(Music by Mary Rodgers, Lyrics by Marshall Barer, Book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, & Marshall Barer, Directed by Ken Hackman)
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy written as a fractured adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. In both the musical and the original tale, a domineering queen devises an impossible test for the princess her son wishes to marry. Although Mattress plays fast and loose with the specifics of Andersen’s original, the twists and turns will delight audiences of all ages.
Join a cast of eccentric characters: from a mute King Sextimus, whose voice was taken by a witch’s curse, and his overbearing wife, Queen Aggravain, who insists that their son, Prince Dauntless, marry only a “real princess” to a sinister wizard who colludes with the queen to devise unfair tests to "prove the realness" of potential matches for the prince. This royal family is supported by an ensemble of Medieval knights and ladies-in-waiting, including the lovely Lady Larken and her beau, Sir Harry, a court jester, and a traveling minstrel. Princess Winnifred the Woebegone upsets the status quo by swimming the moat and seeking the Prince’s hand.
Audiences will revel in the showy ensemble numbers (such as “Song of Love,” made famous for its refrain, “I’m in love with a girl named Fred”), the lovely small group numbers (like the lyrical duet, “In a Little While”), and the powerful solos (including “Shy” and “Sensitivity”).
We look forward to seeing each and every one of you at the Madison Square Center for the Arts!
Note: Tickets ordered for Once Upon a Mattress are redeemable for any night of the show, no matter what date you choose.
