A new musical play telling the origin story of the steel guitar is coming to Helena, built around one of American music history's more remarkable accidents — an eleven-year-old Native Hawaiian boy in the late 1800s who dragged a railroad bolt across his guitar strings and changed the sound of an entire continent.
The production traces how that discovery rippled outward from Hawaii into American popular music, arriving at a moment when steamboats, cameras, trains, and electricity were already remaking the world. The steel guitar, the show argues, belongs in that company — an invention that emerged from the same era of big ideas and unlikely breakthroughs.
Details on the specific venue and performance dates were not fully available in advance listings, but the show was noted in the Helena events calendar for the week of October 12, 2026. Residents interested in attending should check local event listings for confirmed times and ticket information.