About the Play:

M*A*S*H is a full-length comedy adapted for the stage by Tim Kelly from the book by Richard Hooker. Inspired by the classic TV series, the 1970 Robert Altman film and the Richard Hooker novel about U.S. doctors during the Korean War, Tim Kelly's stage version of M*A*S*H incorporates many of the characters but omits more of the dark comedy aspects. It is a wild, free-flowing comedy that's easy to stage. Particularly suitable for schools and play contests.

M*A*S*H stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and joining it are two of the best chest surgeons in South Korea, Hawkeye and Duke (known as Trapper John in the TV series). They, along with their fellow doctors and nurses, attempt to maintain some fragment of sanity through the war while saving lives and working to send their young Korean friend, Ho-Jon, to America. The thread of this effort helps tie together the pileup of comic adventures involving other beloved characters while Colonel Blake tries to instill some kind of control. Hawkeye has a scene with a woman psychiatrist who believes he's been trying to lobster-trap mermaids in a rice paddy! Three female USO performers arrive drawing starstruck attention from the men of the unit, but the annoyed nurses plot to get rid of the dancers. A sergeant is selling susceptible GIs fishing rights in the Bay of Phum. The supernaturally perceptive Radar O'Reilly, a soldier with incredible hearing, anticipates things before they happen. The pain-avoiding dentist is cured of dark moods by a Frankenstein-esque operation – frightening him from the depths of despair! Hotlips and Frank Burns up to their same old antics while Father Mulcahy is there to keep everyone grounded. It's all here, including a little romance mixed in with dramatic moments and a genuine love of life. Oh, yes, Ho-Jon does get his education in the United States! 

M*A*S*H has a long history beginning with a 1968 novel by Richard Hooker, based on his own experiences as a military surgeon. The Oscar-nominated film followed in 1970, and in 1972 the super-popular TV series starring Alan Alda debuted. This stage version by Tim Kelly finds humour among despair as it follows the famous characters Hawkeye, "Hotlips", Radar and the rest of the familiar gang.

Cast: 15 female, 15 male, less with doubling

About the Playwright:

Tim Kelly (1931-1998) is often regarded as the most-published playwright in America, with over 300 titles to his credit under both his real name and at least four pseudonyms (Vera Morris, J. Moriarty, Robert Swift, Keith Jackson). Many of his plays, like Les Miserables, M*A*S*H and The Uninvited, are adaptations of novels, films. or television series, although he also wrote a host of parodies a well as original scripts and musical libretti. While his plays have been performed off-Broadway and by such companies as the Royal Court Rep, the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) and Seattle Rep, he is best known for writing for university, community and school theatre.