Sometimes you’ve just gotta be silly. And that's where “Once Upon a Mattress” comes in.
It doesn”t require huge sets like “Seussical.” It's not a clockwork plot like “The Mousetrap.” And no one will mistake it for the searing drama in “The Crucible.” All of those are shows that Emporia High School has done in recent years and done well.
But there’s still a time for silly. And in the eyes of director Amanda Vannocker, that time is now.
“It’s a fun show,” Vannocker said. “Our show is very bright, there’s fun costumes, there’s fun characters and it’s a universal story -- a story that a lot of people know but can be re-imagined very time you do it.”
That story is the tale of “The Princess and the Pea” turned on its ear. Prince Dauntless (Tyler Thompson) wants to marry, but his controlling mother the Queen (Brea Waechter) has other ideas. She devises a series of impossible tests for every prospective bride, sending them home in tears -- except for the tomboyish Princess Winnifred (Lindsey McDaniel) or “Fred” for short.
Faced with such a tough, capable woman, the Queen struggles to think of any challenge that Fred couldn’t meet. Perhaps detecting a pea under a dozen mattresses ... ? Meanwhile the mute King Sextimus (Ben Reilly), and his friends the jester (Logan Herrera) and the minstrel (Delano Mendoza) have their own inspired lunacy going on and at least one lady-in-waiting, Lady Larken (Caitlin McGuire) has a little surprise for her good knight, Sir Harry (Charlie Roemer).
Of course it all ends happily ever after. No dark tragedy, remember? But how it gets there may hold a few surprises.
The production meanwhile has a few surprises of its own, like the fact that the leading role of Princess Fred is being played by a freshman. Or the fact that that doesn't matter.
“She is the only one off book,” Vannocker said of McDaniel. “I look to her to do great things in the upcoming years, She’s very confident, has great stage presence and I think she'll be just fine.”
With such an over-the-top show, the cast’s exuberance has to come out somewhere. Here, it usually happens on “I’m in Love With a Girl Named Fred,” a show-stopper that spits words and actions out at an unrelenting speed, typically leaving Fred and Dauntless a bit breathless by the end.
“They love it,” Vannocker said of her cast. “They go around singing it all the time. It's probably one of their favorite songs. They get into it and I say ‘OK, let’s turn it down just a little bit.”
But only a little. After all, this is good clean fun. Stress not included.
“If everything doesn’t match, so what?” Vannocker said. “It’s a fairy tale!”
“Once Upon a Mattress” will run Feb. 15, 16 and 17 at the Emporia High School auditorium. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6. Small costume bits, such as jester hats and pea necklaces will be sold in the lobby.
Some local schools will also get to see a noon matinee on Feb. 15.
The Cast
Wizard (Josh East)
Jester (Logan Herrera)
Minstrel (Delano Mendoza)
King Sextimus (Ben Reilly)
Prince Dauntless (Tyler Thompson)
Sir Harry (Charlie Roemer)
Sir Studley (Joel Austin)
Sir Luce (Adam Helmer)
Sir Caramon (S’Kylan Russell)
Sir Flint (Reilly Stair)
Sir Smipley (Cody Justus)
Sir Robert (Brett Steinbrink)
Queen (Brea Waechter)
Princess Winnifred (Lindsey McDaniel)
Lady Larken (Caitlin McGuire)
Kitchen Wench (Gretchen Schreiber)
Lady Emily (Alyssa Boesche)
Lady Mabelle (Hannah Watkins)
Lady Rowena (Chelsea Pearson)
Lady Merrill (Kate Moneymaker)
Lady Lucille (Ninive De La Rosa)
Lady Gwen (Abby Treimer)
Lady Cecilia (Briana Alvarado)
Lady Margaret (Rebekah Kvas)
Lady Anne (Hannah Stair)
Lady Beth (Tara Berland)
Lady Gail/Bird (Abby Phelps)