“The Hello Girls” has set the dates and time for a New York concert reading. A presentation of the new musical will take place on May 8 at the Jerome Robbins Theater at the Baryshnikov Arts Center near Hudson Yards.
“The Hello Girls” centers on the first women to serve in the U.S. Army: a group of switchboard operators on the front lines of the first World War. The musical premiered in 2018 with Prospect Theater Company. It features music and lyrics by Peter Mills, who was nominated for two 2019 Drama Desk Awards for his “Hello Girls” music and lyrics. “The Hello Girls” has a book by Mills and Cara Reichel, who is also the producing artistic director of Propsect. Mills and Reichel previously collaborated on “Illyria” and “Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge.”
Reichel will direct the reading. Music direction will be by Annbritt duChateau (currently on Broadway’s “Aladdin”) with music supervision by Ben Moss. Moss also contributed orchestrations with Mills and Tony Award winner Bruce Coughlin. The presentation will feature a 14-piece orchestra.
Playing the titular “hello girls” in the reading will be Gracie Lawrence, a Tony Award nominee for “Just in Time” who more recently appeared in “All Out”; Jasmine Forsberg, currently playing Jane Seymour in Broadway’s “SIX”; Aubrey Matalon, who previously played Seymour on the Main Stem; Gerianne Pérez of currently a standby in Broadway’s “Operation Mincemeat”; and Hailey Thomas, previously of Off-Broadway’s “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Baker’s Wife.” Vincent Michael will play Lieutenant Riser, with Graham Rowat as General Pershing. Steven Huynh, Andrew Mayer, Asher Muldoon, Ramone Nelson, Regine Sophia, Alyssa Stanford and Kat Wolff will complete the cast.
The musical previously ran at the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage in September 2025. This was a revamped production featuring new musical and visual storytelling compared to the previous iterations.
“We are absolutely thrilled that after working with our friends at Syracuse Stage, we are now taking a further exciting step with the production and adding new orchestrations bringing us a step closer to our ambition of a Broadway season,” said producer Michael Cassel in a statement. “With its opulent score and the compelling story of these trailblazing women, I know ‘The Hello Girls’ will inspire and captivate audiences in a truly unforgettable way.”
The reading is set to be produced by Michael Cassel Group, Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Chief Operator.
