Starting Thursday, July 23, a musical comedy made famous by Carol Burnett is taking the stage in Tenino, offering audiences a whimsical escape to a far off-place, many moons ago.
Tenino Young-at-Heart Theatre’s summer musical, “Once Upon a Mattress,” is a comedic adaptation of the Hans Christen Andersen fairytale “The Princess and the Pea” that first premiered in 1959.
“Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the classic tale ‘The Princess and the Pea’ provides some side-splitting shenanigans. For after all, a princess is a delicate thing,” Tenino-Young-at-Heart Theatre says of the show.
Co-directed by Vesta Loomis and Emily Fitzgerald, the story takes place in a kingdom ruled by the talkative Queen Aggravain (Bri Hines) and silent King Sextimus (Noah McKenzieSullivan).
“Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless (Allie Goodrich), found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen. That is, until the ‘shy’ swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone (Maddy Roy), showed up,” Tenino-Young-at-Heart Theatre says of the show. “Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larken (Sophia Tate) and Sir Harry (Lily Kealoha) to the altar?”
“Once Upon a Mattress” runs July 23 to 26 and July 29 to Aug. 1, at the Tenino High School Commons at 500 West Second Avenue, Tenino.
Performances start at 7 p.m. weekdays and 2 p.m. weekends.
The cast and crew will also take part in the Tenino Oregon Trail Days Parade on Saturday, July 25.
Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for children, students and seniors.
The Wednesday, July 29, performance is pay-what-you-can.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/uwn2v8vd or at the door. Seating is first-come first-serve.
Volunteers will also be selling $2 raffle tickets during the show for a variety of prizes.
For more information, visit https://teninoyoungathearttheatre.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/teninoyoungathearttheatre.
Cast list:
Minstrel — Jewelz Boling
Jester — Robert Verkuyl
Winnifred the Woebegone — Maddy Roy
Prince Dauntless — Allie Goodrich
Lady Larken — Sophia Tate
Sir Harry — Lily Kealoha
Queen Aggravain — Bri Hines
King Sextimus the Silent — Noah McKenzieSullivan
Wizard — Dan Cutter
Princess #12, Sir Harold — Ophelia-Grace Wickline
Lady Rowena — Sam Gunter
Lady H — Emma Bush
Lady Lucille — Nicole Klutz
Lady Mabelle — Courtney Stanley
Sir Studley — Jessica Egli
Sir Luce — Mo Tyler
Sir Valence — Tim Butterfield
Lady Beatrice — Briana Smith
Luce's Lady — Madison Scharber
Studley's Girl — Jocelyn Durham
Emily the Scullery Maid — Holly McKenzieSullivan
Nightingale of Samarkand — Emily Smith
Kids ensemble: Ashliyn Smith, Ava Raders, Karolyn Schwartz, Mya Hile
