Once Upon A Mattress

Once Upon A Mattress
Town Hall Arts Center
Littleton, CO
September 9 - October 9, 2016

The Princess and the Pea is one of the few traditional fairytales that has never received the Disney treatment. The musical version Once Upon A Mattress isn’t as well-known as an animated film. But it is a fun retelling of the story.

Despite its fairytale setting, the show does contain some mature themes – such as the unexpected pregnancy of Lady Larkin and her desperation to get married despite the law saying no one can marry until Prince Dauntless does. Despite this, there is plenty for kids to love about the show.

This show is not meant to be taken seriously and the cast never does. The fast pace of the show and energy of the cast keep it light. The jokes seemed fresh and occasionally a modern spin added to the fun. It felt like the audience never stopped laughing.

Princess Winnifred is an unlikely princess – she’s loud, clumsy and brutally honest. But she didn’t lack charm. Prince Dauntless was annoying and spineless, but he too was a sympathetic figure. Despite these over-the-top flaws, a chemistry did develop between these two and they easily swayed the audience to root for them. The villain of the story was Queen Agravaine. She was the typical overbearing mother. Yet she too was easy to understand and the audience loved to hate her.

Each character was well-created and their place in the story was clear. And despite a very simple story, stretching it into a two-hour show didn’t seem like overkill. Each song was well performed and the choreography was interesting.

The theater is very small and the only way around it is right along the stage edge. Because of this, latecomers are not seated at the Town Hall Arts Center. The grade of seating is also less than most theaters. In my case I was seated behind a very tall man which made viewing the show difficult.