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Salem theater puts own spin on ‘M*A*S*H’
if you go
What: “M*A*S*H”
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Salem Community Theater, 490 E. State St., Salem
Tickets: Call 330-332-9688
By STEPHANIE OTTEY
SALEM
A lot of work goes into acting in a show. Even more work goes into directing a show. This hasn’t stopped two men at Salem Community Theater from doing both.
Dan Haueter and Dick Fawcett co-direct and co-star in “M*A*S*H,” which is playing on the Salem stage through Sunday.
The play is adapted from the novel “M*A*S*H” written by Richard Hooker that also inspired the popular sitcom. It contains many of the characters and antics that fans of the TV show will expect, but not all.
Set in South Korea during the Korean War, the play peeks into the lives of the surgeons of the 4077th surgical hospital unit.
Pranksters Captain “Hawkeye” Pierce and Captain “Duke” Forrest have just been transferred to the unit and quickly disrupt the otherwise straight-laced team. Through a series of goofy antics, they turn enemies into friends. We watch them feign mental illness, cure depression, sing, dance and save lives for a few hours, until reaching the show’s predictably happy ending.
Haueter and Todd Courtney lead the cast and drive the show as Hawkeye and Duke. The two clearly enjoy themselves on stage and are fun to watch.
Tyler Kinser elicits laughs as Captain Walt Waldowski with one-liners such as “I can’t stand pain — It’s why I became a dentist.”
Mark Kholos creates a frantic and funny General Hammond, while Dick Fawcett maintains a dry, stoic Lieutenant Colonel Blake. Abby Cull, Brittany Gulu and Jordan Kriegel are charming as the dim-witted Mitzi, Fritzi, and Agnes, and Mike Hazen is fun as Corporal “Radar” O’Reilly. Captain Frank Burns is played by Thomas Leguard, Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre is played by Tim Gottschling, and Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan is played with appropriate rigidity by Karen E. Hauck-Losito.
The characters may share the same names as those on the sitcom, but they certainly aren’t recreations. None of the actors in this show plays copy-cat to the television counterpart, opting for a personal interpretation instead. That being said, as a whole, the cast lacks a commitment to the characters that they have created. The script alone is humorous, but if the cast had worked to fully engage in their roles the pace would have been more brisk, and laughs in Saturday night’s performance could have been much more emphatic.
Directors Haueter and Fawcett, aside from acting in the show, also designed a beautiful set for it. They efficiently use the stage space, and use great detail in recreating the 4077th surgical hospital.
Haueter and Carrie Utt design the authentic- looking costumes and further the recreation of the Korean War scene.
Some sound effects over-power the actors at times, and the general amplification is low at times; thus some moments are difficult to hear.