Thoughts on Once Upon a Mattress!
Sutton Foster: she was great! As the headliner and someone my friend (who saw her in Sweeney Todd) told me was really good, I had high expectations. She was really good, and hilarious in the role of Princess Winnifred, but I do wish she got to sing more (more on that later). I knew her from Shrek, and obviously anyone who could play Fiona and sing Got You Beat without absolutely losing it could do slapstick comedy onstage in OUM, but she definitely killed it in that role (makes sense, since she originated it)
Michael Urie: I had heard of him but never seen or listened to him in anything, and I loved him so much! Prince Dauntless as a character was already so funny and endearing, and the way Urie played him was actual perfection. He was the reason my mom agreed to go and I can see why. Dauntless is literally like a five year old for at least half the show but he’s an endearing five year old lol
Ana Gasteyer: I had never heard of her (though I probably should have) but she was incredible! The Queen arguably had the biggest role - she was in almost all the scenes - and she was so so good at being evil lol
Daniel Breaker: I knew him from Shrek as well, and he was so so good as the Jester (who narrated). Another character who definitely pulled a lot of laughs, he was a really good singer!
David Patrick Kelly: As the mute King Sextimus, he was also hilarious! Pantomiming instead of speaking and running around the stage silently, he was really good.
The Music: it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything remarkable. I was sad Foster didn’t get to sing a lot - her songs were more talking or yelling, and the accent she used meant most of her songs were in a higher pitched, screeching tone - but she was still really good. Same went for Urie, he didn’t really have a big song that was just for him, even though I feel like he should have gotten a solo. During the show I didn’t mind the music, but walking out there was no song I remembered. I think it could have been just as good if not better as a straight play, with no singing. But the dancing was cool.
The Plot: It was okay…there’s not a ton they could have done in terms of the fact that the source material is just a singular fairy tale, but a lot of the show was just filler. My mom asked as we walked in, “how are they going to make The Princess and the Pea 2 and a half hours long?” Answer - a lot of filler songs and fluff that has nothing to do with the story whatsoever.
A fun, family show with great actors and a fantastical plot! Very much worth it to see Foster, Gasteyer, and Urie kill it!!
