As the “princess” is to be tested, so was the cast of the show who suffered a wave of illnesses and last-minute role changes leading up to opening night. But all the tests were passed as they still somehow managed to put on a fairly solid and smooth production, beginning with Patricia Schuette as the not-so-shy, less-than-genteel Princess Winnifred (Fred for short) who takes the castle by storm. And by swimming the moat.

The latter is just one of the many traits that causes mama’s boy Prince Dauntless (played very effectively by Ellery Wolfe as a relaxed, skater-dude prince) to fall in love with a girl named Fred. And it is in this Song of Love where Patricia is at her best, as in her effort to impress her prince she gets drunk, sings bad opera, and sticks her tongue out at her opponent in a thumb-wrestling match.

Of course, if she is successful in marrying her prince, she’d be stuck with Queen Aggravain as a mother-in-law, with Katie Knight as the cool, snooty, domineering, talkative queen who rules the kingdom with an iron hand despite complaining about the pains and aches of her overly sensitive body. But the good news is, Fred would have a cool father-in-law. Arnel Sancianco is brilliant as the mute King Sextimus, using his original sense of humor and body language for everything from impersonating a gnawing water rat to teaching his son about the birds and the bees. He also has great chemistry with his best friend the Jester who translates the king’s charades (and occasionally puts words in his mouth), with Megan Wiltse adding tremendous personality to the role throughout. A couple of the show’s songs featuring the Jester and King were sadly missed in this slightly shortened version.

Director Robert Dellorfano’s production includes some nice castle sets and costumes in which the cast of Once Upon a Mattress draws us into a very comical and dysfunctional fifteenth-century kingdom.

Performed March 15-17, 2007.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre