★★★★☆
There’s nothing a good fairytale musical comedy on a wintery evening can’t fix! Hills Musical Company are treating Adelaide to a spirited revival of Once Upon a Mattress this month.
Here, the conventional Princess and the Pea fairy tale is gleefully tossed aside and reshaped into a playful parody that satirises traditional roles, whilst still keeping that sweet sense of fairy tale nostalgia.
Community theatre is at its best when it embraces its own ridiculousness. When the show allows for exaggerated stupidity. When the performers can just fully let loose and enjoy themselves.
As director and choreographer, Emily-Jo Davidson has clearly fostered this in the cast. The opening night audience’s laughter was near-constant, giving the production the energy of a live sitcom. The constant giggles, at even the slightest of mannerisms, were a sweet signal of crowd enjoyment throughout this ridiculous tale!
Once Upon a Mattress is a comedic retelling of The Princess and the Pea, set in a kingdom where no one can marry until Prince Dauntless finds a suitable bride. With the overbearing Queen Aggravain rejecting every princess who arrives, the kingdom is left in romantic limbo.
This show’s heroine is the unconventional Princess Winnifred, who becomes the one Prince Dauntless desires. But, it is not all smooth moat-swimming to get the Prince! Through a series of absurd tests, meddling schemes and misunderstandings, the quirky characters in this show descend the kingdom into royal chaos.
The cast burst with individuality and soaring talents. This show has quite the cast of characters and a humorous (and slightly complex) web that ties them all together.
Molly Noel, in only her second Hills show, gives a stellar performance as Princess Winnifred. This princess is designed to be cut from a different cloth in terms of the stereotypical fairy tale princess. She’s loud, gritty, confident and unapologetically herself.
Noel gives all of these qualities to the audience. She is completely sure of the character she’s here to play. Vocally, she’s incredibly strong for a young performer, nailing her solo numbers Shy and Happily Ever After. Yet, it’s also her small mannerisms, facial expressions and actions that prove she has honed her craft for this show.
Threatened by this sudden match to her loudness is Queen Aggravain, played by Ella Heywood-Smith. They bring a commanding Queen-of-Hearts-esque approach to the role, likewise nailing the smallest of mannerisms, like their eyebrow raise or frown, to really strike with comedic humour (cue laugh track).
Heywood-Smith’s sneaky ‘side-kick’ is the Wizard, performed by Maximillian Maher. Maher brings a sense of whimsical absurdity, landing his many one-liners with perfect comedic timing. They both get their cliché villain moment in their powerful duet, Sensitivity.
Prince Dauntless is the loveable, clueless goof, brought to life by Matty Turner. All it takes for him to fall in love with this moat-swimming princess is her barbell press, and the audience is rooting for them both so much that they don’t question the silliness of this plot. This moment leads to Turner’s performance of Song of Love, which he executes with a cheesy confidence.
Stealing the majority of the show’s laughs is Matthew Phillips as King Sextimus (yes, that is this character’s name, cue laugh). For a character who does not SPEAK until the final scene, Phillips masters this character’s humorous use of mime.
Honestly, Phillips could give a solo clowning show about this silenced king, and audiences would lap it up! To top him off, Phillips performs the show despite being in a boot on a scooter that was cleverly transformed into a horse, which just amplified the comedy, really!
Parallel to the plotline of Winnifred and Dauntless is Lady Larkin and Sir Harry, who, due to an unexpected secret, also have personal motives to get this prince married ASAP!
Megan Davidson is Larken, who performs with a welcome sense of sincerity in between the chaos. The audience instantly empathises with her, as she effectively conveys her inner turmoil.
What this show does is flip the power dynamics. Most male characters are clueless and silly, flipping the gender roles to place the females in the forefront as the deeper, more complex characters.
Therefore, her lover, Sir Harry, played by Thomas Sheldon, gives a comedic portrayal of yet another clueless male. Sheldon is wonderfully animated and boisterous, committing fully to his slapstick comedy. Together, this duo has honed a sweet onstage chemistry and banter, culminating in their heartfelt performance of Yesterday I Loved You.
Bennett Blaine, as the Jester, is a character who gets to really shine in Act II with his solo Very Soft Shoes. Blaine is another talented vocalist in this cast, and this moment is quite touching.
He also dances, accompanied by some purposeful, symbolic silhouette choreography happening in the background. This choreographic element of the shadow work behind the sheet is a clever motif used throughout.
Katy Driver as Minstrel opens the show like a storybook narrator, confidently expressing the start of the tale. She has a cheeky dynamic with Blaine as the ‘meddling duo’ archetype, who sweetly end up becoming the unconventional heroes of the story. Everyone loves an underdog!
The ensemble of Knights and Ladies in Waiting also shines as triple threats throughout and truly embraces their individual quirkiness. Displaying a true sense of camaraderie, Opening for a Princess and The Swamps of Home are super lively numbers which see the cast unite.
Leading the cast musically is Matt Redmond. For a score brimming with whimsy and medieval nods, the live musical accompaniment adds an undeniable vitality to one’s community theatre experience.
At times, the show’s pacing on opening night faltered slightly, with a handful of slower scenes or transitions softening the production’s otherwise energetic pace. I am certain this cast will continue to strengthen their already high standard, however, as the season progresses.
Once Upon A Mattress is a show for all. Hills Musical Company’s production celebrates individuality and silliness, proving that these old fairy tales do have relevance to modern audiences when we give them a couple of slight, silly tweaks!
Once Upon A Mattress is presented by Hills Musical Company and runs to 23 May at Stirling Community Theatre. 9 Avenue Road, Stirling SA 5152.
Tickets: http://trybooking.com/events/landing/1507606
Website: https://hillsmusical.org.au/mattress/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/hillsmusicalcompany/
Photo credits: Lily Rose Media, taken at Thorngrove Manor
