WATERFORD TWP., Mich.–E/R, a play conceived by a doctor who had help writing the script from some professional playwrights, is a slice of life in a Chicago emergency room on a Saturday night. The play is running this week at The Monster Box Theatre in Waterford Township.

Billed as a comedic drama, this play, featuring a huge ensemble of nine male characters, seven females and two kids, ran with great success in Chicago, with a first run at the famed Organic Theatre Co.

As I sat back and pondered the play, which I had never seen, I could not help thinking that it was really not that different from an episode of the TV series E/R or St. Elsewhere, with a combination of ethos and slapstick–the street guy who is sleeping it off on an ER bed and complains of the noise, the street lady who is a hypochondriac and wants the trappings of being cared for every other day, the guy who walks gingerly into the ER complaining of an earache but is hiding the fact that he has a light-bulb up his bum.

It’s a day in the life of nurses, doctors and patients. The script, which at times tries a little too hard to be funny, reminded me of a nurse-friend who misses working in the trauma ward of a Detroit hospital since she is in the cushier confines of a suburban hospital where there is more sore throats than gunshot wounds. A big-city ER is a place where all of humanity gets distilled into a small space–the street person and the millionaire. The need for healthcare is the great human leveler.

If there is a story thread that connects the characters and events, it is the difference between two attending physicians, Dr. Sherman (Sarah Burcon) and Dr. Sheinfeld (Mary Petiti). Sheinfeld is the doctor who is a bit jaded, going through the motions at times and ready to punt risky cases to the surgical team. Sherman attends every case, is more empathetic and tender to the plight of the street bum, and wants to relieve the discomfort of Mr. Lightbulb in the ER rather than kicking him to surgery the next morning. Sheinfeld wants in on the pizza delivery, while Sherman brings a salad from home.

The action is raucous and even drifts to slapstick worthy of Monty Python at times. The audience that attended with me expressed a lot of laughter. It’s light fare and a solid formula for a night of chuckling out at the theatre.

Director Paul Stark says it will almost certainly be the theatre’s best attended show of the season, so get your tickets quick.