Hello Girls musical logo

The Hello Girls

Full-length
Off Broadway
5F, 5M
Community, University & Pro Theatres

Overview

From New York to Paris, from ragtime to jazz:  THE HELLO GIRLS chronicles the story of America’s first women soldiers in this new musical inspired by history.  These intrepid heroines served as bilingual telephone operators on the front lines, helping turn the tide of World War I.  They then returned home to fight a decades-long battle for equality and recognition, paving the way for future generations.  THE HELLO GIRLS was commissioned and premiered by NYC’s Prospect Theater Company to celebrate the centennial of these groundbreaking women.

Casting & Production

Casting

(5F, 5M)

Grace Banker: Articulate and poised, with a core of steely strength that makes itself apparent as she grows into her role as leader.

Suzanne Prevot: From New York City. Feisty, sardonic, tough-talking. A close friend of Grace’s from AT&T.

Helen Hill: From Idaho. A typical small-town farm girl… Sweet, over-enthusiastic, wholesomely kooky and prone to nervous panic.

Bertha Hunt: Married to a Navy doctor who is also serving. Older, wiser, reliable – The Den Mother. Extremely knowledgeable about military matters.

Louise Lebreton: 18. Fearless, flirty, headstrong and often insubordinate. Born in France, she has family fighting with the French army.

Cpt. Joseph Riser: The Signal Corps officer who recruits and trains the women. A career army man, a stickler for rules and order, he is skeptical of the women’s presence in the army.

Lt. Ernest Wessen: Head of the recruiting center for the Signal Corps

Pvt. Eugene Matterson: An enlisted man who works closely with Lt. Riser.

Pvt. Robert Dempsey: A Signal Corps operator at the Paris Telephone Exchange

Gen. John Pershing: Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. Hard, relentless, inflexible, with a deep sense of honor and American individualism and identity.

*with the exception of Capt. Riser and Gen. Pershing, the men all play a variety of supporting roles

Orchestral Information

9 Musicians (or Actor-Musicians)

Piano/Conductor

Keyboard 2 / Accordion / Bells*

Bass

Drums

Guitar

Violin

Cello

Clarinet

Trumpet / Euphonium **

The original off-Broadway production of THE HELLO GIRLS utilized a cast of actors who also played instruments. While the standard licensing version of THE HELLO GIRLS is written with a completely separate pit orchestra, directors are welcome to incorporate actor-musicians at their own discretion based on the abilities of their cast. (If you are interested in receiving materials that replicate the exact instrument/actor combinations of the original off-Broadway production, please reach out to your TRW licensing representative.)

*Accordion and bells may be substituted by keyboard patches.

**The fingering for these instruments is the same.

Credits

THE HELLO GIRLS

Music and Lyrics by PETER MILLS

Book by PETER MILLS and CARA REICHEL

NOTE: The names of the Authors shall be equal in size, type, coloring, boldness, and prominence. No billing shall appear in type larger or more prominent than the billing to the Authors except for the title of the Play. All credits to the Authors shall be at least fifty percent (50%) of the size of the largest letter artwork in the title of the play.

You also agree to clear and prominent credit to the originating theatre on the title page of all programs for subsequent productions of the Play on and all publications of the Play, substantially as follows in size type no less than 10 point:

World Premiere Performance 2018

Commissioned by Prospect Theatre Company, New York, NY

Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director

Melissa Huber, Managing Director

Upcoming Productions

Jul 2628, 2024
Kankakee Valley Theatre Association
Bourbonnais, IL
Jul 2628, 2024
Kankakee Valley Theatre Association
Kankakee, IL
Oct 25Nov 03, 2024
Swamp Donkey Musical Theatre Society
Bragg Creek, AB

View All Upcoming Productions

Resources

BookTix Logo for TRW Musicals