Liberty Bell Drama Company did it.
They put on a play without curse words or sexual content.
Besides an obvious innuendo about a German Fokker airplane and an opening line comparing freedom under assault, tyranny and nationalism in World War I to current politics (wink wink), the play passed for what can reasonably be described as a “normal” high school production.
In short, it’s safe to bring your kids.
This being new to the company, it’s understandable that some things might fall through the cracks.
Time, for example.
The two and a half hour production starts at 7 pm, except for the matinee on Sunday. Your youngin’ won’t get enough sleep but at least they have an opportunity to watch live theater.
I know the change is hard on some people. Liberty Bell Drama Company Director Kelly Grayum thanks his wife and daughter in the playbill for “keeping the director’s life afloat.”
Keep it going, family. Whatever you’re doing, just keep it going.
The Plot
The Hello Girls is a superbly written musical in English and some French about female telephone operators in World War I. Anyone who remembers workplaces before women will sympathize with the dilemma of integrating female operators in war. To the play’s credit, it’s not a sappy story arc about feminism.
The operators, pardon the expression, are dying to go to the front, but Captain Riser, played by theater veteran LBHS Junior Orlo Parkinson, resists their appeals. In a confrontation with Chief Operator Grace Banker, played by Liberty Bell sophomore Anja Merkens, Riser makes a poignant remark. War, he says, is for men, because they are its creators.
There’s an odd scene where a German prisoner suggests the Allies may be lied to and fighting for the wrong cause. Perhaps an ode to the Christmas truce of 1914, which honored cultural unity on the Christian continent, it nevertheless feels misplaced in the story.
School Board President Dana Stromberger had her hands full as the vocal coach for the musical. Grayum, as in previous plays, pushes his performers’ vocal ranges. He chooses demanding plays. There isn’t much rest for the main characters in an LBHS production.
Merkens delivers a superb performance, carrying almost every scene. Wylie Smith delivers a convincing French accent as Louise LeBreton. Bry Romero studied a New York City accent for her role as Suzanne Prevot, but I had a harder time hearing it.
Veterans Olive Frady, who played Louise in the Methow Valley Theater’s Sound of Music last year, and Rowan Kelley, who is heading to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy next year to study drama, rounded out the leads in this female-led play, a rarity in the profession.
Parkinson’s growth on stage is a reward for theater followers, and the play would not be complete without the supporting cast, which seamlessly integrates into the production and raises the caliber of the story.
Several students use the word “misogyny” in the playbill to describe the women’s experience. Was there prejudice? Yes, but hatred? Hatred and protection don’t mix.
The crew survived shelling in France but were not recognized as veterans, hence did not receive veteran benefits until nearly 60 years after the war, after many of them had died. They didn’t live to see the recognition they deserved, even as women’s empowerment grew in the 20th century.
The play is sure to spark conversation, but for the right reasons.
The Hello Girls runs through Sunday, May 17 at the Merc Playhouse. To purchase tickets, visit Merc Playhouse.
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I enjoyed your coverage of this high school play. I also appreciate that it was appropriate for all ages. So refreshing and makes a lot more sense for high school kids. Nice going, Kelly Grayum!