The Hayes Theatre never disappoints when it comes to producing high-quality shows and The Hello Girls was no exception. Telling the story of the first female telephone operators to be sent abroad as part of the US army in 1918, with switchboards failing and urgent assistance required. Led by Grace Banker, the women revolutionise the system, confronting structural sexism and misogyny as they do it. With a stellar female cast, all possessing a compelling talent for story-telling, this show delivers on its message and reinforces the importance of this group of women in American history. 

Of the cast, Rhianna McCourt is an immediate stand-out with a powerful voice and a thrilling knack for performing ballads. She is a bona fide star and lights up every inch of the stage that she walks across. The rest of the cast is stunning too with Kira Leiva, Kaori Maeda-Judge, Nikola Gucciardo and Kaitlin Nihill all doing a fantastic job of supporting McCourt in the main scenes. Their singing was sublime together and their choreography was clear and crisp. 

While the ensemble numbers were standouts, the solo numbers were also very strong. The characterisation in the musical was highly nuanced and developed an understanding of what life was like being away at the end of the way. The acting meant that the ending felt like a punch, which was exactly how it was intended. 

The musical felt very ‘Golden Age’ in style which was in keeping with the timeline presented in the musical. This felt charming and evoked nostalgia, whilst also taking some hallmarks of modern forms to remain relevant. This was an inspired choice and was a huge part of the musical’s success. 

While the cast and substance of the musical were both outstanding, I thought that the construction of the musical itself could have been polished further. Some of the strongest numbers were at the very start of the musical which meant that they felt a little lacking in development. This also meant that there were long periods where the musical lagged a little and where the pacing felt slightly off. With that said, when the music was good, it was fabulous and the cast certainly made sure that all songs were performed with passion and gusto, which elevated them to another level. 

Ultimately, this was a strong musical, performed by an exceptional cast and with great potential for the future. If some tweaks were to be made to the libretto to address some of the pacing issues apparent in the performance, this would only make the show even better but the take on a relatively novel subject and the cast make the musical worth a watch in any case. 

Rating: ★★★★

The Hello Girls plays at the Hayes Theatre until 4th February. For more information, click here.

Photo credit: Philip Erbacher