JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (1)

CAST
NARRATOR
JACK
WIDOW
COW
OLD MAN with the beans
WIFE (of the giant just a big lady)
GIANT (just a big man)
OPTIONAL CAST
Snowflake dancers
Woodland trees and animals
Cloud dancers
Giant cups, bowls and plates which dance
Flower dancers
SCENE ONE
Music something with cold feeling. There could be a dance here with children
dressed as snowflakes.
The NARRATOR is standing on the stage. Enter Jack wrapped in a blanket.
He carries one piece of bread which he starts to eat. He is shivering.
NARRATOR:

It was a cold time of year.

Jack and his mother were very poor.
Their house had no heating.
They had no food left except for one slice of bread.

Enter WIDOW and COW (on a string) WIDOW is shivering. She has no blanket and
no bread. The COW rolls her eyes and flutters her lashes.
JACK:

You look freezing. Take my blanket. (pauses)

You must be hungry. Have this bread.

He gives her the blanket and bread and pats the COW
WIDOW:

Is there any more food in the house?

JACK:

None at all.

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WIDOW:

Not even a crust of bread?

JACK:

Nothing.

WIDOW:

Then what are we going to do? What will become of

us?

She starts to cry very loudly. JACK passes her a handkerchief. The COW tries to
nuzzle into her to cheer her up but she pushes it away.
JACK:

Please dont cry. Ill think of something.

WIDOW:

What can we do? We have nothing left except

one old cow who gives no milk.

The COW looks a bit upset.

JACK:

I have got an idea.

WIDOW:

What is it?

JACK:

I will take the cow to that cattle market on the other side
of the forest. When I am there I can sell her at a good
price.

WIDOW isnt sure. COW looks upset too.

WIDOW:

But we have had her for years.

JACK:

It is the only option. Selling her will save us.

WIDOW:

Very well, if it is the only way.

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WIDOW is sad because she loves the cow and starts to cry again. COW hangs her
head.
WIDOW:

Please get a good price for her.

JACK:

You know me.

WIDOW:

I do know you, and that is why Im worried.

Just sell her and dont get any mad ideas.

JACK:

No mad ideas, I promise. I will be back soon with a

purse full of cash.

SCENE 2 LOST IN THE WOODS

There could be a dance here the wood might be made of dancers dressed as trees or
woodland animals.
Enter NARRATOR. JACK then enters and wanders about with COW. There is music
as they walk up and down and then back again the way they came.

NARRATOR:

Jack set off towards the cattle market with the cow. He
had not been there for years and soon got lost.

JACK:

I think it is this way...or is it over there?

NARRATOR:

Soon Jack was totally lost. He had no idea which way to

go.

JACK and COW sit down under a tree. They are exhausted. JACK puts his head in his
hands.
Enter OLD MAN. He wears a colourful coat with many pockets in it. MAN looks at
the COW and then at JACK

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MAN:

What is the matter, son?

JACK:

I was looking for the cattle market?

MAN:

You wont find it in these woods?

JACK:

I know. I think I must have taken a wrong turning.

COW nuzzles up to the man and peeps in his pockets.

MAN:

Why did you want the market?

JACK:

Isnt it obvious?

MAN:

Not really?

JACK:

Well, I do have a cow with me!

MAN:

Yes, I can see that.

JACK:

I want to sell my cow. My family are very poor.

MAN:

Well, why didnt you say so?

Perhaps we can do a deal.
It may seem strange but I have always wanted a cow.

He pats COW and then hands. COW some snacks from one of his pockets and she
nuzzles up to him again to get more.
JACK:

Really?

MAN:

Yes, really.

JACK:

Would you like to buy this one?

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MAN:

I might do. What can you tell me about her?

JACK:

She is old, Im afraid, but she is very good natured.

You dont want to eat her do you?

COW backs off and hides behind JACK

MAN:

Of course not. I have a fine pasture where she can eat

lush green grass all day.

COW goes back to the MAN and nuzzles him again.

JACK:

How much can you offer me?

MAN:

I can offer you riches beyond your wildest dreams.

Even the COW looks surprised.

JACK:

Really, for this old cow?

MAN:

Have a look at these.

He shows Jack a bag full of magic beans. COW sniffs them.

JACK:

They look like beans.

MAN:

Not just any beans. These are magic.

JACK:

Magic? How can they be?

MAN:

Take them home, plant them and you will see riches
beyond compare.

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JACK:

Do I make a wish or something?

MAN:

No, all you have to do is plant them. Wait and see.

JACK:

I promised Id bring back cash.

MAN:

You will get plenty of cash once you plant those beans.

In the end they make the deal and the MAN goes off with the COW leaving JACK and
the beans. He wonders what he will tell Widow)
JACK:

I really hope that these beans are magic. If they are not
then we are truly doomed. I hope I havent just been
conned.

SCENE 3
Enter NARRATOR and WIDOW with a phone in her hand.
NARRATOR:

Jacks mother was waiting for him to return. She

was excited about the money. She decided to order
a takeaway to celebrate.

WIDOW makes a huge order for takeaway food including many strange items

WIDOW:

(on telephone) Hello, can I order a takeaway please.

I would like..... (actress to pick the items)

Enter JACK He overhears the end of the order and looks worried.
He needs to tell his mother about the beans.

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WIDOW:

Well, how much did you get?

JACK:

Well..

WIDOW:

I hope it was a lot... that was a good cow.

JACK:

Dont worry; I got something very special for her.

JACK gets out the beans to show WIDOW

JACK:

I exchanged the cow for these beans.

WIDOW: (loudly)

Beans!

WIDOW is now very angry with him and he knows it.

JACK:

Yes, beans. You see.

She interrupts him shouting out in anger. She remembers some of the bad things he
has done before. Her anger builds up and up.She gets a rolling pin out of her apron
and runs after JACK with it music plays.

WIDOW: (shouting)

You stupid, stupid boy. Cant you see you have been
conned? These beans are not magic. They probably
wont even grow. They look pretty old. To think that
you sold our beloved cow for these!

At the end of this speech she throws the beans out of the window. They both look in
that direction. WIDOW storms out. JACK is left alone.
JACK: (looking out of window)

I dont think that went very well! (exit)

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (8)

SCENE 4
NARRATOR:

All through the night the beans grew and grew

Until they became an enormous bean stalk
stretching high into the sky.

Enter JACK and WIDOW

JACK:

Look, Mother. Do you believe me now?

I woke up, looked out of the window and it was there.

WIDOW:

It is a big plant but I cant see a single bean on it.

They must be near the top. I want you to climb up
there and pick the beans. At least we will have food!

JACK:

Very well, but I think I will find more than beans.

WIDOW:

Go on then. I dont want to see you back here

until you find me something we can eat.

JACK:

Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye.

JACK starts to climb the beanstalk. Music plays. There could be dancers dressed as
clouds drifting around him.
NARRATOR:

So Jack climbed the beanstalk. He climbed higher

and higher. He climbed so high that he went right
through the clouds. At last he reached the top of the
plant. As he stepped off the stalk he saw an enormous
castle. The castle shone like gold and Jack decided to
creep into it and see if he could find any food.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (9)

SCENE 5
GIANT (a big man) lies asleep as JACK creeps in. He snores loudly. JACK sees the
GIANT. His house is full of larger than life objects
cups, bowls, plates these could be dancers. JACK
explores the room, creeping about to music.
JACK:

Goodness me. That looks like a giant. I will have

to be careful not to wake him. Let me look around.
What is this? ( finds egg) A golden egg! If I take
this home my mother will never moan at me again.

Enter WIFE. She is not really a giant at all. She is just a rather large lady. She sees
Jack and looks at him sternly. She is, however, kind.
WIFE:

What are you doing, young man?

JACK:

Err taking this egg. I want it for my mother.

WIFE:

I like a boy who cares about his mother. Take it.

Weve got hundreds more. Our goose lays them
all the time.

JACK:

Thank you very much. Who are you?

WIFE:

I am the giants wife and he is the giant.

JACK:

Is he a kind giant?

WIFE:

Not at all kind. He eats boys like you for breakfast. I

would never eat a boy. He mocks me for that.
Im a vegetarian and I wish I had never married him. He
will keep eating pickled people and filling our bins with
their revolting bones and entrails.

JACK:

I dont like the sound of that.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (10)

GIANT starts to wake up and they both panic and run about searching for a hiding
place. If there are dancers on stage they can run too.
WIFE:

Quick, hide! He will eat you if he sees you.

JACK:

Where?

WIFE:

Over there. (JACK hides)

GIANT:

Fee, fi, fo, fum

I smell the blood of a human man.
Be he alive,
Or be he dead
Ill grind his bones
to make my bread.

WIFE:

Dont be silly dear. The only smell in here is your socks.

GIANT: (looking around)

I know he is here somewhere. There he is!

JACK decides to make a run for it. GIANT sees him and chases him about to music
-but JACK escapes with egg. Exit all.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (11)

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SCENE 6
NARRATOR:

Jack took the egg home to his mother who

was very pleased with him, for once.
They became quite wealthy but, unfortunately
Jacks mother got a TV, grew addicted to the shopping
channel and spent all the money. So, after a while she
persuaded him to return to the giants castle
for a second time to get more eggs.

The giants WIFE is sitting in a chair as Jack enters again. She is crying and has a
black eye and holds a broken tea pot
WIFE:

You came back.

JACK:

Yes, how are you?

WIFE:

He was furious when you went. He went mad and hit

me and he broke a lot of my best china.

JACK:

How horrid.

WIFE:

I wish he was dead.

JACK:

I have a plan that might help you get away from him.

WIFE:

Please tell me the plan. I hate living right at the top of a

beanstalk. Id much rather live somewhere a bit more
down to earth with a nice, kind, vegetarian husband.

JACK:

If I could make the giant chase me down the beanstalk,

then I could chop it down and he would fall right off it.

WIFE:

Please, please try, but be careful, has eaten ten boys this
week.

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (12)

JACK:

Ten! Where did they all come from?

WIFE:

They all climbed up beanstalks like you.

JACK:

Oh dear, oh dear!

WIFE:

Dont worry, dear. How can I help you?

JACK:

Could I have a few more eggs?

WIFE:

Help yourself, dear. Help yourself.

I am fed up of dusting them all the time.
In fact, take the goose that lays them.

WIFE gives JACK a goose (an obvious toy)

WIFE:

Now I wont have to dust them ever again.

JACK:

Thank you very much.

GIANT enters
GIANT:

Fi fi fo fum.
Ha, Ha. Ive spotted you this time.

JACK:

Please dont eat me. I wont taste very nice.

I had garlic last night.

GIANT:

But I love garlic....

JACK and the GIANT run about again but then JACK loses track of where the GIANT
is music.

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (13)

GIANT creeps up behind JACK
JACK: (to audience)

Where is he?

AUDIENCE:

He is behind you.

JACK: (turning)

Where?

AUDIENCE:

He is behind you.

JACK:

Where? (JACK turns right around and so does the

GIANT)

AUDIENCE:

Over there?

JACK:

Where?

GIANT jumps out and chases JACK around again music as they run off curtain
fall/darkness)
NARRATOR: (aside)

Jack managed to escape down the beanstalk but the

giant was after him. As soon as he reached
the ground Jack fetched an axe and started to chop
the stalk down. Luckily, he did this just in time and
the giant fell and landed with a thud in the middle of the
Widows flower patch.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (14)

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FINAL SCENE
JACK and WIDOW are looking at the dead GIANT. He has landed right in the middle
of her best flower patch. The flowers could be the
dancers again. JACK holds the toy goose.
WIDOW:

Is that Giant dead?

JACK:

I hope so. He doesnt seem to be moving much.

WIDOW:

He has flattened some of my best petunias. He must be

removed!

JACK:

Well have to get the council to take him away.

WIDOW:

Which type of bin do you put a dead giant in, I wonder?

JACK:

Never mind about him, look at this goose.

JACK shows her the goose toy a dead parrot type of joke.
WIDOW:

That goose doesnt seem very active!

JACK:

It is asleep at the moment.

WIDOW:

When does it wake up?

JACK:

Every night and then it lays a golden egg. Soon we will

be rich.

WIDOW:

So, can I really order a takeaway this time?

JACK:

Better than that. I will take you out to dinner.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Susannah White (15)

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WIDOW:

Fabulous. We can dine at The Grand.

JACK:

There is somebody Id like you to meet first.

JACK leaves the stage and enters hand in hand with WIFE.
JACK:

This lady was married to the giant. I rescued her.

WIDOW looks at WIFE

WIDOW:

How on earth did you do that?

JACK:

I carried her down the beanstalk on my back.

WIDOW looks shocked as the WIFE is very large

WIFE:

If I had known, I would have gone on a diet. I know Im

a bit overweight.

WIDOW:

Dont worry about diets today; we are all going out for
a meal.

WIFE:

Thank you very much. Do they serve large vegetarian

portions?

WIDOW:

I certainly hope so.

JACK:

Come along then ladies.

JACK links his arms with WIFE and they leave to a jolly tune. Once they are gone,
GIANT sits up, looks a bit bewildered, holds his head
and then wanders off stage.
If the flowers are dancers, they can dance again now before the final curtain call.

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