The company I work at usually gives each person in our department a gift card for the holidays, and this year was no exception. What was an exception is that instead of holding on to mine and using it for mundane things throughout the new year, I treated myself to a splurge after I’d heard about an Off-Broadway production of Once Upon a Mattress. I saw a matinee on the day after Christmas and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. First, the downer. In a 300-seat theater, not every actor needs a microphone; certainly the 12-piece orchestra does not. Unless there was some sort of sound mixing going on. There. Mini-rant over.
The above-the-title names were Jackie Hoffman, as Winnifred the Woebegone, and John “Lypsinka” Epperson, as Queen Aggravain. Both performers were superb. Ms. Hoffman created her own persona that stands apart from the hallmark performance by Carol Burnett in the original. Winnifred’s introduction to the court, where she’ll be tested to prove that she’s a real princess, informs us that she’s SHY! She was a powerhouse in her other numbers as well, and gave a really swell performance. Bringing the “Lypsinka” persona to Aggravain seemed a little odd at first, but in actuality it worked out quite well. She was very, very amusing, without steamrolling the rest of the company.
The plot is a reimagining of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Here, mummy (Aggravain) is desperately trying not to find a mate for her son Dauntless the Drab. She schemes with a Wizard, while King Sextimus, who is mute, is in cahoots with The Minstrel and The Jester in trying to make sure that Dauntless gets Fred (that’s what her friends call her), if that’s what he really wants. And he does, both wants her and claims her as his bride. The score, by Mary Rodgers, is a little uneven, especially in the second act, where some of the songs seem almost like vaudeville-style fillers. And some of the dance music seemed a little trite and cliché. But once again, those are minor quibbles.
In fairy-tale fashion, the sets were minimal, with line drawings featured for some of the set pieces as well as a curtain that was brought in and out by actors at various times. What was also delightful was that there were line drawings projected on to the back wall of the stage that were then altered by adding details and color—and all of this was done, live, by Ken Fallin, who created all of the illustrations. Very clever.
The score does not have a lot of recognizable song titles (to me, at least), but I especially enjoyed Many Moons Ago, sung by the Minstrel (Hunter Ryan Herdlicka) and The Minstrel, The Jester and I sung by Mr. Herdlicka, Cory Lingner (The Jester), and not sung by David Greenspan (Sextimus). That said, a little mime goes a long way, though it was effectively done. Happily Ever After was also nicely done by Ms. Hoffman, while In a Little While (a duet sung by Jessica Fontana and Zak Resnik) was pretty, if a little on the saccharine side.
I had a wonderful afternoon at a beautiful small theater, seeing a charmer of a musical. And the Prince gets the Princess! I’m really happy I splurged.
ConcertMeister
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