In the late l920s, an enterprising woman, Hazel Hunt, of Cedar Ridge, Arkansas, upon her retirement as the town music teacher, receives a Western Electric 500-watt radio transmitter begins broadcasting as radio station “WGAL”. What comes out over the local airwaves is a small-town diary, calendar, and stream of consciousness — sort of a Molly Bloom crossed with the Farmers’ Almanac — with generous dollops of singing and playing by Hazel’s “all-girl” orchestra, “the Hazelnuts”, and that lovesick flapper Gladys Fritts. However, due to Hazel’s habit of “channel wandering”, her broadcasts are not always so local. And listeners as far away as Montreal and Manhattan can testify. Enter O. B. Abbott, Federal Radio Inspector, intent on rescuing the airwaves from gypsies like Hazel Hunt. However, Mr. Abbott soon falls prey to the blandishments of the Hazelnuts, and the Shangri-La that is Cedar Ridge. Inspector Abbott, it turns out, also has a fine tenor voice, plays a mean accordion, and in the course of things falls in love with the flapper…
Eric Jansen directs this beautiful musical comedy with Meghan Kelley and Kaylee Millerd directing music and choreography by Pam Bryan. Long-timer performers and actors this is the first collaboration between this TANYS award-winning production team.
Playing the role of Hazel Hunt, the shrewd, enthusiastic and perhaps a bit dotty retired music teacher is Seneca Community Players newcomer Linda Jean Najar of Canandaigua.
The part of Gladys Fritts, the high-strung, sophisticated and artistic flapper is played by Maria Coleman of Auburn. An SCP veteran, Coleman had parts in Things My Mother Taught Me, Merry Christmas George Bailey! and many other
roles.
O.B. Abott the bureaucratic, self-important FCC inspector and closet musician is played by SCP veteran Jason Hurdle of Waterloo. Hurdle was most recently seen in the 2023 production of Oliver! and The Foreigner.
Completing the cast are SCP veterans and newcomers including Rachel Pugh of Rushville as America, Katie Hockey of Seneca Falls as Rennabelle, Meghan Kelley of Waterloo as Mabel Swindle, Kaylee Millerd of Seneca Falls as Azilee Swindle, Marcia Burdick as Esther, and Ashley Taylor as Enid.
The production staff includes Producer Michael Jansen; Stage Manager – Dawn Jansen; Technical Director – Seth Kennedy: Costumes – Jennifer Newcombe; Lights – Gary Xavier; Publicity – Carrie Bradford.
Mike Craver and Mark Hardwick’s Radio Gals opens April 12 at the Lafayette Theater in Waterloo. For more information, contact Eric Jansen at 315-220-0893 or go to www.senecacommunityplayers.org.
