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"
The Lady and the Fool in Russia by the Royal Ballet, it was well received. The ballet was performed at Covent Garden from 1955-1964, with dancers such as Beryl Grey, Svetlana Beriosova, Philip Chatfield, and Ronald Hynd. It was revived by Sadler’s Wells Ballet from 1965–67, 1972–77 and in the 1980s. The score was recorded in June 1955 at Studio 1 Abbey Road by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Mackerras. A DVD of this was released in 2011 (also including "Pineapple Poll"). During a prelude the curtain rises on a dark street with couples on their way to a ball (music from "Alzira").<br> A sad