The Broadway Players of Fairfield High School will present the rollicking musical comedy, Once Upon a Mattress, on April 22 and 23 at 7:30 PM, and April 24 at 2:00 PM in the FHS auditorium. Admission is $10.00 or $8.00 with a FCSD activity pass. Tickets may be purchased in advance in the FHS office during regular hours. The box office will open 45 minutes prior to each performance.
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, “The Princess and the Pea”, Once Upon a Mattress is the story of an unhappy kingdom. King Sextimus the Silent (Marcus Trent) was cursed and cannot speak. Queen Aggravain (Sophia Fritz) usurped the throne and rules with an iron fist. She decreed that no one may marry until Prince Dauntless the Drab (Conner Hawkins) is presented with a suitable princess to be his bride. For her own twisted reasons, the queen does everything in her power to make sure that wedding will never happen. Assisted by the wizard (Ethan Malaki Jasper), she eliminated every princess from every neighboring kingdom with impossible tests.
Lady Larken (Allison Hunger) desperately needs to marry her sweetheart, Sir Harry (Ethan McReynolds), so he journeys over the mountains, across the badlands, and into the marshlands and returns with the exuberant Princess Winnifred the Woebegone (Erin Epperson). Dauntless immediately falls for the unconventional princess and begs to marry her. The King, the Minstrel (David Creer), and the Jester (Evie Messer) conspire to help Winnifred pass the next ridiculous test so the prince and princess can wed . . . enabling all the other knights and ladies of the kingdom to marry also.
Knights of the kingdom are Sir Studley (Brock Curtis), Sir Luce (Moonbeam Sutherland), Sir Harold (Jacob Carlson), Joseph Clemons, Spencer Vaughan, Spencer Hilger (who cameos as the Nightingale of Samarkand), Matthew Kensel, and Ricky Alonso. Princess Number 12 (S. Poletti), Lady Rowena (Felicia Strong), Lady Merrill (Ella Holderbaum), Lady Mabelle (Nora Salek), Lady Lucille (Charity Trent), Lady H (Zoe Hamilton-Soares), Lady Beatrice (Samu Shrestha), Emily (Edith Diers), and Emma Price-Burton complete the ensemble.
The student crew includes Abby Ford, Alex Thole, and Gannon Scott running lights and sound, while Erin Eddy and Andy Winkleman assist with scenic painting, Eleanore Houston and Elizabeth Hootman are helping with hair and makeup, and Haylee Hollander is backstage run crew.
This production will be accompanied by a live orchestra of students and adult community members. The players are Diane Bekel, Erin Eddy, Jim Edgeton, LeAnne Edgeton, Judy Gaston, Fred Hucke, Nik Hucke, Connie Keller, Zach Reiter, and AJ Roe.
Fairfield High School production credits: Noel Wotherspoon is the director and choreographer of Once Upon a Mattress. Zach Reiter is the musical director and Hannah Ball conducts the orchestra. Technical direction is provided by John Grunwald and Jim Edgeton. Betsie Wotherspoon is the costume mistress.
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com. Music by MARY RODGERS; lyrics by MARSHALL BARER; book by JAY THOMPSON, DEAN FULLER, and MARSHALL BARER.