Once Upon A Mattress
Tickets from $63 Buy Tickets
Cititour.com Review
Hey, nonny nonny, is it you? Hey, nonny nonny, is it you? Well, in the case of the exceedingly frothy and excessively silly revival of the 1959 musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” now at the Hudson Theatre, it’s Sutton Foster! The two-time Tony Award winner is once again proudly showing off her prodigious comic gifts (both physical and verbal) and providing the firepower needed to ignite this crowd-pleasing re-working of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “The Princess and the Pea,” just as she did in this same role some months ago at City Center Encores.
Of course, not even Foster’s go-for-broke portrayal of the unconventional, tomboyish princess, Winifred the Woebegone, can disguise the fact that the show is ultimately little more than a zany lark (despite the contributions of three original book writers and some zingy updates by television goddess Amy Sherman-Palladino). Nor can the performances of a first-rate supporting cast, under Lear DeBessonet’s assured direction, make the work feel particularly substantial.
In fact, we are told immediately by the show’s narrator, the kingdom’s convivial jester (the very appealing Daniel Breaker), what the all-too-familiar plot is! The imperious Queen Aggravain (the delicious Ana Gasteyer, combining haughtiness and nastiness a la Miranda Priestly) – who has been unhappily married for years to the mute King Sextimus (a game David Patrick Kelly) -- neither wants to give up her ability to rule the land nor the ability to control her son, Dauntless the Dull (Michael Urie, who is consistently spectacular).
As a result, any princess seeking to become the bride of Dauntless -- who is essentially the poster child for arrested development -- faces some kind of impossible challenge created by Aggravain. But the no-nonsense Winifred, a fearless swamp-dweller who arrives via moat, initially seems like a true contender.So, with the help of the kingdom’s wizard (an underused Brooks Ashmanskas), Aggravain designs a test she believes should be impossible for any “genuine” princess to pass: Being able to sleep soundly through the night after one small pea has been placed beneath 20 downy mattresses.
As it happens, it’s not only Winifred and Dauntless – who have become instantly smitten – who want a positive outcome. So does the entire kingdom, since no one else can wed until they do. That’s a particular problem for the handsome if dimwitted Sir Harry (the endearing Will Chase) and his sweetheart, the somewhat smarter Lady Larkin (Nikki Renee Daniels, gorgeous in every aspect), who suddenly finds herself “in the family way.”
Of course, successful musicals don’t fully depend on their plots, and while the score by Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer may not be top-drawer, it has a lot of charm and a soupcon of sass. Foster’s clever opening number, “Shy,” allows her to belt to the heavens and hold notes for an eternity, and her jazzy rendition of the sardonic “Happily Ever After” is nothing short of masterful. Chase and Daniels shine on the lovely love ballad “In a Little While,” while Breaker proves his triple-threat ability while executing Lorin Latarro’s spiffy choreography during “Very Soft Shoes.”
A few other songs, however, could be easily excised, and the need for both an overture and entr’acte (played by an onstage orchestra) prove questionable; in fact, the piece might work better as a longish one-act musical. Regardless, this is the kind of old-fashioned show that will be appreciated by audiences of all ages, no matter that it runs about 2 ¼ hours.
Indeed, given that it’s a limited run, don’t sleep on the opportunity to snatch up tickets to this “Mattress.” Tell them Foster (but not Stearns) sent you!
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://onceuponamattressnyc.com/
Open/Close Dates
Opening 8/12/2024
Closing 11/30/2024
Theatre Info
Hudson Theatre
139-141 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
Comments
Sign up for our newsletter !