OXFORD – The Oxford Drama Club presented “Red, White and Rosie” to the high school stage over the weekend, showcasing the talent that it possesses at both the student and staff levels.

Putting on a Friday evening show and a Saturday matinee, the cast and crew entertained area residents for nearly two and a half hours, telling the tale of Rosie the Riveter, a World War II female factory worker who shook things up because of her determination to follow in her father's footsteps and her dedication to serving her country during wartime.

"Red, White and Rosie" entertained Saturday's audience without much strain, yet it also makes pointed comments about sexism, racism, militarism, even capitalism. You can enjoy it as a piece of nostalgia, but it has a lot more on its mind than most World War II musicals.

Rosie beguiles as she and her fellow females try to earn self-respect – at 65 cents per hour – while doing their bit for the war effort. None of the girls on the line have it easy. The women are unskilled, the remaining men skeptical and derisory.

Moreover, the women are "'until' workers" – on hand only until the war is over; and their male management counterparts assure that they won't quickly forget it, which provides a tinge of tension that sustained the audience during the intermission, which separates Rosie's first days on the job at the airplane factory from 1941-1942 to her last days in 1945.