By Mr Page (Director of Music)

It was a perfectly ordinary Thursday lunchtime on 13th March, or so it seemed. Then, without warning, Years 4 and 5 disappeared. In their place, a group of enthusiastic pirates arrived in Randle Hall, ready to set sail in this year’s musical production, The Pirate Queens.

After weeks of rehearsing in music lessons and singing assemblies, the girls took to the stage as buccaneers, complete with parrots and eye patches. From the first note, the audience was drawn into the story. They met the crew of Calico Jack, played by Bella Adeoti and Elizabeth Rogers, played by Sakinah Raza, who was determined to see the best displays for the inter-island flower arranging competition Nassau in Bloom.

Harriet Cook and Freja-Amelie Richards gave strong performances as Anne Bonny and Mary Reade, two women who disguised themselves as men to seek adventure. Savannah Steele brought confidence to the role of bounty hunter Jonathan Barnett, delivering a memorable performance of Bounty Hunter.

Naturally, the historical events were adjusted to make them more Junior School friendly. Instead of a grim fate, the pirates were press ganged into Elizabeth’s flower arranging team, a punishment they were far from pleased about. As the final note rang out, pupils and parents in the hall were smiling, a sign of an afternoon well spent.

The cast worked hard throughout the term, bringing enthusiasm to every scene. Let’s just hope that in a few years’ time, the PSHE teachers at BGS will not have too much trouble persuading these young actors to explore careers beyond piracy.