Fairytale fantasy production graces NE, NW campuses
by Ashley Clark, reporter

    Once Upon a Mattress, a musical blend of childlike fantasy and adult Freudian overtones sets the stage on NE and NW campuses as the first combined-campus stage production.

   Opening on NE Campus Tuesday, Feb. 26, the show will run through Saturday, March 2, and then open Thursday, March 7, on    NW Campus and run through Sunday, March 10.

   Based on the fairytale The Princess and the Pea, the story centers around the emotionally sheltered Prince Dauntless the Drab, played by Andy Baldwin, and the requirement of his overbearing shrew of a mother, Queen Aggravain (played by Rosemary McDowell), that any lady wishing to wed her son must pass an impossible gauntlet of tests to prove she is a real princess.

   The Queen’s obsessive devotion to her son acts as exhibit A of the ambiguous nature of the script. Their relationship can easily be justified as a mother being protective; however, to the more analytical audiences, a relationship slightly more disturbing might be suspected. Such is the nature of the entire show.

   The company opens the show with a song declaring “no one is getting any . . .” as no one may wed until a princess can pass the Queen’s test.

   Romantic, yet chauvinistic Sir Harry, played by Josh Colson, takes matters into his own hands and decides to search for a princess who can pass the test.

   His desperation comes when his lover, Lady Larken, played by Leah Clark, confesses that she is pregnant.

   Giving up on the local delicate and refined princesses, Harry rummages through the neighboring marsh and swamplands to find a damp, dingy, moat swimming princess named Winnifred the Woebegone, played by Lisa Wash, to present to the Queen.

   Although Winnifred (who goes by ‘Fred’) is not exactly a suitable guest for dry-land royalty, she is a bonafide, scroll-carrying princess nonetheless and is entitled to take on the Queen’s devious challenge.

   Wash described her character, often associated with Carol Burnett, as intrepid and uniquely adorable.

   “She’s awkward and has a delightful sense of humor. She’s kind of like Cinderella, except when she finally finds her prince. Let’s just say, she’s a little surprised at what’s in front of her,” she said.

   As the first co-production at TCC, Once Upon a Mattress has been a great learning experience for the actors and first-time collaborating directors J. Brent Alford of NW and Jakie Cabe of NE.

   Financially, the experience allowed more freedom of production creativity, the directors said. Educationally, it allowed students an opportunity to experience a world of theater they may have not yet been exposed to.

   “This collaboration gives students a chance to branch out of their home theater and get a feel for what touring and being involved in a co-production is like,” Cabe said.

   This production is Alford’s first time co-directing a show.

   “At times it seems as though Jakie and I are learning more about the way this works than the students are,” he said.

   Friends for over seven years, Cabe and Alford have acted together in productions at Casa Mañana and Shakespeare in the Park. Combining their directing talents provided an opportunity to feed off of their respective style differences.

   “I tend to focus more on the details,” Cabe said, “whereas Brent is good at seeing the overall picture.”

   Wash shares Cabe’s observations and said the adjustment to the collaboration was at times humorous.

   “In the beginning, we would work a scene with one of the directors for 30 minutes or so,” she said. “Then, the other would come in with a different interpretation. We’d try it; then, they’d agree to add more and then change it back again. After about an hour and a half, we’d end up with pretty much what we started with.

   “Now it seems they’ve recognized their individual talents and strengths. I think they’ve really grown as a team, and it has enhanced the outcome of the show so much,” she said.

   One of the decisions Alford and Cabe made was to alter the script to suit today’s audience.

   “When the show premiered in 1959,” Alford said, “it was all about the songs and the big musical presentations. They were great, but they really didn’t do anything to move the plot forward.”
The goal became to add to and cut the script so the production would hold the attention of and add to the possible confusion of contemporary audiences.

   Much of the production’s appeal is the vibrant, colorful and delightful characters who tell the story.

   Wash said it was the opportunity to play a quirky character such as Winnifred that attracted her to the script. She is looking forward to performing her jazzy musical number, Happily Ever After.

   “The song highlights Winni-fred’s sarcastic view of fairytales,” she said.

   She is also very excited about her castmates’ talent as well.

   “Brandon Mason, who plays the Jester, and Andy, who plays Dauntless, are the cutest things to watch on stage,” she said.

   Adam Dapkus will play King Sextimus the Silent.

   “He is hilarious,” said Wash of Dapkus. “Even though the king is silent, it is probably one of the most difficult parts to play,” she said.

   The Minstrel, played by J.C. Caughlin, narrates the show and pops in and out of scenes with a Where’s Waldo effect.

   Joshua Cox will play the Wizard, Queen Aggravain’s ever-so-faithful and ambiguously amorous sidekick.

   Chorus members portray knights and ladies-in-waiting throughout the entire show, highlighting several scenes and musical numbers.

   Wash said the musical score for the play is at times challenging to learn and perform.

   “It can be difficult because there is a lot of movement going on when we’re singing,” she said.

   Robert Brawner, Kathryn Tyrone, James Warila, Lissa McLaren, Stephen Levall, Richard Jordon, Kristin Deaton, Bronlyn Burke, Lee Neisler, Seth Price, Ember Harris, Derek Whitener, Tonya Stapleton, Christain Sepulveda and Amethyst Mendek make up the knights and ladies in the show.

   Paige Fockler will play Princess Number Twelve, whose unfair test comically spoofs a popular game show, and McLaren will also play the Nightingale during Winnifred’s well-known bed scene.

   Because of its occasional adult lingo and innuendos, the design for Once Upon a Mattress takes an ironic approach being set in what looks much like a child’s toy collection. Designed by Rick Reeves, NW instructional associate, and constructed by Jim McDowell, NE instructional associate, large colorful building blocks are stacked on top of each other to create an imaginary castle. Alphabet blocks scattered about the stage serve as furniture and terrain for the twisted fairytale characters.

   Alford says the simple design provides for easy transportation from one campus to the other.

   “It also fits on both stages,” he added.

   With the show’s opening in less than a week, the combined campus experience has been a learning experience for everyone involved.

   “Let’s just say, I would have hated to do this with someone I wasn’t very good friends with,” Alford joked about sharing the directing easel with Cabe. “There are definitely things I would do differently next time, but overall it has been fun and fascinating.”

   Cabe agrees.

   “Brent and I have worked well together. We had no idea how it would work out. It’s still not over. It’s been a discovery.”

   Wash believes that the experience would also be good for the other campuses to try.

   “I believe I’ve learned more about my own acting ability this way,” she said. “Working with two people with two different ideas about how to do the same thing has really opened my mind to a more creative way of thinking. It would be great if students from other campuses could experience that.”

   Alford says his overall wish is that the students involved have enjoyed the experience and learned from it as well.

   For reservations and ticket information, call 817-515-6687.