‘The Hello Girls’ celebrates pioneering WWI female telephone operators

“With the battle lines drawn, do you know what side you’re on?” The theater listens in awe as the cast of The Hello Girls belt these lyrics, a refrain that lands with both historical weight and modern urgency.

The reimagined musical, now playing at Syracuse Stage, tells the story of the United States Army’s first female telephone operators, women who connected calls across the battlefields of World War I. The show follows Grace Banker, the chief operator who led 32 women overseas in 1918, and four other Hello Girls as they navigate the chaos of war, keeping communication lines open under fire.

Banker, played by Chessa Metz, and her team routed calls in English and French with speed that often meant the difference between victory and defeat. All cast members studied French for the show to perfect the bilingual calls, and they drew heavily on diaries and letters from the Hello Girls themselves to shape their characters.

Upon receiving the role, Metz laced up her skates and drifted across an ice rink, the album pulsing in her ears as each glide and turn pulled her deeper into the role. Brassy, marching band inspired anthems and wistful ballads echoed battlefield tension and the Hello Girls’ personal reflections as she danced up and down the rink.

Songs like “Answer the Call” showcase the technical precision of the operators, with voices overlapping like wires crossing a switchboard, while “Making History” rises into a soaring chorus that blurs the line between 1918 and today. Other numbers, like “Lives on the Line,” highlight the fear and exhaustion of working under fire, with quieter moments that strip back the instrumentation and spotlight the resilience of the women at the phones.

Metz then picked up a copy of the book, The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers by Elizabeth Cobbs.

“One thing I like to return to for myself about Grace that isn’t explicitly mentioned in the script, but always sort of tickles me, was that she was really into pranks,” Metz said. “Those little anecdotes about her helped me find the humanities, so it never just feels like I’m a historical character; that she’s a hero, and I’m so far away.”

Photo by Joan Marcus

Members of the cast of Syracuse Stage’s production of The Hello Girls perform “Connected.”

Storm Lever, who portrays Banker’s right-hand woman Suzanne Prevot, said performing the show is as much about honoring the women themselves as it is about acting.

“It’s about telling their stories. It’s about having a moment and having the opportunity as you enter the stage every night and recognizing that this is for you,” Lever said. “Your story was honored, and we’re honored with your time and now we’re getting to do this.” 

The costumes were designed with historical accuracy in mind. The female cast dons Signal Corps uniforms, complete with trench coats, while the male cast wears authentic wool uniforms. The actors’ precise salutes and military movements remind audiences of what being in the Army actually feels like, grounding the musical in historical accuracy.

As noted at the end of the production, the U.S. Army did not officially acknowledge the Hello Girls as veterans until 1977. Their descendants, along with historians and advocates, pushed for recognition, culminating in their awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024, more than 100 years after their service.

Sam Simahk, who plays Lieutenant Joseph Riser, reflected on the delayed acknowledgement. 

“These are contributions that we still don’t acknowledge,” Riser said. “I find it infuriating and depressing. And I think that this story serves to make us think about how, even though this happened a hundred years ago, what can we do now to acknowledge the contributions that people are making?”

Photo by Joan Marcus

Members of the cast of Syracuse Stage’s production of “The Hello Girls perform “Je M’En Fiche.”

Riser’s words echoed the mood in the theater. The story of the Hello Girls is more than a piece of forgotten history; it’s a reminder of how recognition often comes too late, and how many are still denied the chance to serve or to be acknowledged for their service today. That emotional weight carried through the final numbers, when the cast’s harmonies swelled with both pride and defiance.

Sophia Anna O’Brien, who plays Louise Le Breton, one of the Hello Girls, shared her thoughts on the message of the show.

“It’s current, it’s active, it’s present,” O’Brien said. “It leaves you wondering what you believe in and what you’re willing to fight for.”