ONCE UPON A MATTRESS LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Almost two hundred years ago, Hans Christian Andersen penned a quaint story about a lonesome prince in search of a woman who can prove to his mother she is a real princess and thereby become his wife. The queen devises a plan for the woman to sleep on an incredibly high stack of downy mattresses with a single pea placed beneath. If she’s a true princess, her delicate disposition will be disturbed by the tiny lump and she won’t even be able to catch a wink.
Sutton Foster & Company
The Princess & The Pea is an iconic fairytale, one which was turned into a musical in 1959 starring Carol Burnett. Once Upon A Mattress was nominated for Best Musical in the 1960 Tony Awards and Best Revival in 1997 (starring Sarah Jessica Parker). Directed by Lear deBessonet for Encores!, another revival arrived on Broadway this year with Jay Thompson and Dean Fuller‘s original book adapted by Amy Sherman-Palladino (creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). The score by composer Mary Rodgers and lyricist Marshall Barer is left intact. It is this production that landed last night at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown Los Angeles with the same star-studded cast: Sutton Foster as Winnifred, the backwoods princess; Michael Urie as Dauntless, the manchild prince; and Ana Gasteyer as his domineering mother, Queen Aggravain.
Michael Urie, Sutton Foster & Company
We also have a Jester (Daniel Breaker) who serves as raisonneur, breaking the fourth wall and sprinkling in anachronisms; a two-bit magician masquerading as a Wizard (Kevin Del Aguila); King Sextimus the Silent, the queen’s vulgar husband rendered mute by a spell (David Patrick Kelly); Sir Harry, a himbo knight (Ben Davis), and Lady Larken, his secretly pregnant love interest (Oyoyo Joi, replacing Nikki Renée Daniels from Broadway); and a clownish ensemble of courtiers.
David Patrick Kelly, Michael Urie & Ana Gasteyer
Once Upon A Mattress takes some liberties with the source material, of course, but it remains honorable to the Andersen classic. It’s akin to a British pantomime, chock full of slapstick and gags, and this production is nearly flawless. The comedy is impressively on point at every turn. The cast does not miss a beat, nor are their performances overwrought. It’s comedy in the hands of masters. Foster and Urie are two peas in a pod (I couldn’t resist), Urie is foppish yet winsome, Foster is crass yet clever, and Gasteyer’s sketch comedy chops are razor sharp.
David Patrick Kelly, Nikki Renée Daniels, & Daniel Breaker
The music is not something to be overlooked. Under the direction of Annbritt duChateau and the supervision of Mary-Mitchell Campbell, the orchestra’s performance of Mary Rodgers’ score is lush and vibrant. It’s a perfect complement to Andrea Hood‘s colorful and ornate costumes and David Zinn‘s scenic design with its motif of black-and-white mid-century patterns, and the ideal backdrop to amplify the kaleidoscopic visuals.
Sutton Foster in Once Upon A Mattress
I say it’s nearly flawless because the source material shows its age in a couple ways. There are tangential plotlines and wedged-in dance numbers, vestiges of the early era of musical theatre. These are minor and forgivable blemishes, though. If anything, they add to the charm of what is otherwise a timeless show.
The Company
Overall, this is a laudable production. Director Lear deBessonet has proven to be the real wizard here. This piece could have easily devolved into awkward puerility. But deBessonet not only revived Once Upon A Mattress, she elevated it, cooking up a Michelin-star meal of a show. Sutton Foster is a dynamo, Michael Urie is an utter delight, and Ana Gasteyer is superb. Trust that you will thoroughly enjoy this production all around. It’s a much-needed respite from the stresses of the world and a terrific holiday treat.
Daniel Breaker & Company
photos by Joan Marcus
Sutton Foster, Michael Urie, & Company
Once Upon a Mattress
Broadway Production
Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. in Los Angeles
ends on January 5, 2025
for tickets (starting at $45), visit CTG
Will Chase & Nikki Renée Daniels
