Licensing Company: TRW
The Hello Girls
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.
The Hello Girls
PROGRAMMED INSTRUMENTS
Keyboard 2
$300.00
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.
PROGRAMMING NOTES
This orchestration is based on the Original 2018 Off-Broadway production.
This show is orchestrated to be player-conducted from the Keyboard 1 book. There are 2 keyboard books in this show, although only K2 has any programming. Key 1 is the Piano/Conductor book and is all acoustic piano. If your K2 player can play an actual accordion, you can forego the keyboard patches altogether as there are only three patches in total, Piano, Glock, and Accordion. Of course you would need a piano or a keyboard and a glockenspiel as well but that is up to each production.
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.)
ORIGINAL MUSIC TEAM
Book by: Peter Mills & Cara Reichel
Music by: Peter Mills
Music Director: Ben Moss
Asst. Music Director: Emily Whitaker
SHOW DESCRIPTION
The protagonist of THE HELLO GIRLS is Grace Banker, chief of the first female telephone operators’ unit of the US Army Signal Corps. The unit was set up in 1917 on the orders of General Pershing, who wanted skilled telephone operators to ensure effective communications between the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. Of course, the best operators at that time were women, so that’s who Pershing set out to recruit.
In order to coordinate with Ferdinand Foch’s army, the operators also need to be fluent in French, making Franco-American Louise LeBreton a shoo-in. Idaho farm girl Helen Hill has been speaking French with her maman since she could crawl. Bertha Hunt isn’t content to sit at home while her husband ships off, so she joins the army too. Suzanne Prevot sees enlistment as an opportunity for adventure. She convinces Grace to join her, arguing, “Girls like us — we aren’t cut out for tending Victory Gardens.” Of course, Grace will have to cultivate her professional relationship with her immediate superior, Lt. Joseph Riser, a man’s man who is none too thrilled about leading a company of ladies.