ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

Once Upon A Mattress: Youth Edition 

Short Musical, Comedy
Music by Mary Rodgers
Book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer
Lyrics by Marshall Barer
A one-hour adaptation of the beloved musical designed for young performers.

Winnifred the Woebegone is just a simple swamp princess looking to win the heart of Prince Dauntless.

But can she pass the impossible test Queen Aggravain has in store for her?

 

 

SUMMARY
Once Upon A Mattress: Youth Edition is a one-hour adaptation of the beloved musical, designed for young performers.

Many moons ago in a far-off place, Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, showed up. Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larkin and Sir Harry to the altar? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the classic tale The Princess and the Pea provides some side-splitting shenanigans. After all, a princess is a delicate thing.

HISTORY
In the summer of 1958 at a resort in the Poconos called Camp Taminent, three young writers (composer Mary Rodgers and lyricist/librettists Marshall Barer and Jay Thompson) adapted Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea” for a week-long run. This one-act musical proved so popular that it was held over and, before you could say "sensitivity," the show was snapped up by producers for a commercial run in New York.

By the time it opened off-Broadway in May of 1959 at the Phoenix Theatre, the show had acquired an additional author, Dean Fuller (who had previously worked with Marshall Barer on New Faces Of '56), a new director (the estimable George Abbott), a second act, and a new title: Once Upon a Mattress. Casting had undergone many changes, but the biggest was the result of George Abbott's desire for a new face to play the starring role of Princess Winnifred. It was Abbott's daughter, Judy, who "discovered" Carol Burnett — a new comedian then appearing at New York City's famed Blue Angel nightclub — and recommended her to Barer and his collaborators. Upon her arrival in New York, Burnett had determinedly insisted to her younger sister that she was going to be the star of a Broadway musical directed by the famous George Abbott — long before anyone in The Big Apple had even heard her name. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

The show had a healthy run of 460 performances in an extraordinary Broadway tour, moving from the Phoenix, to Broadway's Alvin (now the Neil Simon), to the Winter Garden, to the Cort Theatre, and then finally to the St. James Theater. The reviews were good, and Mattress was nominated for Best Musical at the 1960 Tony Awards. Mattress was against The Sound of Music, pitting Rodgers against Rodgers for the prestigious award. Carol Burnett also received her first Tony nomination for Best Actress as Fred, cementing her launch into stardom. After the close of the Broadway run, it was produced for television first in 1964 and again in 1972, with Ms. Burnett reprising her role both times. 

In the fall of 1995, Once Upon a Mattress returned to Broadway, starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Winnifred. Carol Burnett appeared in the ABC television version of Mattress in 2005, this time as the imposing Queen Aggravain, with the esteemed British comedian Tracey Ullman as Winnifred. The production was directed by Tony Award-winning director Kathleen Marshall.

And the show itself? Well, what happened to this charming musical is a fairy tale as well. Over the next 35 years, without anyone really paying close attention (except maybe the authors), it is one of the top licensing shows in the Concord catalogue, with over 300 productions annually in the US alone. Not bad at all for a show that began as a 45-minute divertissement!

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PRODUCTION CREW

• Producer/Owner - Tanya Shtein

• Director - Courtney Lingnofski

• Music Director - Sue Laney

• Stage Manager - Mia Lingnofski / Addie Leverett

• Choreographer - Jess Umbleby

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PERFORMANCES

Dec. 2nd – Dec. 4th, and Dec. 9th – Dec. 11th, 2022  

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Fri, Dec 2 at 7:00 PM (Cast A)

Sat, Dec 3 at 2:00 PM (Cast B)

Sat, Dec 3 at 7:00 PM (Cast A)

Sun, Dec 4 at 2:00 PM (Cast B)

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Fri, Dec 9 at 7:00 PM (Cast B)

Sat, Dec 10  at 2:00 PM (Cast A)

Sat, Dec 10 at 7:00 PM (Cast B)

Sun, Dec 11 at 2:00 PM (Cast A)

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CAST LIST 

Prince Dauntless the Drab

Cast A -  Jameson Kranz

Cast B - Tal Ben-David

 

Minstrel

Cast A - Sophi Richardson 

Cast B - Amelia Smith 

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Jester

Cast A - Ryan Hogue

Cast B - George Marzich

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Queen Aggravain

Cast A - Adelina Luther 

Cast B - Penny Kopans

Understudy - Abigail Lukacsko - Evening Shows 12/2 & 12/3

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King

Cast A - Kash Kline

Cast B - Wes Rodgers

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Princess #12

Cast A - Katelyn Caswell

Cast B - Katelyn Caswell

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Lady Larken

Cast A - Ava Marzich

Cast B - Olive Shea

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Wizard

Cast A - Julia Wacker

Cast B - Leo Messinger

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Lucille

Cast A - Norah Luttrell

Cast B - Aria Biratsis

Understudy - Casey Brockway - Evening Shows 12/2 & 12/3

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Rowena

Cast A - Abigail Lukacsko

Cast B - Sammie Bar-Lev

Understudy - Zaelynn McMenamin  - Evening Shows 12/2 & 12/3

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Sir Harry

Cast A - Max Benson

Cast B - Lennox Buxton

 

Princess Winnifred the Woebegone

Cast A - Allen McKenzie

Cast B - Mollie Banks

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1st Knight

Cast A - Kenzy  Bender

Cast B - Kenzy  Bender

 

2nd Knight

Cast A - Zaelynn McMenamin

Cast B - Zaelynn McMenamin

 

3rd Knight

Cast A - Red Aubry

Cast B - Vivian Theille

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Beatrice

Cast A - Jasmyn Hill

Cast B - Sydney Theile

 

Harold/Harriet

Cast A - Lily Hall

Cast B - Annabelle Lee

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Knights

Cast A - Tal Ben-David, George Marzich, Leo Messinger, Lennox Buxton, Mollie Banks, Kenzy Bender, Wes Rodgers

Cast B - Jameson Kranz, Ryan Hogue , Kash Kline, Max Benson, Wes Rogers, Red Aubry, Bree Vargo

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Ladies in Waiting

Cast A - Aria Biratsis, Amelia Smith, Eloise Bryant, Sammie Bar Lev, Macey Kline, Abigail Lukacsko, Mila James, Vivian Theille, Sydney Theile, Penny Kopans, Annabelle Lee, Julia Wacker, Olive Shea, Casey Brockway

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Cast B -Sophi Richardson, Adelina Luther, Katelyn Caswell, Ava Marzich, Norah Luttrell, Abigail Lukacsko, Allen McKenzie, Zaelynn McMenamin, Jasmyn Hill, Lily Hall, Julia Wacker, Casey Brockway, Eloise Bryant, Macey Kline, Mila James

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*Understudies will be performing those roles for 2 shows (Evening Shows 12/2 & 12/3)

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