On Theater: A bouncy ‘Mattress’ at playhouse
It’s been quite a while since the musical comedy “Once Upon a Mattress” visited a local community theater, an oversight the Huntington Beach Playhouse is enthusiastically correcting.
This somewhat farcical retelling of the “Princess and the Pea” legend gets a generally robust treatment from a spirited cast assembled by director John Francis, along with contributions from musical director Elizabeth Lauritsen and choreographer Sharon Kane. Several individual performances rise to the top as well.
Best known as the show that made a star of Carol Burnett in 1959, “Mattress” focuses on physical comedy as a strapping princess from a faraway swamp kingdom “auditions” for the hand of the diminutive Dauntless the Drab. Her full title is Winifred the Woebegone (or just “Fred” for short), and she yearns for “The Swamps of Home.”
In the Huntington Beach production, the princess is both large of frame and gorgeous of face and figure. Mallory Kerwin jumps into this plum role with both feet and puts her powerful vocal cords to maximum use in stellar solos such as “Shy,” “Happily Ever After” and the aforementioned “Swamps” number. She is a joy to watch.
Her would-be prince, Dauntless, is energetically enacted by Cris Cortez, whose strong voice belies his comparative slightness. His first-act curtain-closer, officially titled “Songs of Love” but better known as “I’m in Love With a Girl Named Fred,” is frantically exhausting.
The prince’s protective mother, the iron-handed Queen Aggravain, is despotically portrayed by Dawn Vasco with a steely voice to match her commanding character. But it’s her mute husband, a skirt-chasing horndog called King Sextimus the Silent, who steals the show, and Gil Morales excels in this primarily pantomimic role.
Lindsay Marsh exhibits a beautiful voice as Lady Larken, the sweetheart of the macho knight Sir Harry (Matthew Berardi), who has a vested interest in getting the prince married so he and Larken can wed before parenthood ensues.
Backstage at the palace, conspiracy reigns as the conniving wizard (Lewis Crouse) mixes his sleep potions while the minstrel (Anthony Baratta) and the jester (Grace Harding) plot to keep the princess awake. The latter pair add youthful relish to the show, while Crouse operates with magical malice.
Andrew Otero’s sparse settings are designed to be whisked on and off stage speedily during transitional periods, but that’s not always the case in the Huntington Beach production. Also in need of tightening are the gaps between some of the performers’ lines, a situation that also slows the pace of the show.
“Once Upon a Mattress” is a musical comedy wherein elements are operating at warp speed. The Huntington Beach Playhouse offers a rollicking revival.
TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: “Once Upon a Mattress”
WHO: Huntington Beach Playhouse
WHERE: Library Theater, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach
WHEN: 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 13
COST: $20 to $18
CALL: (714) 375-0696
