University of Virginia Library

STAGE

'Mattress' Fine Despite Padding

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

In the past, I have never thought
too highly of dinner theaters.
Before last Sunday evening, I had
only been to two and both suffered
from unappetizing food and a lack
of theatrical talent.

But such problems do not beset
the Albemarle Playhouse, which
opened here during the summer. By
restaurant standards, the food is
delicious; by dinner theater
standards, it is outstanding. And
the company which is currently
presenting the musical, "Once
Upon a Mattress," has more talent
than one could rightfully expect to
find in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Disturbed Slumber

Their vehicle is a gently
ingratiating comic treatment of the
fairy tale about the girl who proves
herself a true princess when a pea,
placed beneath her twenty
mattresses, disturbs her slumber. In
the show, the princess turns out to
be a likeable little swamp-rat
nicknamed "Fred," who has been
recruited as a possible bride for the
not-so-smart Prince Dauntless,
whose connubial hopes are
constantly being thwarted by his
loud-mouth mother and her
preposterous tests to determine the
true color of princesses' blood.

Mary Rodgers' (Richard's
daughter) music is not in the class
with her dad's, but it is serviceable,
and Marshall Baker's lyrics always
seem appropriate. The book, which
was written by Mr. Baker, Jay
Thompson, and Dean Fuller, is
sometimes just plain silly, but,
more often, humorous and witty.

The show's basic problem -
painfully obvious yet far from fatal
- lies not so much in the material
as in the original concept. The
simple truth is that not enough
happens in the story-to fill two acts
of a musical comedy. "Fred"
arrives on the scene about a third of
the way through the first act and
the show ends with her passing the
sensitivity test. Thus, we have an
unbelievable amount of stretching
and padding. One of the most
popular numbers in the second act
has absolutely nothing whatsoever
to do with the rest of the show.

Slowing The Action

The authors must have racked
their brains to come up with as
many ways of slowing and stalling
the action for as long as they have.
That the audience is not irrevocably
lost during this interim is a minor
miracle, much of the credit for
which belongs to the well balanced
and spirited cast.

Betty Morgan's portrayal of
"Fred" seems to have been stylized
after Carol Burnett, who originated
the role on Broadway. Nevertheless,
the approach works most of the
time and Miss Morgan is quite
satisfactory. As her intended, Dave
Harper combines juvenility with
sincerity and winds up with a
wonderfully funny and sympathetic
characterization of Dauntless.
Phyllis Goldbladt plays his
domineering mother with the right
authority and Steve Liebman has
some good moments as the hefty
jester.

Mute King

Itzy Friedman offers a
marvelous interpretation of the
mute king, winning the audience's
heart in the process, As the show's
romantic duo, Ann Ault makes a
lovely Lady Larken and Rodney
Fayman comes across as a noble Sir
Harry, and they share the show's
best song, the pretty "In a Little
While."

"Once Upon a Mattress" is in no
way a great musical, but - with a
production as strong as the one it
has received at Albemarle - it will
probably send you home with a
smile. In all, a pleasant way to pass
an autumn evening.

—Ed.)