The Hello Girls

Over a hundred years ago a small troupe of women served the US Army in WWI ravaged France, patching telephone lines together under pressure and occasionally under fire. The Hello Girls, as they were patronisingly described, had to fight for every inch of respect and recognition, pushing to get to the front-line.

As explained in the lyrics of a chorus, “If you’re a man and you want to join the army they will take you. If you are a man and you don’t want to join the army they might make you.” By contrast the women were classed as civilian contractors.

The Canberra based Hearts Strings Theatre has put together an excellent production which is highly entertaining, although a little on the didactic side in the first act.  Men belittle the female volunteers, teasing them with quips such as “you’ll have to wake up extra early to put your hair in curlers.”

Yet it was by no means a picnic. The Hello Girls risked their lives and had to wear gas masks close to the front.

 The protagonist is the bright as a button star telephonist Grace Banker (Rhianna McCourt), the chief operator who leads her troupe of phone connectors with panache. She sits down at the desk, speaking English and French fluently, connecting calls like a concert pianist.

Accomplished performers Kira Leiva, Kaori Maeda-Judge, Nikola Gucciardo and Kaitlin Nihill formed the Hello Girls navigating the flirtatious soldiers, machine gun fire from planes, and largely working professionally except for the odd eavesdropping on calls.

The US Signals Women Telephone Operators is of course overseen by a male soldier Riser (Joel Richards), while four other actors Matthew Hearne, David Hooley, Zachary Aleksander and Lincoln Elliott play a variety of roles with clarity.

A fascinating character was a German prisoner of war, who recounted how his English skills saved his life.

The switching of the narrative from the signals room to the warfront was deftly managed by creative choreography from Amy Orman, ranging from traditional dancing to navigating a rocky boat trip, to dodging bullets.

The Hello Girls has a pleasing score with a variety of styles. The most striking sounds were the dramatic explosive blasts and bullet shells raining down on a roof.

The production is topped and tailed with a contemporary interpretation of gender conflict marked by modern costumes which contrast with the traditional world war military garb. A striking metaphor was the fact that the women soldiers had to raise money to pay for their own uniforms. Charging the soldiers to attend a dance with them – proved more lucrative than selling cakes.

According to the Director Jason Langley, The Hello Girls, staged in New York in 2018 was on a trajectory to Broadway until Covid intervened.

Whilst that is a matter of conjecture, the musical is unique in making women the focus of a war story.

David Spicer

Photographer: Philip Erbacher