I may be an insatiable opera fan and own recordings of all nine symphonies by Antonin Dvorak, but I’m not the least bit chagrined to admit that I also love the irreverent musical “Once upon a Mattress,” which tells its own askew version of the familiar fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea. I saw this show back in college when it was performed by Decorah High School, and I liked it enough to track down the LP of the original cast recording starring Carol Burnett shortly thereafter. Marshall and I practically memorized every measure, including those moments when a certain women in the chorus with a voice like a dentist drill would hit a note every so slightly flat. (Or I could quote Archie Bunker’s great line about Edith’s strident vocalism: “She sings like a hinge.”) But mostly we delighted in the performance of Ms. Burnett in the role she was born to play, belting with the best of them while warming our hearts with her good-natured, open-hearted charming performance of Princess Winifred, a role crafted especially for her. (As if you couldn’t tell.) And for that matter, her cast mates were every bit as good. And although I’m pretty sure I’ve not seen the show since (except for a mostly misguided television remake in which Carol Burnett graduated to the role of the evil Queen) I have always thought of this show as one of my special favorites.
Last night at supper Kathy and I bumped into Doug and Kim Instenes, and when I mentioned where I was headed (Kathy was going to something else with a friend) Doug immediately reminded me that many moons ago he had played Prince Dauntless. “Isn’t it a great show?” I declared more than asked. “I have very fond memories of it,” he replied. “But you have to admit it’s a great show!” I repeated. And Doug very carefully repeated “I have very fond memories of it.” (Our respective wives and a few customers probably thought we were nuts – or drunk – or both – when he and I serenaded each other in the parking lot with snatches from our favorite songs from the show……
“I’m in love with a girl named Fred. . . “ “O I hate to sound grumpy, but my nerves are so jumpy. . . “ “In a little while, just a little while, you and I will be 1, 2, 3, 4 . . . “ “It isn’t the stork! It isn’t the stork! It isn’t the stork at all. . . “ “For a princess is a delicate thing. . . “ But just for the record, neither of us drank anything stronger than a Diet Pepsi!) And as I drove off to Case High School, I was still thinking to myself “This is a great show, no matter what Doug says.”
By the time the performance was done, however, I was realizing that Doug’s appraisal was better than mine was. This is a cute show with occasional flashes of brilliance – and great performers can elevate certain moments to true greatness. But this show is too uneven – and at some points downright bizarre – to be mentioned in the same breath as truly great shows like Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, The Music Man, Chorus Line, Les Miserables. A masterpiece “Mattress” is not.
But I still love the show – flaws and all – and I think part of it is wrapped up in the fond memories I have of seeing it for the first time. I was in college at the time and although I loved the weighty musical matters I was studying, it probably did my heart some good to step away from the Bartok string quartets and Monteverdi madrigals and lose myself in this goofy, fun-loving musical…. which also dares to have one of its characters, Lady Larkin, reveal that she’s pregnant with Prince Harry’s child before they’re married. Oops. That was incredibly daring stuff when this show opened in the early 60’s! By the way, I was impressed all those years ago by the very spirited performance delivered by the talented young musicians of Decorah High School. (When you’re in the hallowed halls of higher learning, whether as a professor or student, it’s good to be reminded that worthwhile music- making occurs in other places.) And last night, at Case High School, it was similarly pleasant experience for me. And as much fun as the cast had onstage, you could tell afterwards from the hugs and high fives that they were immensely relieved that their opening night performance went as well as it did. (This is a complicated show- and the musical score by Mary Rodgers, daughter of the famous Richard Rodgers, is not easy at all.)
I was there not only because I love the show- but also because a voice student of mine, Mike Anderle, sang the role of Prince Harry. I had been engaged earlier in the week for what his mom called an emergency voice lesson because he was having some struggles with one of his songs in the show, and I had the gratifying experience of helping him get much more comfortable with “Yesterday I loved you” – and to hear him sing that and his other songs so gloriously was the absolute highlight of my whole week. And it was lovely to be thanked by name in Mike’s biography in the program. Generally I feel fairly appreciated by my students, but I’m pretty sure none of them have ever acknowledged me in a printed program bio like Mike did. (They’ll thank their parents, their girlfriend, their cast mates, their director, and their second cousin’s former beautician, but maybe not remember their voice teacher.) That meant a lot…. but what meant even more to me was knowing that I had made some difference in helping Mike deliver the wonderful performance which he did last night. And by the way, he was flanked by some other fine performers, and I especially want to congratulate the great Winifred and Dauntless, because without them you may as well not even try to to this show.
Case performs the show tonight and Sunday as well, and it’s worth seeing if you want to leave the cares of the world behind you and lose yourself in a show that carries a wonderful message of True Beauty coming in Unexpected Packages….. which yet delivers that moral of the story without a trace of heavy-handedness. In the end, maybe that’s the greatest thing about this show – how it delivers its message wrapped in an entertaining and sometimes hilarious package so that you don’t even realize that you’ve learned something along the way.
pictured above: the final tableaux of Case’s production of “Once upon a Mattress.”