy play and it moves quickly between vignettes, pretty darn quickly."
"All of us, we've aged and grown and become better actors, better directors," Franklin said.
Pickering sees a challenge in the familiarity of the material, which can give the audience preconceived notions of how the actor should play the part.
"People may come in with an idea of Alan Alda or Donald Sutherland and want to see that in our production."
Many people are very familiar with the story as a result of the TV show, which lasted 11 seasons and introduced viewers to Hawkeye Pierce, Hot Lips Houlihan, Radar O'Reilly and a large cast of favorites while garnering 163 nominations and 62 wins from various awards organizations over its airing.
The 1970 movie, starring Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould, was also popular and was awarded an Oscar for best writing, along with many other awards. However, the story has hit virtually every medium, along with the well-known television series and movie.
"The first thing that came out was the book, which is the tale of three American doctors; after that was the play, then the movie and then the TV show," said Franklin. "The essence of 'M*A*S*H' is the same throughout the mediums, which is the war. That is what we concentrate on when an actor had to do character development.
"We are really dealing with relationships where you're in small quarters, where during the day it's very hot and at night it's very cold, and there can be thousands of casualties when the war is just pressing on you," Franklin said.
"It's a wonderful story of the madness of war and how people cope," said Pickering, who counts both the book and movie of "M*A*S*H" as favorites. "It's an example of being caught in a no-win situation and people making the best of it.
"These are people who were pulled from various walks of life who probably never imagined they'd be in a war and, here they are, right on the front line in a very stressful situation," he added.
"Anybody who has seen the movie and TV show and not the play should come see it. It's a little bit different," Braus said. "It's entertaining."
For tickets and details, visit www.elgin-theatre.org.
If you go
What: Elgin Theatre Company's production of 'M*A*S*H'
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Jan. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23; and 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 10, 17 and 24
Where: Kimball Street Theatre, corner of Kimball Street and Dundee Avenue, Elgin
Tickets: $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and youths
Details: Visit <a href="http://www.Elgin-Theatre.org">www.Elgin-Theatre.org</a>, call (847) 741-0532 or email tickets@inil.com