Once Upon A Mattress, Fri & Sat, 7 PM

[JCP]

Once Upon A Mattress
at Oxford High School

OXFORD - The Oxford High School Drama Club is proud to present the spring production of Once Upon A Mattress in the Oxford Academy Performing Arts Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, March 12 and 13, at 7 PM. Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased at one the schools' main offices.

If you thought you knew the story of "The Princess and The Pea," you may be in for a walloping surprise! Did you know, for instance, that Princess Winnifred actually swam the moat to reach Prince Dauntless the Drab? Or that Lady Larken's love for Sir Harry provided a rather compelling reason that she reach the bridal altar post haste? Or that, in fact, it wasn't the pea at all that caused the princess a sleepless night? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the familiar classic of royal courtship and comeuppance provides for some side-splitting shenanigans. Chances are you'll never look at fairy tales quite the same way again. (Synopsis from Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals.)

Once Upon A Mattress is a musical, originally written as a one-act production in 1958 by Mary Rodgers (music) and Marshall Barer (lyrics) from a book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer. The story was adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. A second act was added in 1959 when it was produced for Broadway by George Abbott, starring the, then unknown, Carol Burnett. Burnett, received rave reviews in the starring role of Princess Winnifred, and her career was launched.

Over the years, the ever popular Once Upon A Mattress, has been brought back to Broadway and for TV with Carol Burnett reprising her role as Princess Winnifred. The newest Broadway run in 1995, starred Sarah Jessica Parker. In the Oxford Academy version, Jessica Tefft will play the comical princess.

The Drama Club’s cast members of Once Upon A Mattress include Noah Auwarter, Megan Murphy, Ashley Nichols, Amber Kida, Catherine Sasso, Andrew Campbell, JJ Bullis, Dylan Nisbet, Max Limbourg, Caden Izard, Evan Landau, Chassity Wakefield, Hannah Dorsey, Annmarie Paster, Jacob Carr, Jessica Tefft, Hailey Branham, Becky Allen, Charlene Beckwith, Heaven Brewer, Chelsea Farrell, Melanie Lashway, Kelsey Weyrauch, Emily Woodford, Katie Woodford and Erica Carr.

(Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.)
Caption: Oxford Academy High School Drama Club cast members learning "The Spanish Panic" from Once Upon A Mattress, choreographed by Cathleen Cragle.
(Photo credits: Michael Moren)