Jack and the Beanstalk: A History of Pantomime

There is no simple way to start the story of Jack, the giant and the magical beans. Research throughout history has suggested that the story, initially featuring an ogre, goes as far back as 4500 BC based on the languages the original tale may have derived from. We can find the first historical reference to Jack and the Beanstalk in print back in the 1700s, as The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean in Round About our Coal Fire, a collection of festive fairytales. We would see it take new and different shapes in different publications – from The History of Jack and the Bean Stalk to Jack the Giant Killer, each with varying levels of whimsy and violence.

The format of the story has always been simple; a boy, a magic bean, a cow and a giant. In the 1800s, through harlequinade, comical retellings of classic tales featuring magic and clowns took centre-stage and that became the foundations of pantomime. What was once The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean soon came to feature Jill too, and Fleshcreep, a loyal servant of the giant primed to foil the magical and wonderful plans of the fairy… yes, there’s a fairy now too!

In 1944, Jack and the Beanstalk took to the stage at The Grand and the rest, as they say, is history.

As part of the promotion for the 2001 production, the streets of Leeds were overrun with magical moments. First and foremost, had you been walking through Briggate that December, you might’ve stumbled upon the leading cast for the show in full regalia, waving from an original 1970s Chevrolet Caprice New York Cab! As explained in press material for the show, “The cab spent two weekends driving around Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield to promote the pantomime to the Christmas shoppers.”

And the fun didn’t stop there! In other opportunities around the city, passers-by might have seen the show’s villain being arrested by the police outside of the venue, or even Daisy the pantomime cow trotting her way through an arcade or two!

If there is one universal truth, it’s that if a show features a ginormous puppet, that’s the real star of the show! The 2001 production of Jack and the Beanstalk was no different, and several fantastic photo ops of our giant were taken throughout the run. None, perhaps, as iconic as this one; “He’s a giant baby! Huddersfield lad Jim Lunt, Musical Director for this year’s pantomime managed to convince his wife (Tracey) to join in the pantomime spirit and allow their 11-week-old daughter Sophie to be cradled in the Giant’s hand… They needn’t have worried because despite his grizzle onstage demeanor the giant is really a great big baby himself!”