Photo by Roland Finger

No Bedwetters: At Least, Not in ‘Once Upon a Mattress’

By Roland Finger
Staff Writer

Director Kelly DuBois-Gerchak and her Horizon Middle School thespians deliver a wonderful show. We are all familiar with Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea,” but here is a rendition that comes from the late-1950s adaptation, which captivated Broadway and network television, and now this medieval bedroom musical is getting remade by a striking student cast.

The shrewish Queen has made a law that no one in the kingdom can get married until her son, Prince Dauntless, marries a true princess. The premise sounds as if she is eager to marry off her son and is trying to get everyone in the kingdom to help out with this enterprise. But that isn’t the case. She’s really a wicked obstructionist, a clingy mother who doesn’t want her son to get married, which also means that she wants to prevent other people in her kingdom from enjoying the bliss of nuptials. What’s wrong with this queen? Auna Lee is strong as the Queen because she consistently maintains an overbearing and obnoxious presence. It’s not too hard to detect that this mother suffers from an Oedipal fixation.

Dubois-Gerchak intentionally toned this play down, because of her middle school cast, cutting out some of its original mature material. In the original script, Lady Larken is pregnant from an affair with her lover, Sir Harry, which is why he eagerly seeks a suitable bride for the Prince, braving the wilds of hill and dale, leaving the kingdom, and travelling to the treacherous swampland. Sir Harry wants to shield himself and Lady Larken from scandal; he needs to make marriage legal once again in the kingdom. I think that most middle schoolers know about out-of-wedlock pregnancy and could handle this side of the play. “Once Upon A Mattress” does not promote pre-marital sex, nor does it deny the realities of relationships. But the play does critique irrational authority figures.

Sir Harry brings a Tom-Boy, Princess Winnifred, back to the castle, and the Queen Mum has a fit because she feels threatened. She does not want to be displaced in her son’s heart. We all know the trick the Queen uses to try to disqualify Winnifred, but “Once Upon a Mattress” throws in a few surprises along with some great song and dance numbers. Madison Timm stands out as the Jester, who can dance some soft shoe, spin some cartwheels, and belt out a song or two. These players are works in progress, and it will be interesting to see where they are in the years to come.

The pretentious, snobbish Queen demands pedigree papers and ridiculous tests because she is afraid of losing her unjust power. The play is about righting the order of things, revolutions against tyranny. In the end, the Queen is vanquished by being silenced. Was this meant to be a symbolic backlash against the nascent feminist movement? Was the Queen a metaphor for what happens when women claim too much power in society? If so, this play supports some pretty retrograde attitudes. But the play also achieves balance because we see a strong, victorious female in Princess Winnifred, who bursts stereotypes regarding delicate femininity. The double themes add to the musical’s appeal; you can read your liberal or conservative politics into the plot, while also enjoying some charming songs.

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IF YOU GO:
What: The Musical “Once Upon a Mattress”
Where: Moorhead High School auditorium, 2300 4th Ave. S.
When: March 3, 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m.
Info: 218.284.2345