Once Upon a Mattress

Need a break? Forgotten how to smile? Has the word, “Wow” disappeared from your repertoire? Then have I got a deal for you! Grapevine’s Runway Theatre will be presenting Once Upon a Mattress through August 1. I had the pleasure of being in the audience on opening night to see how director Andy Baldwin would handle the 50-year-old script.

This production was the Broadway debut of household name and one of America’s favorite funny ladies, Carol Burnett. She set the standard with her performance as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. The script takes a satirical twist to the old tale, “The Princess and the Pea.” The kingdom is under a horrible law established by Queen Aggravain that states, “Throughout the land no one may wed, ’till Dauntless shares his wedding bed.” Dauntless (the Drab) is the coddled, spineless and, well … drab son of Aggravain and the mute King Sextimus.

This law has driven the kingdom to despair. There is truly an opening for a Princess here. The production picks up the tale with the 12th princess to be tested by the pesky Wizard under the manipulative auspices of the Queen. Princess #12 (Audrey Seifert) does quite well with the questions dealing with the history of St. George and the dragon … until the last question. Sadly, she was thwarted because she did not know the middle name of the daughter-in-law of the best friend of the blacksmith who forged the sword that killed the beast. Now that the stage is set, prepare to be introduced to the indefatigable Princess Winifred!

Once Upon a Mattress has been a perennial favorite of local theater companies over the years. One of the challenges of the show is keeping it fresh. Andy Baldwin does so by taking an interesting twist on the setting. Traditionally set in the medieval realm in the year 1428, he transports his cast 500 years into the future to 1928, giving the show an exciting vaudevillian feel. With one exception, this was an excellent move!

There is not a bad seat in the house at the charming Runway Theatre. Once seated, we were faced with a simple red curtain and anticipation.

The set was minimal, giving the actors room to create with their performances and our imagination. The show began with the Minstrel (Shane Strawbridge) coming out strumming a ukulele looking at all the world like Charlie Chaplin. Sadly, Shane had difficulty staying on key as he attempted to accompany himself and sing “Many Moons Ago” to set the stage for the evening. It was a rough start to the show. I also felt that his Chaplinesque movements throughout the show served more as a distraction than setting the period. Other than that, the move to 1928 was done very well!

It wasn’t long, however, before my nervousness about the show was set aside. One of the great tensions of the plot exists in the relationship between the brave Sir Harry and the lovely Lady Larken who find themselves in a bit of a predicament. Despite the Queen’s order, it appears as though Harry and Lady Larken may have violated more than the spirit of the law. One of the best sight gags of the show is the very pregnant Lady Larken waddling around the stage while everyone is oblivious to her condition. Our Lady Larken (Rachel Robertson) executes this throughout the play with great physical comedy and style.

Her performance and her singing, along with her erstwhile lover Sir Harry (Michael P. Rausch), were some of the highlights of the evening. They played off of each other perfectly in every number. As soon as they started singing “In a Little While,” the rough start to the show faded from memory. Both of these performers are strong vocalists, but they also proved to be incredibly emotive (and funny) actors as well through their singing. Not always an easy feat!

Then came my “Wow” moment. When Princess Winnifred (Shelbie Mac) climbed out of the moat (She swam the moat, mama!) she took my breath away. Not since Carol Burnett have I been so captivated by the singing of “Shy!” The lovely Shelbie Mac nailed this number vocally, and pulled the entire audience in with her performance. Absolutely brilliant!

This high point was followed by a number of other captivating performances. The Minstrel redeemed himself along with the Jester (Darius Anthony Robinson) and King Sextimus (Dave Harper) in their song about friendship, “The Minstrel, Jester and I.” Dave Harper said more without a word then most people speak in a day! He played his part to a tee, even when his crown kept flying off of his head!

Another high point was when Shelbie sang to us of Winnifred’s lovely “Swamps of Home.” Again, her vocals, body language, and facial expression were priceless throughout this number. The ensemble (Kelsey Andrae, Joy McKay and Libby Sherman), dressed as 1920s flappers, provided the perfect comedic backdrop to her singing — each of those girls were simply amazing!

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Prince Dauntless played by Cameron Mumford. Fresh out of high school, Cameron slouched around the stage with perfect facial expressions and naiveté. He has a great future ahead of him! There wasn’t a moment where his character slipped, even when he was not in the spotlight. Well done, Cameron!

Other than the rough start, the only other musical disappointment was in the traditionally high energy, frantic, and slightly insane “Spanish Panic.” I don’t feel as though choreographer Darius Anthony Robinson took advantage of this number to demonstrate his skills and that of his cast. The number passed by quickly, without leaving much of an impression, although it did serve its purpose in the plot, so this is a minor quibble.

The first half of the show closed with the intense “Song of Love” performed by Dauntless, Winnifred, and cast. High energy, comedic timing, and another opportunity for both Mac and Mumford to shine — and shine they did!

Entering into Act II, we saw some of the best performances of the night. Miss Mac elicited our sympathies as she sang “Happily Ever After.” The King had us rolling in the aisles as he had his man-to-man talk with Dauntless — without a single word. Kudos to director Andy Baldwin for the hilarious use of overhead projection to draw out the humor in Dauntless’s confusion concerning the epic birds and the bees talk done via pantomime!

Then we had the Jester channel Ben Vereen during the number, “Very Soft Shoes.” In the past I have always seen this number done a bit more sweetly and nostalgic, but Robinson showed us that there is more than one way to interpret a number as he and the ensemble glided and kicked their way across the stage. Nice moves, Jester!

Then came another high point of the evening. When Michael Rausch and Rachel Robertson came out to sing “Yesterday I Loved You” I could see that the director and choreographer worked hard to make this number more than what it usually is. Instead of a simple love song sung expressively, Rausch and Robertson turned it into a passionate, comedic number that was sung powerfully, and elicited as much laughter as it did emotion.

Thank you Runway Theatre for an incredible evening. Shelbie Mac’s performance as Winnifred will stick with me for a very long time, as will the excellent work done with Harry and Larken. Andy Baldwin, you did it. You took a 50-year-old staple of theatre off the shelf and created something original, new, and engaging. Bravo!

~ Sten-Erik Armitage, Associate Theatre Critic for John Garcia’s The Column & Pegasus News