Monica Rose Slater, Jacqueline Lee, Abigail Wissink, Grace Margaret Craig, and Malia Abayon Photo by Robin Jackson

Well, dear reader, worry not, for Ross Valley Players has a hit on its hands with an absolutely marvelous production that had the packed house on opening night leaping to their feet at the conclusion of Peter Mills (music, lyrics and book) and Cara Reichel's (book) magnificently moving and entertaining musical.

The Hello Girls tells the story of how the U.S. Army, which in 1918 had recently entered World War I to aid our ally, France, ran into problems with communications due to soldiers having limited skills with telephone switchboards, and even less familiarity with the French language, which was vital for the coordination of the war effort. The solution? Recruit a cadre of switchboard operators–a profession composed almost entirely of women–who not only knew the workings of the telephone systems inside and out, but were also fluent in French.

"Imagine a time when the world was divided," the show begins. "We're talking about the year 1918. Of course." (A line which elicited nervous laughter, given our current political divisions.) We watch as four switchboard operators mime the work of plugging cables and jacks into outlets to connect calls, as they sing the opening number, "Answer the Call." The dual meaning of this sentence becomes clear as the women are asked to join the Army and ship off to France, where the Germans are closing in on Paris. Though there was some significant pushback from some of the upper ranks about bringing women to a war zone, as in the song, "We Aren't in the Army": "Let a female sign up, the brass'll tell her 'line up' and she will see how selective the service can be."

The women, led by Grace Banker (Monica Rose Slater), who ultimately becomes the chief of this group, and her cohorts–Bertha Hunt (Abigail Wissink), Helen Hill (Malia Abayon), Suzanne Prevot (Grace Margaret Craig), and Louise Le Breton (Jacqueline Lee), an 18-year old who grew up speaking French and lied about her age to join the group–do indeed answer the call, and these five represent the 100 or more women who joined the Army Signal Corps as operators.

Although there isn't a strong throughline in Mills and Reichel's book (other than the expected "go to war, win the war, come home"), the show nonetheless quickly engages its audience with a love for these women, the challenges they face, and their battles/cooperation with the Army and its traditionally male culture and strict rules. Along the way, we are treated to a range of delightful songs that incorporate elements of jazz, ragtime, and contemporary Broadway ballads that also move the story forward.

As the show moves through its 2.5 hour running time, the women go from training in New Jersey to a troop ship to the train from Calais to Paris, where some male soldiers, surprised to see women in uniform, sign the delightful "Hello Girls": "Hello, girls. We need you so, girls. We should have had you here a half a year ago, girls." Ultimately, as the war rages on, the women push to be moved to the front lines to support the allied push that will ultimately lead to the armistice.

Director Maeve Smith and RVP have assembled a skilled cast who not only sing and act with terrific aplomb, but also add to the musical mix by playing various instruments throughout the show: piano, cello, guitar, violin, flute, drums, accordion–in addition to a terrific small backing duo of musical director Christopher Hewitt and drummer Joyce Baker, who (though hidden from sight) delivers some Gene Krupa-esque power to help drive the score.

I do have one major quibble with the show, and that is Ron Krempetz's oddly contemporary set. While Valera Coble's costume are perfectly appropriate for the era, matching the historical uniforms the Signal Corps operators wore, Krempetz's set is completely out of tune with the rest of the show. It might be terrific backing for a production of Company or The Odd Couple, but here the angular cables strung upstage (I imagine to call to mind telephone lines?) and flats with geometric arrays of dots do nothing but pull focus from the otherwise terrific action on stage.

But don't let this one odd decision keep you from getting a ticket to this perfectly wondrous and enlightening show about a mostly forgotten moment in history, for Ross Valley Players has staged a moving, compelling, and entertaining treat for North Bay audiences.

Ross Valley Players' The Hello Girls runs through March 1, 2026, at The Barn Theatre, in the Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross CA. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The performance on Saturday, February 14, is at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $45 general admission, $30 for those under 18. For tickets and information, please visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com or call 415-456-9555, ext. 3.