Jack and the Beanstalk

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THE STORY OF THE OPERA

 Jack and the Beanstalk is a one-act opera based on the traditional children’s story. The story is set in a fictitious old English village. The action takes place in and near the small cottage of Jack and his mother.

The opera opens with a narrator introducing the story. Jack enters and introduces himself in the first aria of the opera. He is the famous Jack B. Nimble, the center figure for all fairy tales involving a boy named Jack.

Jack’s mother enters. She tells Jack that they must sell their cow to buy food. She asks Jack to take the cow to Old Market Street and sell her. Jack is sad at the thought of selling the cow, knowing that she in turn will become someone’s dinner.

On the way to Old Market Street Jack meets a Trouble Man. He is a dustman, a stranger, who offers to buy the cow. He offers Jack five magic beans in exchange. Jack accepts his offer and takes the beans home.

Jack’s mother cannot believe that Jack has been tricked. Now they will surely starve to death because of his stupidity! She throws the beans out of the window, and they both go to bed hungry.

During the early morning hours, Jack and his mother wake to a thundering sound and a shaking of the cottage. A huge beanstalk has grown up past the roof of the cottage and into the sky. Jack, being an adventurous boy, climbs the beanstalk.

At the top, he finds a large house where there lives a dishonest Giant and his kindly Wife. The Giant isn’t totally happy with being mean and dishonest. He wonders why he is so dishonest and likes the taste of blood. His Wife is not sure how to respond to his wonderings.

While the Giant’s Wife is alone, Jack enters and asks her for some food. She gives him something to eat. Hearing her husband returning, she has Jack hide so that the Giant will not be tempted to eat him. The Giant smells Jack, however, and begins searching for him. The Giant’s wife tells him he is mistaken and helps keep him from finding Jack.

The Giant is determined to find whoever is hiding in his house. Jack decides to disguise himself as a spirit and confronts the Giant. The Giant is shaken and turns to his golden hen that lays the golden eggs to calm him. He talks of how he stole the hen from Jack’s father years ago.

Jack decides to steal the hen back from the Giant. The Giant’s Wife helps him. As he is running away with the hen, the Giant chases after him. Jack makes it to the beanstalk and climbs down. Seeing that the Giant is still after him, Jack chops the beanstalk with an axe. The beanstalk falls, the Giant with it. The Giant lands on his head and loses his memory. He forgets his name, and that he is supposed to be bad. He realizes the trouble he has caused by stealing and being so mean. The Giant decides to be good and to treat others as he would like to be treated.