The La Grange Area Teen Theater Ensemble (LATTE) is staging an American classic for its spring production.
M*A*S*H, based on the popular movie and television series — which were both based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors — will run for three shows at the Plymouth Place Auditorium the first weekend in May.
“M*A*S*H touched our hearts,” LATTE founder and artistic director Felicia Pfluger said recently. “It changed the face of television and entertainment as we knew it. And with good reason.”
The television series, which Pfluger said she drew most on when creating LATTE’s stage play, ran from 1972 to 1983, almost exclusively in the half-hour situation comedy format.
But if the show’s format was that of a sitcom, it was often a dark sitcom. Some of the shows veered into tragedy, which was inevitable given it involved the activities of personnel in a US Army Mobile Surgical Hospital during the Korean War.
Although the narrative took place during the Korean Conflict, the show opened during the final years of the Vietnam conflict, with the nation deeply divided over the wisdom and morality of military conflict halfway around the world.
Pfluger made sure her teenage cast members understood the gravity of the subject matter.
To that end, she brought in real men and women service members from La Grange American Legion Post 1941 — and a field medic who served in Afghanistan — to share their experiences with the teens and offer technical advice on what triage medical service involves.
“The teens researched the Korean Conflict and were shocked that it wasn’t officially a war,” Pfluger said. “And parents who selflessly served our military shared stories for the first time with their children as they all sat down to watch M*A*S*H* together.”
The cast, many of whom are veterans of previous LATTE productions, noted the comedy in the show but also gave their thoughts on the gravity of the subject matter.
“M*A*S*H* is for anyone who likes a good laugh, but what I found the hardest thing about bringing this script to life was honoring people who have or are currently serving in the Army,” Anaya Woods, a 14-year-old Westchester native who plays a nurse in the show, said. “Still, I‘ve always thought ‘laughter is the best medicine’ was kind of silly and had some truth to it, but I’ve learned that laughter really is the best medicine.”
Olivia Mulcahy, a 15-year-old, from Western Springs, plays Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre, the character made famous in the television series by Hollywood actor Wayne Rogers, stresses the timeless nature of the show.
“I think the urgency in the show will surprise people,” she said, going on to say it was “something that really touches people, it touches them with humor on what serious topic war is, from all aspects…I’ve learned a lot about war, and how I personally feel about it. I’ve learned about the true harshness of man.”
The seriousness of the subject matter couldn’t overshadow the sweet and comedic side of the narrative.
Father John Patrick Mulcahy, the 4077 M*A*S*H* unit Chaplin played by Warren Christopher in the series, is portrayed in LATTE’s production by 15-year-old Jay Stell of Westmont.
“I love playing Father Mulcahy more than anything, though it is a challenge,” Stell said. “Trying to find a good balance between caring and authority takes a lot of work. I am able to see myself in Father and really bring out an authentic and interesting character that I love to be.”
M*A*S*H* is a play in four acts being staged by the La Grange Teen Theater Ensemble at the Plymouth Place Auditorium, 315 N. La Grange Road.
The play runs Friday, May 3, through Sunday, May 5. Information on ticket prices can be found at the LATTE website, lattetheater.com.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
