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Once Upon a Mattress
by Fountain Hills Youth Theater
According to Hans Christian Andersen, a suspicious queen
wanted to secretly confirm whether a girl was a real princess, so she hid a
single pea under twenty mattresses – something only a true princess could
feel. The sensitive princess felt the pea and yada yada they all lived happily
ever after. Of course, that’s the quaint, simplified version of the
tale. The more accurate story is revealed in the musical comedy Once
Upon a Mattress filled with the lyrics of Marshall Barer and music by Mary
Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame). In the
real story, Queen Aggravain doesn’t ever want her son Prince Dauntless to get
married, and she and her wizard have devised numerous impassable tests that
would-be brides must pass if they want to prove their royal status. It’s a
situation that affects not only her son, but the rest of the kingdom as well,
for it’s been decreed that no one else may wed until Dauntless does. Which
becomes a problem when Lady Larken has less than nine months to marry Sir Harry.
Sir Harry’s quest for a true princess takes him to the swamplands where he
returns with the singular Princess Winnifred/Fred. The Production:
The cast bursts with creative comedians. Fourteen-year-old Carlee
Coulehan is a dynamic Princess Winnifred introducing herself with a big,
bold Shy, showing off with a drunken Song
of Love, and fighting insomnia with lumpy mattresses, imaginary sheep, and a
feisty Nightingale (Iris Lochner). Patrick
Steward is a riot as a Prince Dauntless eager to marry Fred and eager to cut
the apron strings to Mom. The first castle scene opens with the prince acting as
a bench for Queen Aggravain, he maintains some sanity by texting as talkative
Mom drones on, but gets that sanity tested as she wishes she was twenty years
younger – and pauses to gaze at him with a creepy smile. Katie
Male is creepy, intimidating, and hilarious throughout in the role. While
Patrick Steward’s real-life twin brother Thomas
Steward is Patrick’s dad and Katie’s verbally abused husband, the mute King Sextimus, a
fantastic physical comedian who uses expressions and body language to speak
volumes including a chapter on the birds and bees as he teaches his son/brother
about storks and such (just in case Fred passes her test). He might have also
said an earful about his wife when asked if he knows what troubles can
occur between a man and a woman, but fortunately for sensitive ears the Minstrel
was quick to cover his mouth. That question was posed by an anxious Lady Larken, with Danie
Grief lending lovely vocals in the role and amusing scenes with her fiancé
Sir Harry (Andrew Lull) who takes the news of his impending fatherhood with a
great mixture of stunned dread and forced bliss. Other highlights include Ryan
Smith as the kingdom’s quirky Wizard balancing devotion to his queen and
his craft and his need for adulation, Emily
Pall as the lively court Jester, and Skye
Brewster as a slightly psychotic Princess #12. The ensemble enchants,
clearly getting the humor of the show and bringing lots of individual
personality and humor as they react to crazy local laws, crazy swamp princesses,
crazy spells, and a clever solution to all the craziness. Performed June 7 - 23, 2013 Rob Hopper ~ Cast ~
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The
Show:
As
usual, this Ross Collins-directed
show is filled with loads of creativity and attention to detail, making the
kingdom even more madcap than usual. Leading us into the fanciful kingdom is the
charming Rachel Larsen as the
Minstrel who gets whined into telling a bedtime story by several little girls
who soon see their fractured fairytale bedtime story coming to life. And, thanks
to the local Wizard’s fractured magic wand, they eventually become fully
incorporated into the tale as parts of a growing tail of Wizard Mini-Mes.