A tradition like no other here at Burgundy – I love the 8th grade musical! Every year, our oldest Burgundians come together to put on a show just weeks before their graduation and this year is no exception. The class of 2021 is keeping this tradition alive with an added element of complicated details, as they perform Beauty and the Beast Jr. next week on the Campus Commons alongside their entire class. 

The show will perform three consecutive days to a small audience organized by cohort. Each Cohort within the show will represent the beginning of the story, middle, and end – while dancing the larger numbers together such as “Be Our Guest” and “Gaston”. Live singing will also take place, so we will get to hear the stellar voices from this class. 

Musicals have a lot of moving parts, such as dancing, acting, singing, set pieces, microphones and tech, and so much more. There are so many details to help bring a story to life on stage. While different, and outdoors in humid weather, the class of 2021 is meeting these challenges, including acting alongside remote classmates via zoom. I believe that once you put on a musical, especially during a pandemic, you can really do anything.

Beauty and the Beast is a story of selfishness turned to selflessness and how one spell can shatter by kindness and love. We will preview the show during the school day next week for our entire school community, so each grade can enjoy and celebrate the 8th grade’s hard work. For our community at large, be sure to be on the lookout for a recording of our show as we will send it out at a later date. 

It truly is a ‘tale as old as time’ of love, friendship, adventure, and a cup of tea. I am very proud of the class of 2021 for embarking on this journey to perform our musical, no matter what it takes. Congratulations 8th Grade, we cannot wait to see you perform!