Can anyone recommend a Y5/6 musical?

[Nonie241419]

I'm on the hunt for a production for our Y5/6s. There are just over 50 children, so we need one with lots of speaking parts. We've got some capable and talented girls, but fewer boys who would want a main part, so a more female cast would be helpful.
Productions we've done over the last few years include; Shakespeare Rocks, Oliver! The Keymaster, Snow White and the Seven Jockeys, Crikey Moses, Peace Child, Cinderella and Rockafella.
We don't want a leavers/moving on type musical. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!

Annie? Chitty chitty bang bang? Bugsy Malone?

Olivia (a musicline show)
Alice
Honk

We bought wizard of oz from childrenstheatrplays.com and a soundtrack with backing tracks and added in the songs ourselves. Tricky songs but simple script and fab production.

& also illegal slkk

Joseph?

Yup, totally illegal!

I like Honk too. You really don't need a big budget to do that show either, costume wise.

Thanks! I'm compiling a list to discuss with my colleagues.

Over the last few years we've bought ours from music line and done Alice, Yee Ha and The Dracula Rock Show. All pretty easy to put together and direct. Not too expensive either.

Illegal if don't charge for tickets?

One of the best we have done was Pirates of the Currybean. I have just ordered Timelord for this year- hope it's good!

I think k it depends on your catchment. We have a very high number of eal kids and parents with limited english so lots of the bought plays which have jokes and puns would not work. We tend to go for a simple play or one aimed at younger children.

We used the out of the ark wind in the willows which was brilliant

Don't worry about the character list being heavily male or heavily female; it's theatre and casting against gender type is totally normal!
I'd go with the Wizard of Oz as it's a personal favourite of mine

I've seen Bugsy done twice, once with mainly girls, years 3 to 6 and it's been brilliant. Wizard of Oz is also great, and Annie is very girl oriented. It seems easier for girls to play boy parts than the other way round, it's not right really, but seems to be the way.

Shakespeare 4 Kidz do Shakespeare plays with a very strong musical element, faithful to original plays in terms of plot and to a great extent language. They have been re-worked to be accessible for pupils this age without compromising the wit and intelligence of the original plays too much, to me they feel fresh and not at all cheesy or predictable. They work well even in our inner city setting with a high percentage of EAL (50%+) pupils. We were actually praised by Ofsted for being so ambitious, although it's never felt unmanageable. The local secondaries always comment on how amazing it is that our leavers have a working knowledge of so many of Shakespeare's works; we do a cycle of 6 comedies and tragedies and the whole school catches Shakespeare fever in Term 6. There are usually enough parts to go around one class but add a chorus / choir and write in a few extras and you should be fine. I can't recommend them enough!

Our Y6 did Poptastic the musical last summer which they loved. It's by limelight productions.

Pirates of the Currybean is great. 85 kids did it last year, including 5 techy roles for kids who adamantly did not want to be on stage.

There is a lovely Roald Dahl version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Very very funny.

I once watched year 6s do Grease. It was uncomfortable!

Joseph! 100% singing though.

I love Bugsy.

www.amazon.co.uk/Roald-Dahls-White-Seven-Dwarfs/dp/0713658843

Matilda

Christ, need to read the OP! You've already done it!