The Menchville Players, students of the Menchville Drama Department, will be presenting “Once Upon a Mattress” as their 2018 Spring Musical in three performances on May 11 and 12.

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a classic American comedy musical. This show, a spoof of traditional fairy tales and the Princess and the Pea, first premiered off-Broadway in 1959, moving to a Broadway slot and an American tour in the following years. Since, the musical has been revived several times with different casts of some of the most well-known names in theatre, and it has become a staple of community and high school drama performances.

The story follows the love story of Prince Dauntless the Drab and an unrefined Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. Dauntless’s evil mother, Queen Aggravain, has kept him from marrying many princesses via her difficult tests, and she plans to do the same for Winnifred. Little does she know, Winnifred is not at all like the demure traditional fairy tale princesses, and she faces the queen’s challenges head-on with reckless abandon. The exciting plot is full of twists and turns, tests, and surprises- all adding to the common fairy tale, the Princess and the Pea.

The musical includes a large cast of Menchville students. Queen Aggravain will be played by senior Camden Hunt, and Prince Dauntless by junior Nathan Poplin. Princess Winnifred will be played by freshman Alex Swanenburg, and the Minstrel, who serves as both narrator and character in the story, will be played by seniors Paige Lawler and Olivia Kohlman. “Once Upon a Mattress” will also feature additional leads and a large ensemble cast, who will take the stage with singing and full dance numbers.

Junior Cheyenne Conoway and sophomore Devon Rhone-Christensen will be making sure that the musical runs smoothly as stage managers. Parts of the production’s set, props, and costumes had to be repaired or reimagined after a pipe by the drama department’s storage area froze and burst during the blizzard this year, ruining some of the production pieces in the water damage. The drama department rallied, however, raising money through a night of one-act performances to buy and repair their materials for “Once Upon a Mattress”. Now the production is ready to go, and stage, light, and sound crews will be helping with setting the scene for the story.

Menchville will be presenting the “Once Upon a Mattress” at three performances over May 11 and 12. There will be one show on May 11 at 7:00 pm, and two shows on Saturday- a matinee at 2:00 pm and a final evening performance at 7:00 pm. Tickets will be $8 at the door.