Jack the Lad

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