Once Upon A Mattress was first created in as a one-act musical by Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer at a summer camp. With the help of a few others, they expanded the show.
Mary Rodgers & associates at the piano
Carol Burnett made her mark on the show as Princess Winnifred. She brought much publicity to the show. Ken Berry played Prince Dauntless, Jack Gilford as King Sextimus, and Jane White as Queen Aggravain.
Carol Burnett on the Mattress set
"Due to an unhappy curse, King Sextimus is unable to speak. Meanwhile, his terror of a wife, Queen Aggravian, has taken over control of the kingdom. Most importantly, in an attempt to keep Prince Dauntless single, she has decreed that only the princess that can pass her test may marry her son. Further, no one else in the kingdom may marry until Prince Dauntless does. Lady Larken and Sir Harry are extremely disturbed by this fact since Lady Larken is now pregnant with Sir Harry's baby. Luckily, Sir Harry is able to find an amazing princess, Winnifred the Woebegone. She instantly catches the attention of Prince Dauntless, and in the end, is able to pass the Queen's supposedly impassable sensitivity test. When the Queen still tries to prevent the Prince Dauntless from marrying, he tells her to 'shut up' which ends up breaking the curse on the king. Now able to speak, King Sextimus regains his rightful position as leader of the kingdom, and all is well." (http://www.stageagent.com/shows)
The show began its run in May of 1959 at Phoenix Theatre in New York. The show only ran for about a year and ended its run in July of 1960.
Mattress continues to put a smile on our faces even today. "Shy," "Many Moons Ago," "Girl Named Fred," "Sensitivity," and "Happily Ever After" are songs many of us still hear at auditions and showcases.
For more information on the show, characters, actors, songs or creators, visit:
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