Once upon a mattress

In a distant realm, a long time ago, King Sextimus is unable to speak due to a curse.
Meanwhile, his wife, Queen Aggravain, took control of the kingdom. Most importantly, in an attempt to keep Prince Dauntless single, she decreed that only the princess who passes her test will be able to marry her son. In addition, it requires that no one in the kingdom can marry before Prince Dauntless. Lady Larken and Sir Harry are very upset because Lady Larken is pregnant.

Fortunately, Sir Harry is able to find an incredible princess, Winnifred the Woebegone. She catches Prince Dauntless's attention and ends up passing the Queen's supposedly impassable sensitivity test. When the Queen continues to prevent Prince Dauntless from getting married, he tells her to shut up, which breaks the curse on the King. Now able to speak, King Sextimus regains his rightful place as head of the kingdom, all's well that ends well!

Find the flagship song "Shy" performed by Carol Burnett in 1959:

General information
  • Style : Romance, Family
  • Theme : , Power, Love, Marriage
  • year of creation : 1968
Music
  • Composer : Mary Rodgers
  • Lyricist :Marshall Barer
  • Librettist : Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer & Dean Fuller
  • Author (other) : Hans Christian Andersen
  • famous songs : "Overture" "Many Moons Ago" "An Opening For a Princess" "In a Little While" "On a Stormy Night" "Shy" "Sensitivity" "The Swamps of Home" "Normandy" "Spanish Panic" "Song of Love" "Quiet" "Happily Ever After" "Man to Man Talk" "Very Soft Shoes" "Yesterday I Loved You" "Nightingale Lullaby" "Finale"
  • Famous performers : Carol Burnett, Joseph Bova, Allen Case, Matt Mattox, Jane White, Jack Gilford, Will Lee, Ann B. Davis, Buster Keaton, Jane Connell, Robin Hunter, Milo O'Shea, Bill Kerr, Max Wall, Sarah Jessica Parker , David Aaron Baker, Lewis Cleale, Heath Lamberts, David Hibbard, Tom Alan Robbins, Jane Krakowski, Jackie Hoffman, John Epperton.
kinships
  • Inspired by another work : The musical is based on the tale The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen.
  • Exists in film : A first television adaptation was broadcast in 1964, on CBS. The program lasted 90 minutes and several songs as well as part of the plot were cut. In 1972, a new adaptation was broadcast on CBS, also reduced. The third version dates from 2005 and features Carol Burnett as the Queen.
Awards
  • Appointments and Awards : In 1960, Carol Burnett won the Theater World Award for Best Actress.
  • Number of performances : 244
  • anecdotes : Once Upon a Mattress marks the first Broadway appearance of Carol Burnett which marks the beginning of an incredible career.
Currently on stage