A beloved fairy tale comes to life when Spry Middle School presents the delightful story Once Upon a Mattress Youth Edition in three shows this weekend.
The one-hour musical comedy is a lighthearted retelling of the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. But it offers some twists you might not expect.
The story unfolds with Queen Aggravain (Julia Alvaro) forbidding all marriages until her son, Prince Dauntless (Nolan Holland), finds a suitable bride. Despite numerous princesses vying for his hand, none can overcome the queen’s impossible tests. The arrival of Winnifred the Woebegone (Emily Barry), a “shy” swamp princess, shakes things up. Will she pass the queen’s “sensitivity test,” win the prince’s heart, and pave the way for Lady Larken (Emily Alvaro) and Sir Harry (Max Hoose/Hiro Tsuji) to wed? It’s a very funny take on the classic fairy tale.
The production is filled with lots of song and dance, and the Spry drama students — as always — do a tremendous job with their acting, singing and dancing. It’s a show the whole family will enjoy, and at just an hour, is perfect for even young children.
Here are some photos from the show:
Performances are scheduled for Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $9 each and are available online here.
On a side note, I’ve discovered an added benefit of attending these Spry shows. As I watched Webster Schroeder High School’s recent production of Hadestown, I was delighted to see, in lead roles, a few faces that I recognized from last year’s Spry production of SpongeBob: the Musical. We get to be on the ground floor as these young actors are just beginning their theatrical careers, and watch their development as their acting skills grow.
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(posted 3/5/2025)
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