Saturday was a family fun day at home and Sofia and her Auntie M..(that’s me!) decided to let everyone else stay home and cook while we two.. snuck off to the theater..to have a fun Fall day..and catch the production of the award winning Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical- Once Upon a Mattress
University Act 1 Productions at De Sales University( in Upper Saucon, Pa.) theater never fails to delight..with an award winning cast and crew to carry off their entertaining productions…
The Labuda Center for the Performing Arts-Schubert Theater is a place where you can catch Broadway caliber productions without having to fight the traffic in NYC..
“Once Upon a Mattress” marked the Broadway debut of legendary stage and TV personality Carol Burnett, who garnered a Best Leading Actress Tony nomination and won a 1960 Theatre World Award for her role as Princess Winnifred. “The role of Winnifred the Woebegone is one of those typical fish out of water roles; a brash, unrefined princess enters the royal court to charm Prince Dauntless the Drab while dodging the slings and arrows of his mother, the devious Queen Aggravain,” says John Bell, division head of the DeSales University Division of Performing Arts. “These are fun roles to play and can often serve as a breakout role for a young actress. If ever there were a performing arts paradox, it is the image of the great American comedienne Carol Burnett belting out ‘I’m Shy’ in the original 1959 Broadway production. This is the show and role the catapulted Ms. Burnett to stardom.”
So after holding on to our seats for a 2 hour production filled with surprises at every angle..Sofia exclaimed “Winnifred and Lady Larken were the 2 favorite princesses I liked watching”…played (respectively by) Renee McFillen and Farrell McVay..I agree both were my favorite princesses as well..but all the princesses were funny, equally talented and loveable characters!
Sofia said that the Queen was really mean…but she liked watching her zany antics…. and I will add that the Queen,(played by Catherine T.Nadeau) portrayed her part expertly..mean to the core, but she made ‘mean’ fun.
Sofia liked the King.. and if I can quote Sofia she said ” now that is nice man!”…yes, I agree.. he was warm, funny and zany..and fit in well with the ‘ zaniness’ of the show..portrayed by James “Bo” Sayre, so she was delighted when during the zany. happy ending of the show..the King got his voice back and the Queen lost her voice, and the King was able to tell the Queen to skip hop ..skip hop!! Even the audience appluaded in sheer delight!
And who could forget Dauntless..the Prince ..sweet and charming..- played by Joshua Hanrahan…in his efforts to marry the beautiful princess, against the wishes of his wicked Queen Mother…
A fun, delightful show for any age….if you can hop,skip, jump or drive to the show- hurry- because this is one worth not missing,such a talented cast and I was so happy that Sofia got to see her first Broadway style musical with such a talented cast…. the show has one performance left..
It was just as fun for me to watch Sofia enjoying the show as it was for me to watch the show..after all it is not easy to keep a 6 yr old entertained for 2 hours..but Sofia sat glued to her seat (just as I did) not missing a beat of the show..and anyone of any age will do the same. This is a show that is great for any age, but if you can experience it with a child it will be doubly entertaining. Even though the Production recommends ages 10 and above, Sofia is 6 and simply loved every minute of it!
While I did not mention everyone’s name here….all of the cast and crew are so talented..and credit must be given to the production crew.as well as musical director, costume designer and would especially like to credit Dennis Razze and John Bell for another exceptional production..
Hurry..today is the last day..October 25th….Ticket prices are $21 for adults and $19 for students and seniors on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and $25 for adults and $23 for students and seniors on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Group discounts are available for all performances. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Labuda Center box office at 610-282-3192 or by visiting the web site at www.desales.edu/act1.
