Gip Hoppe's latest comedy, A New War, a hit at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater in Cape Cod, will move to the Boston area March 7 for a six-week run.

The cast of four includes Michael Dorval, Caitlin Gibbon, Nathaniel McIntyre and Stephen Russell.

Hoppe, who is WHAT's founder and its current co-artistic director, directs the piece, which is set in the near future, and takes place on the set of a cable news network as a new U.S. war is unfolding. The show no doubt draws fuel from recent events in Washington, D.C., where the likelihood of American military force against Iraq seems more inevitable by the day, despite hesitation at the United Nations and international disapprobation.

Inspired by current events, Hoppe says he was "hypnotized by the manic manipulations of 24-hour news channels desperate to fill airtime. The play is a funny and timely voyage to the heart of darkest America. I also wrote the play as a quick and cheap way to keep WHAT open past the traditional tourist season."

The play began performances on Oct. 17 at WHAT as an added attraction to the 2002 season. It won exuberant notices (The Boston Herald called it one of the top theatre attractions of the year) and extended to Nov. 8. A New War plays at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway in Somerville, a Boston suburb. Call (617) 591-1616.