The Barnstable Comedy Club opens its 88th season with Once Upon a Mattress
There are times when our theater goers want an evening's entertainment which will challenge our minds, perhaps stimulate deep thoughts, and hopefully push creative boundaries. Then there are those more frequent occasions, especially as the holiday season approaches, when we simply want to enjoy an evening of energetic acting, upbeat music, and a healthy dose of high spirits. Once Upon a Mattress will fill the bill perfectly along these lines. It's a fun-filled romp based on the old Hans Christian Anderson tale, "The Princess and the Pea."
Briefly, the delightful plot opens with King Sextimus having been rendered unable to speak due to a miserable curse. With the king thus disabled, his appalling wife, Queen Aggravain, has ruthlessly taken over control of the kingdom. Most particularly, in an apparently foolproof effort to keep Prince Dauntless the Drab unmarried, she has decreed that only a princess who can pass her trial (the famous pea-under-a-pile-of-mattresses test) may marry her son. Furthermore, no others may marry until after Prince Dauntless has been wed. This places Lady Larken and her suitor, Sir Harry, in a bit of a dither since Lady Larken is now pregnant with his baby. As it happens, Sir Harry is able to offer an amazing princess as a possible match for the crown prince, Winifred the Woebegone (played in the original Broadway cast by Carol Burnett). Without a doubt, "a delicate princess is exceedingly rare," but Winifred succeeds in catching the eye of Prince Dauntless. Winifred at last passes the Queen's purportedly impossible test of sensitivity - and when the Queen still tries to prevent the Prince from marrying, he tells her … well, you’ll simply have to come and find out how this all unfolds. (In true fairy tale form, of course, all the loose ends do get tied up at the end!)
In a display of inter-town cooperation, Director Stephanie Riley (the Dennis-Yarmouth High School Choral Director) has teamed with her Barnstable High School counterpart, Marcia Wytrwal, who is doing her usual extraordinary job as Music Director. Together with Choreographer Gerry Moquin, Producer Rachael Kenneally, and a wonderful cast and crew, these two "rivals" have brought Once Upon a Mattress to life.
The Cast includes:
Once Upon a Mattress will be performed November 5-7, 13-14, 20-21 at 8:00 p.m. and November 8, 15, 22 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18, $16 students and seniors and may be reserved by calling the box office at 508-362-6333.
Tom Edwards
Jester
Steven Koglin
Prince Dauntless
John Baker
King Sextimus
Steve Ross
Sir Harry
Colleen Foley
Wizard
Katie Beatty
Lady Emily
Amy Kraskouskas
Lady Rowena
Katie Lynch-Koglin
Princess Winnifred
Kevin Kenneally
Minstrel
Lucy Lizotte
Queen Aggravain
Theresa Cedrone
Lady Larkin
Alan Capozzi
Knight
Henry Morlock
Sir Studley
Mary Stacey
Princess Number 12, Knight, Lady in Waiting
Joan Dirac
Kitchen Wench, Lady in Waiting
Elizabeth Smythe
Lady Lucille
Rachael Kenneally
Lady Mabelle
Meredith Sullivan
Jester's Assistant