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Masquers' refreshing 'Mattress' a delight
The latest offering from the Masquers Theater in Soap Lake is the musical “Once Upon A Mattress,” a fresh, funny take on the classic fairy tale the “Princess and the Pea.” The lighthearted production is sure to be a favorite with theater-going audiences.
In the story, Prince Dauntless is desperate to get married, but his controlling mother, Queen Aggravain, thinks no princess is good enough for her son. Since no one can marry until the prince marries, the entire kingdom is rooting for the prince. Especially desperate to wed are Lady Larken and her beau, the knight Sir Harry, since they are expecting. Sir Harry goes questing for a princess the queen hasn’t already rejected.
He brings back the fun, charming but unrefined Princess Winifred, ready to face whatever tests the queen might throw her way. With the help from some not so obvious heroes, the princess has a horrible night’s sleep, passing the queen’s seemingly impossible test.
The cast featured many faces that will be familiar to Quincy audiences. Holli Bosnar was once again excellent in a lead role, playing Princess Winifred. Her physical comedy was fun to watch — she really threw herself wholeheartedly into every scene. Her singing was great, especially on the funny, belt-it-out number “Shy” in which she wins over the entire kingdom (minus the queen).
Prince Dauntless was played by Jeremy Hansen. He did a good job as the henpecked, love-struck prince and his musical numbers were solid.
Stephanie Moore was charming as Lady Larkin. Her love interest, Sir Harry, was played by Clifford Bresee. The Coulee City pastor has a nice rich voice. Joanne Bracht was the deliciously bossy and controlling Queen Aggravain.
Her mute, but not necessarily meek, spouse, King Sextimus, was played by Robert Jasman. Minstrel Isaac Jensen opened the play with the nice number “Many Moons Ago” and is a talent to watch. Another fresh face is the talented Nani Bosnar, who played Princess No. 12. Tyrell Pickett was funny as the jester and Tere Ovenell did a nice job as the melodic Nightingale. One of the very best musical numbers of the night was the entire cast singing “An Opening for a Princess.”
The play is family-friendly, but rated PG, due perhaps to Lady Larkin’s condition and a cute musical number featuring the prince and the king discussing the birds and the bees called “Man to Man Talk.”
The show was co-directed by Cheri Barbre and Eric Van Woert. The players used the entire theater to their advantage, really bringing the audience into the play.
Musicians Merie Walker and Cherie Clement provided the perfect accompaniment to the musical numbers. The group numbers had complex choreography that went off without a hitch. The set, costumes and props were clever and really enhanced the production.
The Masquers Theater is located at 322 Main Ave. E in Soap Lake. Performances of “Once Upon A Mattress” are Oct. 30 and 31 and Nov. 6, 7, 13, 14, and 21 with showtime at 8 p.m. There are also three Sunday matinees, Nov. 1, 8 and 15 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $15 and group rates are available. Call 246-2611 for reservations.
