Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was written as a humorous adaptation of the 1835 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea".
Once Upon a Mattress was written as a shorter play at the Tamiment adult summer camp resort. The play was later expanded for the Broadway stage. Initial reviews of the play were mixed, but critics and actors alike were surprised by the show's enduring popularity, as Once Upon a Mattress became a popular choice for high school and university music and drama programs.
Production history
Broadway (1959-1960)
The original production opened on May 11, 1959, at the off-Broadway Phoenix Theatre (later a multi-plex cinema on the Lower East Side), transferred later that year to Broadway at the Alvin Theatre (the modern Neil Simon Theatre) and then to several other Broadway theaters, finally playing at the St. James Theatre, for a total run of 470 performances. The musical was directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Joe Layton. Once Upon a Mattress marked the Broadway debut of comedian Carol Burnett, who originated the role of Princess Winnifred. Also featured were Joseph Bova, Allen Case, Jack Gilford and Matt Mattox. Jane White played the role of Queen Aggravain. Jack Gilford played King Sextimus The Silent and was later replaced by Will Lee, Gilford's standby, before the show's Broadway move. The musical received a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical as well as a Best Leading Actress nomination for Carol Burnett. When Burnett left the show on June 25, 1960, veteran television actress Ann B. Davis took over the leading role beginning June 27. A few days later the show announced it was closing July 2; Davis played eight performances as Winnifred.
US National Tour (1960)
In August 1960, soon after the closing of the Broadway run, rehearsals were called for a seven-month US tour which would move from city to city by train, truck and bus. Jack Sydow stepped from his role as King into the position of Director. Dody Goodman played Winnifred at first, then Imogene Coca picked up the role. Carol Arthur understudied them both, and played the Nightingale of Samarkand. Fritzi Burr played the Queen and Buster Keaton played the King. Keaton's wife Eleanor was placed in the chorus. Keaton warmed up to the cast of younger actors, freely dispensing grandfatherly advice and chocolates.
West End (1960)
A London production of the musical opened at the Adelphi Theatre on September 20, 1960, where it ran for 24 performances. The cast included Jane Connell as Winnifred, Robin Hunter as Dauntless, Milo O'Shea as the King, Bill Kerr as the Wizard, Bill Hayes as the Minstrel, and Max Wall as the Jester. EMI Records took the cast into the recording studio and recorded a London Cast album. This was issued as a His Master's Voice LP. The album was included on a CD titled Once Upon a Mattress issued by Sepia Records in 2010.
Subsequent revivals
A Broadway revival opened on December 19, 1996, at the Broadhurst Theatre and closed on May 31, 1997, after 35 previews and 188 regular performances. It starred Sarah Jessica Parker as Princess Winnifred, Mary Lou Rosa as Queen Aggravain, David Aaron Baker as Dauntless, Lewis Cleale as Sir Harry, Heath Lamberts as the King, Lawrence Clayton as the Minstrel, David Hibbard as the Jester, Tom Alan Robbins as Master Merton and Jane Krakowski as Lady Larken. The production was nominated for the 1997 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
From January 24 until February 4, 2024, a concert production was staged as part of the New York City Center Encores! series. The production had a book adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino and direction by Lear deBessonet. Among the cast were Sutton Foster as Princess Winnifred, Michael Urie as Dauntless, Nikki Renée Daniels as Lady Larken, Cheyenne Jackson as Sir Harry, Harriet Sansom Harris as the Queen, David Patrick Kelly as the King, Francis Jue as the Wizard, and J. Harrison Ghee as the Jester. This production cut the role of the Minstrel as well as the song "The Minstrel, the Jester, and I", and made the Jester non-binary using they/them pronouns, with an implied romance between the Jester and the Wizard.
In May 2024, it was announced that the production would transfer to Broadway in summer 2024. The show began previews on July 31 at the Hudson Theatre with an opening night on August 12. Foster and Urie reprised their respective roles of Winnifred and Dauntless and Daniels and Kelly reprised their respective roles of Lady Larken and the King. New to the cast were Brooks Ashmanskas as the Wizard, Daniel Breaker as the Jester, Will Chase as Sir Harry, and Ana Gasteyer as Queen Aggravain. The show ran through November 30 and then transferred to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles for a four-week engagement lasting from December 10, 2024 to January 5, 2025. On Broadway, the production received mostly positive reviews with The New York Times giving the production a Critic's Pick and praising both Foster and Urie in their roles while others including Variety noted that Foster was overall awkward in the role. A cast recording of the musical was released on March 28, 2025.
Television adaptations
1964
The first television adaptation was aired on June 3, 1964, on CBS. The production was videotaped in black and white in front of a live audience and featured Burnett, Bova, Gilford, and White from the original Broadway cast, as well as new principals Bill Hayes as the Minstrel, Shani Wallis as Lady Larken and Elliott Gould (in his first appearance on any screen) as the Jester. Due to the reduced running time of 90 minutes, several songs and scenes were either cut or shortened. The character of Sir Harry was written out, and the Minstrel was rewritten to be Lady Larken's love interest, with the conflict concerning them being downplayed to a secret marriage.
1972
thumb|180px|Carol Burnett and Ken Berry in the 1972 television production.
The second television adaptation was broadcast on December 12, 1972, on CBS. This production, videotaped in color, included original Broadway cast members Burnett, Gilford and White, and also featured Bernadette Peters as Lady Larken, Ken Berry as Prince Dauntless, Ron Husmann as Sir Harry, Wally Cox as The Jester, and Lyle Waggoner as Sir Studley. It was directed by Ron Field and Dave Powers. Again, several songs were eliminated and characters were combined or altered. Since the parts of the Minstrel and the Wizard were cut from this adaptation, a new prologue was written with Burnett singing "Many Moons Ago" as a bedtime story.
2005
The third television version, which aired on December 18, 2005, on ABC in the United States as part of The Wonderful World of Disney and was released on DVD two days later, starred Carol Burnett as Queen Aggravain, Denis O'Hare as Prince Dauntless, Tom Smothers as King Sextimus, Tracey Ullman as Princess Winnifred, Zooey Deschanel as Lady Larken, and Matthew Morrison as Sir Harry. It was directed by Kathleen Marshall and executive produced by Burnett and Martin Tudor.
! West End
! U.S. Television Special
! U.S. Television Special
! Broadway Revival
! U.S. Television Special
! Transport Group
! Encores!
! Broadway Revival
! Ahmanson Theatre
|-
! colspan="2" |<small>1959</small>
! colspan="2" |<small>1960</small>
!<small>1964</small>
!<small>1972</small>
!<small>1996</small>
!<small>2005</small>
!<small>2015</small>
! colspan="3" |<small>2024</small>
|-
! scope="row"| Princess Winnifred
| align="center" colspan="2"| Carol Burnett
| align="center" | Dody Goodman
| align="center" | Jane Connell
| align="center" colspan="2"| Carol Burnett
| align="center" | Sarah Jessica Parker
| align="center" | Tracey Ullman
| align="center" | Jackie Hoffman
| colspan="3" align="center" | Sutton Foster
|-
! scope="row"| Prince Dauntless
| align="center" colspan="2"| Joseph Bova
| align="center" | Jack Sydow
| align="center" | Robin Hunter
| align="center" | Joseph Bova
| align="center" | Ken Berry
| align="center" | David Aaron Baker
| align="center" | Denis O'Hare
| align="center" | Jason SweetTooth Williams
| colspan="3" align="center" | Michael Urie
|-
! scope="row" | Queen Aggravain
| align="center" colspan="2"| Jane White
| align="center"| Fritzi Burr
| align="center"| Thelma Ruby
| align="center" colspan="2"| Jane White
| align="center" | Mary Lou Rosato
| align="center" | Carol Burnett
| align="center" | Lypsinka
| align="center" | Harriet Sansom Harris
| colspan="3" align="center" | Ana Gasteyer
|-
! scope="row"| Lady Larken
| align="center" colspan="2" | Anne Jones
| align="center" | Carol Arthur
| align="center" | Patricia Lambert
| align="center" | Shani Wallis
| align="center" | Bernadette Peters
| align="center" | Jane Krakowski
| align="center" | Zooey Deschanel
| align="center" | Jessica Fontana
| colspan="2" align="center" | Nikki Renée Daniels
| align="center" | Oyoyo Joi
|-
! scope="row"| Sir Harry
| align="center" colspan="2" | Allen Case
| align="center" | Chet Sommers
| align="center" | Bill Newman
|
| align="center" | Ron Husmann
| align="center" | Lewis Cleale
| align="center" | Matthew Morrison
| align="center" | Zak Resnick
| align="center" | Cheyenne Jackson
| align="center" | Will Chase
| align="center" | Ben Davis
|-
! scope="row"| King Sextimus
| align="center" | Jack Gilford
| align="center" | Will Lee
| align="center" | Buster Keaton
| align="center" | Milo O'Shea
| align="center" colspan="2"| Jack Gilford
| align="center" |Heath Lamberts
| align="center" | Tom Smothers
| align="center" | David Greenspan
| colspan="3" align="center" | David Patrick Kelly
|-
! scope="row"| Jester
| align="center" colspan="2"| Matt Mattox
| align="center" | Harold Lang
| align="center" | Max Wall
| align="center" | Elliott Gould
| align="center" | Wally Cox
| align="center" | David Hibbard
| align="center" | Michael Boatman
| align="center" | Cory Linger
| align="center" | J. Harrison Ghee
| colspan="3" align="center" | Daniel Breaker
|-
! scope="row"| Minstrel
| align="center" colspan="2"| Harry Snow
| align="center" | John Baylis
| align="center" colspan="2"| Bill Hayes
|
| align="center" | Lawrence Clayton
|
| align="center" | Hunter Ryan Herdlicka
|
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Wizard
| align="center" colspan="2"| Robert Weil
| align="center" | Willy Switkes
| align="center" | Bill Kerr
| align="center" | Jack Fletcher
|
|
| align="center" | Edward Hibbert
| align="center" | Jay Rogers
| align="center" | Francis Jue
| align="center" | Brooks Ashmanskas
| align="center" | Kevin Del Aguila
|-
|}
Notable Broadway cast replacements
1959 production
- Winnifred – Ann B. Davis, Patti Karr (u/s)
- Aggravain – Patti Karr (u/s)
- Jester – Stuart Hodes (u/s)
1996 production
- Sextimus - Tom Alan Robbins (u/s)
2024 production
- Winnifred – Kara Lindsay (s/b)
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="25%"| Award ceremony
! width="40%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| rowspan="3" align="center"| 1960
| rowspan="2"| Tony Award
| Best Musical
| Dean Fuller, Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Mary Rodgers
|
|-
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
| rowspan=2|Carol Burnett
|
|-
| colspan="2"|Theatre World Award
|
|-
|}
1996 Broadway revival
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| align="center"| 1997
| Tony Award
| colspan=2|Best Revival of a Musical
|
|-
|}
2024 Broadway revival
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| rowspan="6"| 2025
| Drama League Awards
| colspan="2"|Outstanding Revival of a Musical
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | Outer Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"|Outstanding Revival of a Musical
|
|-
| Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
| Michael Urie
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | Drama Desk Awards
| colspan="2"|Outstanding Revival of a Musical
|
|-
| Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
| Sutton Foster
|
|-
| Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
| Michael Urie
|
|}
References
External links
- Once Upon a Mattress plot summary and character descriptions on StageAgent