by Alec
Clayton
Published in The News Tribune, Dec. 8, 2017
 |
| Emma Deloye as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone and Jeremy Lynch as Prince Dauntless the Drab, photo by Kat Dollarhide |
It
is rare for me to Google a play before reviewing it, but I Googled “Once Upon a Mattress” to see if my suspicions about the
1959 Broadway production were true, and I found this on Wikipedia: “Initial reviews of the play were mixed,
but critics and actors alike were surprised by the show's enduring popularity.”
I suspect it’s popularity was due to one thing, the star power of Carol
Burnett. Minus a lead actor with Burnett’s magnetism, it is a run-of-the-mill
musical, entertaining but not extraordinary.
The Tacoma
Musical Playhouse production might not have Carol Burnett, but it does have
Emma Deloye as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone and Jeremy Lynch as Prince
Dauntless the Drab, and there is a lot of star power between those two. I might
also point out that the cleverness of those names, plus others such as King
Sextimus the Silent (Joe Woodland) and the absurdity of Princess Winnifred
wanting to be called Fred, are evidence of the kind of sneaky little comic touches
writers Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer slipped in to elevate
“Mattress” a step or two above the mundane.
Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale
“The Princess and the Pea,” Prince Dauntless is dying to find a bride, but his
mother, the thoroughly despicable Queen Aggravain (Deanna Martinez) insists he
can marry only a woman who is a true princess –
meaning she must not only be of royal blood but must also be of princess
quality. And to prove she is of princess quality, she must pass tests devised
by the queen and her minion, Wizard (John Miller) – tests that are impossible
to pass. Surely telling what the test is Princess Winnifred must past will not
be a spoiler. It is a test of sensitivity, to see if she can feel a single pea
place under the bottom mattress of a stack of 20 mattresses.
Minstrel (Tony Williams) sets the personal and
fairy-tale mood of the play by opening it with a sweet song as he plays both
the narrator and a character in the story. Then the curtain opens on an elaborate
castle set designed by Bruce Haasl as the prince and Lady Larken (Ashley Koon)
and the ensemble sing the comical “An Opening for a Princess,” which basically
announces that the kingdom is advertising for potential princesses to audition
for the right to marry Prince Dauntless, followed by a romantic love song, “In
a Little While,” between Lady Larken and Sir Harry (Josh Wingerter).
All the principle actors are strong in their
roles. Minstrel, King Sextimus and Josh Anderman as Jester make for a fun comic
trio plotting against the queen and for the prince and princess. Anderman
performs some hilarious physical feats on a dance number, and the king, who has
no voice, speaks delightfully via charades. Some of his facial expressions
bring to mind Tim Conway. Deloye is funny and strong as the princess. Her
rendition of “Shy” is one of the best things in the show, along with her
ridiculous gyrations atop the stack of mattresses. Finally, Lynch wonderfully
plays the prince as a hapless, dimwitted and lovable man-child.
“Once Upon a Mattress” is a silly bit of comic fluff that
might not be the best thing TMP has every done, but it is enjoyable and
skillfully produced and acted; love is triumphant, and the evil doer gets her
comeuppance.
WHEN:
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m., through Dec. 17
WHERE:
Tacoma Musical Playhouse at The Narrows Theatre, 7116 Sixth Ave., Tacoma
TICKETS:
$22-$31
INFORMATION:
253-565-6867, http://www.tmp.org
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