*denotes member of International Thespian Society
Director's Notes
The fractured Fairy Tale. Once Upon a Mattress is a ridiculous twist of “The Princess and the Pea”. It started out in the 1950s at Camp Tamiment resort in the Poconos to entertain the vacationing crowds. Needless to say, it has been a popular musical ever since. Many entertainers have been a member of the cast of Once Upon a Mattress and it’s ensemble such as Danny Kay, Imogene Coca, Jerome Robbins, Jack Gilford, Matt Maddox, Jane White, and Buster Keaton. Written to amuse an adult vacation crowd, the show arrived on the scene with quite a pedigree: Music by Mary Rodgers (daughter of famed composer, Richard Rogers), and lyrics by Marshall Barer – with a book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. The show was expanded to a two act musical and debuted Off–Broadway at the Phoenix Theatre in May 1959 – and made a star out of a young and up and coming singer/comedienne: Carol Burnett.
I took that note from another director. We like to share, and I find it very interesting to see the brief history of a fun little musical.
This musical is finding it's way onto our stage. With every musical, the journey starts at the auditions. We create the cast, and the adventure continues. We then create a roller coaster of fun until we open the doors and the curtains to the audience. With all experiences, we have created memories that we will always remember. The laughs and tears will be locked away in the memories that we created. As we allow the sunset to happen on our final production this year, we want to thank everyone who helped along the way. Thank you. And as we say good bye to the seniors, we say hello to a new group that will continue to grow and develop the program. So sit and enjoy this rendition of Once Upon a Mattress.
