“The Hello Girls” Gives WWI History with Side-Eye—at Ross Valley
Monica Rose Slater, Jacqueline Lee, Abigail Wissink, Grace Margaret Craig, Malia Abayon. Photos by Robin Jackson
Peter C. Mills Honors Veteran Telephone Operators
by Isa S. Chu
From the opening number of “The Hello Girls,” this modern musical announces itself with confidence and urgency: “A world where freedom is under assault, a world drifting toward tyranny… we’re talking about the year, 1918 – of course,” setting the tone for a production that feels both historical and relevant.
In World War I, these “Girls,” real-life women who enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, served on the front lines, routing calls under fire and risking their lives. Despite that service, they only received veteran status after 60 years of advocacy. This injustice stays firmly in view without letting it overshadow the joy of watching these women take up space.
Full Cast
At the heart of the story, a phone supervisor Grace Banker watches talented women cycle in and out of the workforce, pulled away by marriage and motherhood. Monica Rose Slater plays Banker with grounded authority and warmth, allowing her leadership to feel earned and deeply human.
Alongside her, Suzanne Prevort—played with spark and sass by Grace Margaret Craig—rejects the narrow roles assigned to women. Together, they enlist, not as fighters with rifles, but as operators whose speed and precision determine life or death.
Others answer the call for different reasons. Louise Le Breton (earnest Jacqueline Lee) fakes her age to join the fight. She is eager to return to France to battle “ze ghermans.” Later, a poignant scene between Louise and a German POW reminds her (and us) that beneath uniforms and political banners, humanity persists.
Bertha Hunt, radiant in Abigail Wissink’s performance, rejects the idea of waiting passively at home while her husband fights overseas. Helen Hill, played with animated naivete by Malia Abayon, embraces enlistment as an escape from rural Idaho.
Landers Markwick, Michael Lister, and Dean Marchant
In the number “We Aren’t in the Army Yet,” the Army scoops up men with ease, while women catalog the scrutiny they face: “she will see how selective the service can be.”
Though multilingual, adaptable, and highly skilled, respect still doesn’t come freely once they reach Paris. Their commanding officer, Lieutenant Riser (stoic Nelson Brown) embarrassed to command a battalion of women, underestimates them at every turn.
The women must excel to step out from beneath condescension and do the jobs they already know how to do, underscoring a familiar truth.
Monica Rose Slater, Abigail Wissink, Malia Abayon, Grace Margaret Craig, and Jacqueline Lee
Clever choreography helps to tell the story without overrunning the stage, and musically, the show delights. Cast members double as musicians (guitar, cello, accordion, flute, snare drum, and glockenspiel) layering texture atop keys, bass, and drums.
Upbeat, comedic songs and energizing harmonies carry a heavy topic with lightness, making the evening truly enjoyable. The number “There Are Lives on the Line,” lands its double meaning connecting the literal phone lines the women patch through with the lives soldiers place on the line for their country.
“The Hello Girls” reminds us—with joy, humor, and heart—who did the work, who bore the cost, and how long justice can take to arrive. Go spend an evening with a show that’s smart and satisfying.
Malia Abayon, Jacqueline Lee, Nelson Brown, and Grace Margaret Craig
“The Hello Girls” by Peter C. Mills, directed by Maeve Smith, musical direction by Christopher Hewitt, set design by Ron Krempetz, choreography by Jonathen Blue, at Ross Valley Players, Ross, California.
Info: rossvalleyplayers.com – to March 1, 2026
Cast: Malia Abayon, Nelson Brown, Grace Margaret Craig, Jacqueline Lee, Mikey Lister, Dean Marchant, Landers Markwick, Monica Rose Slater, Joseph Walters, and Abigail Wissink.
