M*A*S*H is coming!

Pittsburg Community Theatre’s first show of the season, “M*A*S*H,” opens next week at Memorial Auditorium, bringing to life iconic characters who first made their appearance in a book by Richard Hooker, then a 1970 film directed by Robert Altman, and finally, a popular long-running TV series.

Director Jason Huffman said “M*A*S*H” is a comedy-drama that will be performed by a diverse cast, including several veterans of PCT productions as well as a few newcomers.

Among them: Col. Henry Blake is played by Mark Johnson, a real-life professor who has 14 PCT acting credits to his name; Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan is played by Allison Townsend, who grew up on the PCT stage and works for BMO Harris Bank; and retiree James Graham, who is taking on the role of Captain Frank Burns, the irksome chump of the hospital, in his first performance with PCT.

Hannah Gatson is somewhat new to PCT — last summer’s “Sister Act” was her first show, and it hooked her — but her role isn’t too much of a stretch: she plays Lt. Nancy Phillips, a nurse, and in real life is a nursing student at Ft. Scott Community College.

Audiences will likely recognize the voice of Stephanie Powers, who plays Private Boone — a hospital orderly who “is about as sharp as a marble,” Powers said. But they might not recognize her face: Powers’ real job is as the voice of Weekday Mornings on 96.9FM.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. March 29-30 and 2 p.m. March 30-31.

Tickets on the main floor are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and children, and are $8 general admission for the balcony. 

Tickets may be purchased online at www.memorialauditorium.org or at 620-231-7827, or by stopping by the box office, 503 N. Pine, during business hours.
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