The Once Upon a Mattress cast, crew, and directors are getting ready for performances! If you missed the update in last month’s Triton Times, the musical is once again under the direction of Anne (Schreiber) Wotherspoon, with music direction and accompaniment by Andrew Wotherspoon, tech direction by Christine Deetz, and choreography by Jaime Geers.
The musical is new to the Triton stage, although the story – and show – are not. The story is based on the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea, although every fairy tale stereotype is flipped. While you may be familiar with fairy tales, for this musical, you should expect the unexpected. Senior Jessica Willette, who plays Lady Larken, explains, “This musical has the effect of a Disney fairytale, to appeal to children, but a twist that makes it interesting to adults.” However, everything is taken in a light-hearted, comedic way, with a minstrel (played by Nancy Fernandez) stepping into the narrator role. Senior Caleb Chilson plays Sir Harry, a somewhat dim-witted knight who learns some lessons in the show, and he states, “Once Upon a Mattress has a hilarious, lighthearted storyline that is sure to entertain.”
The cast, crew, and directors are busy building the sets, learning their lines, songs, and choreography, and perfecting their characters. “This is a fun musical to direct,” comments Anne Wotherspoon. “The students have been doing a great job diving in to the humor of the musical, as well as adding a lot of characterization.” Senior Logan Tufte, also known as Prince Dauntless the Drab, says, “I love the comedy involved and how we will be making the crowd laugh and stay involved.”
Mark your calendars now for April 4, 5, and 6 at 7:00 p.m. And there will once again be a senior citizen matinee, although due to some scheduling conflicts, the matinee has been moved back to Wednesday, April 3rd at 1:00 p.m. You won’t want to miss this fun show! When asked why people should attend, Senior Jenna Kenworthy cheekily replies, “As the queen, I demand it.”
