Jack the Lad

Following the success of their collaboration on Robin Hood, David Wood and Dave and Toni Arthur wrote Jack the Lad, a musical celebration of Jack, the ubiquitous hero or everyman of English legend, myth and folklore - from Little Jack Horner, through Jack and the Beanstalk to Spring Heeled Jack, the Terror of London. The setting is a gypsy encampment, where a series of Jack tales and songs are performed by the gypsies to celebrate the 80th birthday of their senior member - affectionately known as Jack the Lad. The play, therefore, depicts contemporary gypsy life, as well as traditional gypsy customs and superstitions, and is a delightful amalgam of the traditional arts of storytelling, singing and dancing, with a mumming play, a shadow-mime and puppetry also employed within the main framework.