Once Upon a Mattress: Libretto - Vocal Book

by Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, Jay Thompson

Genres: Plays

107 pages, Paperback

About the author

Mary Rodgers was an accomplished author, screenwriter and composer. Her first book--Freaky Friday--won several prizes, and was cited on the ALA Notable Book list. She composed many musicals, and had also amassed credits in television and radio. She had served as Chairman of the Board of the Julliard School and on the Board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Reviews

[Emma Peters]

The greatest experience I have ever had the chance to perform.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Plot: A princess is needed to wed a prince and end the law that says no one may wed until he does, so the most unlikely princess is found to fill the job.

This musical is a pretty hilarious retelling of the classic Princess and the Pea tale. Fred is one of my favorite musical leading ladies ever. All of the characters are a lot of fun and give the actors lots of opportunities to improvise and adapt characters to their own interpretations.

The musical definitely doesn't take itself, the story, the setting, (really anything) seriously. The characters are exaggerated and cartoonish. I've done the show once before, and we are planning to do it again in the fall, so I've been refamiliarizing myself with the script. There are some elements of the play that are a bit dated- the oversexed King, Harry and Larken's relationship is more than a little cringey in regards to enforcement of gender roles. Overall, though, these factors can be played down with good directing.

[Addison Beatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The music in 'Once Upon A Mattress' beams with personality and excitement. The lyrics are well written, and the music has a clear purpose in development of characters such as Winnifred the Woebegone, Prince Dauntless the Drab, and Queen Aggravain.