John Cranko resident choreographer for Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet's 1950–51 season. For the company's Festival of Britain season in 1951 Cranko choreographed the comic ballet "Pineapple Poll", to the music of Arthur Sullivan (newly out of copyright) arranged by the conductor Charles Mackerras. Another collaboration with Mackerras followed in 1954 with "The Lady and the Fool", to music by Verdi. In January 1954 Sadler's Wells Ballet announced that Cranko was collaborating with Benjamin Britten to create a ballet. Cranko devised a draft scenario for a work he originally called "The Green Serpent", fusing elements drawn from "King Lear", "Beauty and the Beast"
Big Pineapple lower than in the heyday in the 1970s and 1980s when it was among the most popular tourist attractions in Australia and featured a royal visit, interest in the Big Pineapple is still strong. The Big Pineapple was rated as one of Australia's most popular destinations for selfies, and the on-site cafe does a good trade in retro merchandise. In 2013 the first Big Pineapple Music Festival was held in April with Birds of Tokyo headlining the event. The festival has steadily grown in profile and popularity, and is regularly sold out, and there is a growing list of annual