Babes in the Wood

Babes in the Wood is a generic title used for a number of works based on the tale of two children, abandoned deep in the forest upon the orders of their Wicked Uncle.

Many versions have alternative titles or subsidiary titles.

The original text

Based on an old English Ballad (preserved in the British Museum) printed by Thomas Millington in Norwich in 1595, it has been reworked in many forms and frequently appears attributed as a Mother Goose rhyme. The anonymous ballad was illustrated by Randolph Caldecott in a book published in 1879.

The expression a "babe in the wood" to refer to a naïve person derives from this tale.

Translations and adaptations

First presented on the stage in 1793 as an opera by Samuel Arnold called The Children In The Wood, performed at the Haymarket Theatre. In 1812 an operatic Burletta was done at the Surrey Theatre.

In 1827 the first pantomime version - called Harlequin and Cock Robin, or The Babes In The Wood was performed at the Drury Lane Theatre, London. This was done once more at the Haymarket Theatre, in 1856.

In 1867 the character of Robin Hood was introduced to the story, as the savior of the children.

A version entitled The Babes in the Wood, or Harlequin and the Cruel Uncle! variously referred to as a "Christmas Pantomime" or, more elaborately, a "Christmas pastoral and peculiarly pantomimical Pantomime", was devised and performed inn Cape Town by Sefton Parry in 1859. A full outline of the 11 scenes of this play is provided in the programme for the performance, reproduced in F.C.L. Bosman (1980: pp.81-86). (Despite having worked from Parry's programme, Bosman's index strangely gives the title as The Babes in the Wood, or Harlequin and the Evil Uncle.)

Since then there have been a myriad of versions of, and approaches to, the basic story, often adapted and reworked by the writers, directors and casts involved in a particular production. (See for example the It's Behind You website at http://www.its-behind-you.com/storybabesinthewood.html.)

Performance history in South Africa

1859: Performed as The Babes in the Wood, or Harlequin and the Cruel Uncle! by the Sefton Parry company on 27 in the Cape Town Theatre, with an additional performance on 28 December at the request of the Governor. Billed by producer Parry as "The First Christmas Pantomime in South Africa", though there is some doubt about this. It was preceded by a performance of The Rough Diamond (Buckstone)

1998-9: Called an "adult pantomime", it was performed as Babes in the Wood at the Barney Simon Theatre (Market Theatre), 17 November 1998 to January 1999, directed by Charmaine Weir-Smith.

2010: Performed as a pantomime called Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood in the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Durban, by the KickstArt theatre company from 4 December to 9 January 2018, written and directed by Steven Stead, with Marc Kay, Graeme Wicks, Ntando Mncube, Roxy Nel and Evashnee Pillay. Musical director Evan Roberts, vocal director Shelley McLean, choreographer Janna Ramos-Violante, lighting designer Tina Le Roux and sound designer Megan Levy

2016: Performed as a pantomime called Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood at Joburg Theatre 5th November – 30th December, produced by Bernard Jay, written and directed by Janice Honeyman.