(L-R) Autumn Orr (Prince Dauntless) and Lucy Bouchard (Queen Aggravain). Ben Griffiths (The Minstrel) and Abby James (The Jester). Olivia Lash as King Sextimus. Fiona Clark as Winnifred the Woebegone. Photos courtesy of Ponderosa Players)
The age-old story of The Princess and the Pea has been told and retold thousands of times. According to Kisky and Dash Holwerda of Ponderosa Players, Once Upon a Mattress is the most ridiculous of them all. “It pokes fun at the fairytale,” says Kisky, “Taking classic characters and putting them in absolutely over-the-top situations.” All of the familiar fairytale archetypes can indeed be found – Kings, Princesses, Knights, Ladies, Minstrels, Jesters and more – in abundance and ready for a rollicking good time.
Once Upon a Mattress centers around the story of Prince Dauntless, a prince whose impending marriage spoils the nuptials of the entire kingdom. His mother, Queen Aggravain, has forbidden anyone from marrying until she finds a worthy Princess for Dauntless. Of course, there is no one worthy enough to be found. Until, that is, Princess Winnifred the Woebegone splashes into the kingdom. Hailing from the swamps, “Fred” is far from the demure princesses of yore. Covered in seaweed and ready for love, she quickly captures Dauntless’s heart, much to the chagrin of Queen Aggravain. A parade of antics ensue, ending of course with Winnifred atop a tall stack of mattresses with a tiny pea underneath.
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1959, starring Carol Burnett in the role of Winnifred, who claimed the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical that year. Once Upon a Mattress has gone on to spark multiple revivals, starring Sarah Jessica Parker in 1996 and Sutton Foster in 2024. Ponderosa Players couldn’t be more excited to bring the show to Central Oregon. “It’s absolutely hilarious,” Dash raves, “Rehearsals have already been full of side-splitting laughter. It feels like the perfect, joyful button on our 2025-26 season.”
Dash mentions this has been their first three-show season, beginning with a sold-out run of The Little Prince and followed by Spring Awakening, a cutting-edge production of the modern hit that was heralded as one of their best performances to date. Once Upon a Mattress is the third iteration of their 11-18 MainStage program, bringing a host of Central Oregon talent spanning this full age range. They selected 18 students of their 24 auditionees to perform Once Upon a Mattress, rounding out the first full season in their new theater, the Ponderosa Playhouse. They are also presenting Once Upon a Mattress with a live orchestra. “Rachel Robinson is returning as our conductor and we’re thrilled to have her back,” said Dash. “She has made live music possible for three of our shows now and has helped raise the caliber of our productions as a result.” Sourcing and operating all of their own technical equipment, the Holwerda’s do not shy away from the challenge of live music in their small black box space.
More is always coming down the pike for Ponderosa Players, who are already filling a waitlist for their popular summer intensive, Too Darn Hot! The 20 enrolled students will perform for the third year in a row at the Tower Theatre this July. More opportunity remains in the form of their winter MainStage shows, The Phantom Tollbooth, Romeo & Juliet and Dear Evan Hansen, which will begin accepting submissions for auditions on June 6. The latter two shows are the inaugural performances for Pulse, their pre-professional company. Information and enrollment for all of their classes and shows is available now at ponderosaplayers.com.
Don’t miss Once Upon a Mattress, produced by Ponderosa Players and performing at the Ponderosa Playhouse, June 18-27!