A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Radio Gals

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  6w, 1m

Book, Music and Lyrics by Mike Craver and Mark Hardwick

In 1920s Arkansas, music teacher Hazel C. Hunt hosts a radio broadcast on WGAL, featuring a wacky quintet of local singer/musicians who set hearts thumping and toes tapping with rib-tickling songs, homey chat and plugs for a rejuvenating tonic. It's all the zany hilarity you expect from the creators of Pump Boys and Dinettes and Smoke on the Mountain.

Radio Gals

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary

In the 1920s, when radio ruled the airwaves and small stations thrived, music teacher Hazel C. Hunt received a transmitter as a retirement gift and station WGAL was born in Cedar Rapids, Arkansas. A wacky quintet of singer/musicians gather daily in her parlor to set hearts thumping and toes tapping with rib-tickling songs, homey chat and plugs for a rejuvenating tonic that owes its kick to the still out back. Hazel's habit of wave-jumping to find a clear channel brings a government inspector to shut her down. She discovers the stagestruck, accordion-playing tenor beneath his bureaucratic facade, and he is quickly ensnared in musical and romantic shenanigans. Twenty-one original songs, performed with thematic props, produce the zany hilarity you expect from the creators of Pump Boys and Dinettes and Smoke on the Mountain.

Visit the Radio Gals official website for more information.

History

Radio Gals premiered at Arkanasas Repertory Company in Little Rock, Arkansas in April 1993.

Keywords
Performing Groups

HAZEL HUNT – Retirement age; matronly; shrewd; enthusiastic; perhaps a bit dotty, but definitely in control; Hazel is the town’s beloved music teacher and patroness of the arts. Vocal Requirements: Low female range.

GLADYS FRITTS – Middle-aged; more dramatic than Hazel; thin; high strung, and single; Gladys is a small town gal who yearns for greater horizons. She considers herself artistic and sophisticated. She possesses a deep love of poetry, and has studied voice. Vocal Requirements: Lyric soprano.

O.B. ABBOTT – 35-45; bureaucratic and self-important, yet underneath Abbott has the soul of a poet. Abbott is a “closet” musician and singer. Vocal requirements: Tenor or light baritone. Plays accordion.

AMERICA – Breezy; sunny; open young woman. Unsophisticated, but enthusiastic. Vocal Requirements: Soprano w/country belt. Violin, saxophone, clarinet, flute.

RENNABELLE – America's cousin, perhaps a little older. Somewhat more tomboyish and “liberated.” Vocal Requirements: Alto, with belt. Drums, trumpet.

MISS AZILLEE SWINDLE – Elderly lady; friend and associate of Hazel’s. Vocal Requirements: Tenor/light baritone w/falsetto. Upright bass, tuba, guitar.

MISS MABEL SWINDLE – Sister to Azilee; elderly lady; friend and associate of Hazel’s. Vocal Requirements: Tenor/baritone w/falsetto. Piano.

Note: Two of the elderly lady musicians/characters can be played by men dressed as elderly ladies. Not neccessary, but fun!

Two of the elderly lady musicians/characters can be played by men dressed up as elderly ladies. Not neccessary, but fun!

  • Time Period 1920s
  • Setting

    The living room of Hazel Hunt, Arkansas. The late 1920's.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy, Play w/ Music, Drag Performance
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“Keeps the music, country humor, conflict and romance coming fast enough to charm the ear and occupy the eye.” – The New York Times

“The nonstop music keeps the action cranking along like a well-tuned Model T.” – The Los Angeles Times

“The magic of Radio Gals is in its loving re-creation of America's innocent musical past. Hardwick and Craver have brilliantly recaptured the spirit of small-town America in the '20s with a remarkable sense of authenticity. This is a fun, moving tribute to the pure, lighthearted innocence that was once America, and may still be lurking somewhere deep in our hearts.” – Variety

“Radio Gals is a throwback to summer theatre the way it used to be. It is dizzy, daffy and silly, demanding enough for the performers to have fun exerting themselves, undemanding enough for the audience to relax and have a good time... Radio Gals salutes the core American value of individual initiative. And while it has fun with the absurd side of earlier styles of popular entertainment, it also cherishes their enduring value, and that is not an exercise in nostalgia.” – The Boston Globe

Music

Music Samples

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway, Country/Western, Folk, Operetta
  • Vocal DemandsEasy
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
7 Piano-Conductor Scores scored for:
Violin
Tuba
String Bass
Guitar
Trombone
Clarinet
Flute
Saxophone
Banjo
Accordion
Ukulele

1 Drum
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Add-Ons

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Authors

Mike Craver

Mike Craver

Mike Craver is a North Carolina-based songwriter, actor, and composer. Off-Broadway credits include The Oil City Symphony (co-author and original cast member, cast recording, Drama Desk award), Smoke on the Mountain (arrangements, published by Samuel French), Radio Gals (co-a ...

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Mark Hardwick

Mark Hardwick
Mark Hardwick composed the music for the 1975 Broadway production of Of Mice and Men and co-wrote the musical Oil City Symphony.
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