“Happily Ever After” in Once Upon a Mattress at Bridge Players Theatre Company

by Lisa Palena

Once Upon a Mattress, a musical retelling of the famous princess and the pea fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, has seen its share of productions- from the stage to the screen, it has sought to capture the heart of the audience-goer for over 65 years.  The storyline is straightforward- Queen Aggravain (aptly named) will not allow anyone in the kingdom to marry until her son, Prince Dauntless finds an appropriate wife; a princess of true royal blood.  To that end, she, along with her Wizard,  tests every possible woman in her kingdom and kingdoms beyond, rigging each trial so that they result in failure.  The king, Sextimus, isn’t able to be much help as he has fallen mute under a curse, which can only be broken when a cryptic event comes to pass.  When Lady Larkin, one of the queen’s ladies in waiting, finds herself pregnant out of wedlock, she begs her suitor, Sir Harry, to find a princess worthy of the queen’s tests.  He brings back Winnifred the Woebegone, who is about as un-princess-like as anyone can be.  The queen enacts her plan to place a pea under twenty mattresses to test Winnifred’s sensitivity.  Will Winnifred be able to pass the queen’s absurd test and win Prince Dauntless’ heart?  The show aims to answer that question and discover what it means to be who you truly are.

Having never attended a Bridge Players production before, I was surprised to discover that their place of residence was a Methodist church.  However, from the moment I entered the theater, I was transported into a medieval kingdom.  The low lighting and castle set, which made excellent use of the limited space, set the stage (so to speak) for the fairytale I was about to encounter.  There was also a small band of musicians set up on the far right side, indicating live music for the production- a welcome addition to any show.  Right before curtain, it was announced that the role of Winnifred would be played by Megan Moyers on book.

Right from the gate, Moyers brought an electricity and enthusiasm to the role of Princess Fred- if I hadn’t seen her with the book on stage, I would never have known she wasn’t originally intended to play the role.  After a bit more research (aka reading her bio in the program), I discovered that she has had previous experience playing Fred in older productions, but I maintain that her ability to step back in and embody the character so swiftly earns her all the accolades.  Her rendition of “Happily Ever After,” a song difficult to sing for any actor, was captivating and the highlight of the entire show.  All night long, she had the audience in stitches and she truly won the heart of everyone in the room.  Whether or not she continues in the role remains to be seen, but her presence in this show was magical.

The performance of Caitlin Figueroa as Lady Larken also can’t be overlooked- from her beautiful voice to her comedic timing, she was phenomenal.  There was an especially fun exchange between her and Moyers early on, where Larkin mistakes Fred for a chambermaid, which kept the laughter going throughout the scene.  And her scenes with Sir Harry (played by Aaron Reid) were lots of fun- she and Reid had a cute chemistry that made you root for the couple to succeed.

Amber Stolarksi as Queen Aggravain and Matthew Patalona as Prince Dauntless both played well off the other, and their exaggerated expressions created a believable mother/son relationship, with true to life exasperation (from her) and rebellion (from him).

Damon Strothers (Minstrel), Jeff Rife (Jester), and David Helgeson (King Sextimus) were a hilarious trio as they attempted to assist Lady Larkin and foil Queen Aggravain’s plans.  Helgeson especially made humorous use of expressions and hand gestures for the majority of the play, as his character couldn’t speak.  And their scene with Ethan Rundell, as the Wizard, allowed each to display their comedic chops.

I would be remiss to not mention the incredible ensemble, who truly played a role in making this show come to life.  Every single person gave a unique performance, and whether it was dancing at the ball or holding side conversations during larger scenes, they were enchanting and entertaining.  They also made the most of an improv moment when a “heavy” barbell easily rolled off the side of the stage- they worked that incident into a joke exchange and had the audience in tears with laughter.   The ensemble includes: Rene Atkinson, Marissa DiPilla-Clendaniel, Felix Ramos, Dan Mucha, John Salera, Joe Tabasco, Jaden Murray, Alyssa Winkelspecht, Kayla Kulla, Allison Leete, and Rebecca Sisley.

Musicians Diana Dohrmann, John Lindner, and Derrick Banks were a most welcome addition to this production.  Their music, never overpowering, enhanced the performances and kept the pace moving, particularly during scene changes.

The production team, consisting of Brian Rothman (director), Diana Dohrmann (music director), Kenneth Fisher (choreographer/assistant director), Lauren DiPilla (producer), Leslie Barca (stage manager), Jeff Rife (set design), Bob Beaucheane (lighting designer), Jackie Reinhart (costume lead), and Jessi Meisel (sound), should all be commended on their seamless effort to present this fairytale.  It’s clear how well they worked in unison to create a fantasy world that would draw viewers in and, even more importantly, enable them to feel like members of the kingdom themselves.

There are still a few chances to see this classic fairytale spin- get your tickets now at Single Show Tickets (bridgeplayerstheatre.com)! Playing till May 18th!