‘Once Upon a Mattress’ a hit at GPAC

By Nancy Maingi
Staff writer

Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller’s musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” was performed April 16-19 at the Givens Performing Arts Center.

Over the four-night period, the play attracted approximately 600 people.

The play was directed by UNCP’s professor of the Musical Theatre Hal Davis and starred 25 UNCP students and an orchestra of 12 people.

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a popular musical that takes place in a medieval kingdom. It is ruled by an annoying Queen Aggravaine and the mute King Sextimus. The king is mute as the result of a curse imposed on him by an evil witch, which can only be reversed “when the mouse devours the hawk.”

The show opens up with the citizens of the kingdom complaining about a law that has been set forth by the queen that states that no one is allowed to wed until the queen’s son Prince Dauntless, played by Alan Parsons, does.

In order for Dauntless to wed, a lady fit to be a princess must be found, a task that seems impossible due to the unfair tests devised by the queen.

The play takes a turn when the leading knight of the kingdom, Sir Harry, played by PJ Gajda, II, discovers that his fair Lady Larkin, played by Emily Rasdorf, is shamefully pregnant. In order to keep from great embarrassment and shame, Sir Harry must marry Lady Larkin. He sets off to find Prince Dauntless a princess who will pass the test.

Soon after, Sir Harry returns from his quest with Princess Winnifred, played by Ruth Golsteyn, a loud, strong and unrefined little princess.

Although Dauntless instantly falls for Princess Winnifred, his mother has a strong dislike for her. The queen then sets to stop Winnifred at all ways possible.

The queen, along with the help of her trusted wizard, played by Michael Bousquet, designs a secret test for Winnifred. They choose to place a tiny pea beneath 20 thick mattresses.

If the princess is unable to go to sleep, then she is sensitive enough to marry Prince Dauntless. Before undergoing the test, the queen makes sure that the princess is terribly tired so that she will fall asleep faster.

The queen plans for a long night of dancing for Winnifred. Unaware of the queen’s intentions, Winnifred dances herself to extreme fatigueness trying to perhaps pass the test. After, the queen alerts Winnifred that the dancing was not a test, but “a mere waste of time.” Winnifred is then led to her bed.

Princess Winnifred, oblivious to the test, is unable to sleep.

In the morning, everyone gathers around, by the queen’s orders, to reveal to Dauntless that his fair princess failed the test.

Thinking Winnifred is still in bed asleep, the queen proceeds. Prince Dauntless is terribly saddened, when from the bedroom comes Winnifred.

Winnifred, who seems to still be counting sheep, goes on to tell everyone how she was unable to sleep all night.

Prince Dauntless in all possible happiness embraces the princess and allows her to know that the princess has passed the test.

The queen refuses the possibility and claims the test was rigged. Prince Dauntless boldly tells the queen to “shut up.” The mouse thus devours the hawk. The curse on King Sextimus is lifted.

Now very well able to speak, the king happily confronts Queen Aggravaine. He orders her that “from now on you do what I say…when I say hop, you will hop, when I say jump, you will jump.” The evil aggravating queen is then defeated and asked to exit the room.

In the end, everything is as it should be but not before the revelation of how Princess Winnifred passed the test. When the king, minstrel and jester found out about the test, they placed sharp items under Winnifred’s mattresses enabling her to fall asleep.
The finale is as all fairy tales read and everyone lives happily ever after.

Starring in the play were sophomore Charlotte Cassidy who played Queen Aggravaine, sophomore Elisha Lawson who played King Sextimus, Matt Blue who played the Minstrel and Sean Jaenicke, who played the Jester.

Also featured in the play were Natalie Fields, La’eeqa Mathews, Yanissa Perez de Lean, CJ Reid Jr, Chris Williams, Kevin Berotte, Leah Nichols, Ashlee Ambers, Beth Hoover, Andrea McDowell, Emily Walter, Matt Greenslade, Jamel Lee, Ryan Kelly and Claudia Von Wald. Standbys were Cindy Clemmer, Stephen Love, Justin Meier, Joey Sarno and Jonathan York.

“Casting this play was so easy,” said Director Hal Davis. “I was originally going to cast 16 people, but so many people auditioned that we ended up casting 22…by the end of casting we ended up with 25.”

Among those cast were music majors, theatre majors, cheerleaders and psychology majors. “There was a lot of talent on the stage…and they all came out to audition and support their school…it thrilled me,” Davis said.

Dance captain and senior CJ Reid said about the diverse cast that “first it was a little rough with new people-music and theatre, but we all had open minds to everyone else’s ideas…I think for a two month period…we put a really good show together.”

“Davis, from New York, is a professional actor on Broadway,” the cast raved.

“He is amazing…he’s very professional…and he runs rehearsal in that manner…very intense…very precise…nonstop…that’s what it’s like in the real world and it was an amazing experience,” said Lawson.