From the very beginning, we knew this year would be unique. We purposefully picked a show that would be new to many of the students. The joy of James and the Giant Peach is that although the musical is not well-known, the story is read by thousands of people every year. It is a timeless story of loss and finding family wherever you are able. With the absence of any romantic entanglements, this message comes across clearly and is particularly empowering when James not only accepts his new family but reaches out to include all.
With new music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the composition duo responsible for A Christmas Story and Dear Evan Hansen, this has been an exciting new challenge for us. The music at times can be extremely jazzy in style with overlapping parts and even a scat section that we would not normally suggest as appropriate repertoire for young performers, but somehow the cast pulls this off seamlessly. James himself has a great variety of vocal demands and Eamonn not only succeeds, but becomes a show-stopper.
Five years old and five years strong. As this program continues to grow, we are always amazed at the new strengths that we see in our students. We are proud of the work they have been able to accomplish and couldn’t have asked for more. To our eighth graders, we are sad to see you leave us and know you will go on to do great things. To our entire cast and crew, we know that during the “off-season” it is easy to forget that you have this family. Wherever you may go, just remember that we are with you everywhere that you are.
