UPDATED: 42nd St. Moon's "Once Upon a Mattress"


Cute show and some real stand-out moments

UPDATE: This review caused a bit of a stink, which led to a lot of philosophical discussions and "deep thoughts" on the part of me and my friends who must have gotten sick of hearing about it. You can read a post about that brou-ha-ha here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: As you may know I do marketing work for 42nd St. Moon and write their blog. Not only that but two of the principal females roles are played by good friends of mine, Ms. Milissa Carey and Ms. Susan Himes Powers.

Nonetheless, I feel confident giving you: The Top 5 Reasons To See "Once Upon a Mattress"

5. The star of the show, Ms. Lea DeLaria displays some priceless physical prowess during the climactic "bed" scene. I don't mean to make it sound racy. Actually, this scene will especially ring a few bells if you have ever lived with a cat. Being a cat person myself, I was in stitches.

4. One of my favorite, but little-known, Broadway songs is in this show: "Normandy." As sung by Ms. Powers, Charlie Levy and Ron Lytle it was a lovely and romantic as I remember it. "Normandy" is really just one of the memorable tunes in this score. It's a shame composer Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard) never had another Broadway hit. I guess she became busy doing other things...like writing the book "Freaky Friday"...which I just found out she did...trippy, huh? Anyway, I had high expectations for this song, as I haven't heard it sung in its full rendition with all the harmonies since I was a teenager probably. It met those expectations...and how often does that happen?

3. Rudy Guerrero as Prince Dauntless. I'm trying to think of a polite politically correct way to say this, but there isn't one...the part is written kind of gay. I mean it's this mama's boy...and I mean a real mama's boy...and yet you're supposed to buy that he falls for Winnifred and eventually stands up to Mama to win her. In the wrong hands, it's kind of a joke. But in Mr. Guerrero's hands, you buy that he's a mama's boy alright, but one that truly will grow up and become a, well, mama's man, motivated by affection for Winnifred. Guerrero has a strong voice and presence and can stand up next to Ms. DeLaria's powerful presence just fine, thank you.

2. The King & Queen: Don Cima and Milissa Carey nail their roles. Cima is perfect for this part and soaks the most out of every silent moment. Carey has perhaps the most fun role in the show, and takes it and runs...nearly away with the show!

1. The number one reason to see this show is Ms. DeLaria's outstanding rendition of "Happily Ever After." This bluesy song that builds slowly is a perfect showcase for both her singing voice and her wry comic timing. When i say the crowd went wild, I mean it. I myself was wolf whistling away. it's a don't-miss theatrical moment.

Any downsides?

Well, "Mattress", like 42nd St. Moon's earlier fall show, "Can-Can", was "staged" a little more than typical for the theatre. They didn't hold their scripts much; they wore actual costumes; they did some actual choreography; they had a couple of actual props. I'm not sure this is always to the theatre's benefit...as it makes you wonder, "okay, they can have a barbell for Fred to lift, but they can't have a ribbon for Larken to give Sir Harry?" I tend to prefer the shows that, like the last one, "Hooray For What!", fully give in to the "concert" format.

And I am not a personal fan of modernistic ad libs. I grant you I'm in the minority on this one, as the audience loved every nod to current events that was thrown in. but I found the asides that are a written part of "Happily Ever After" more amusing than references that pull me out of the show and put me back in my own present-day.

Other than these small quibbles, though, "Mattress" held up to my fond memories of it as a show very well. It's a fast-paced show with some great tunes, some great comedy (both physical and verbal) and, of course, a happy ending.

Who could ask for anything more?

Posted: Sun - December 12, 2004 at 11:38 AM       EmailFeedback

©