Once Upon a Mattress was written as the humorous version of the “Princess and the Pea.” The book was written by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller & Marshall Barer. The music was created by Mary Rodgers and the lyrics were by Marshall Barer. Frederick High’s adaptation of Once Upon a Mattress was extremely enjoyable. The acting and singing were phenomenal and the transformations from scene to scene were smooth. I recommend this to mostly everyone, especially those who appreciate good storytelling.  

Once Upon a Mattress takes place in a medieval kingdom in the 15th century. The set reflects that perfectly. They created a big castle set that included a lot of common 15th-century items like coats of arms and they painted on brick walls to make it look more like a castle. They incorporated a lot of stairs on both ends of the set which made for some cool effects. Overall, throughout the set changes, it was always visually appealing and fun to look at. 

The acting and singing were exceptionally amusing to listen and to look at. The performances were incredible and kept me intrigued for the whole show. The singing could range from pretty harmonies to a powerful and striking song. Each of the actors put their all into their characters too. It was funny to see each of the character’s very distinguished personalities interact with each other. Even when the actors would put on difficult stunts, the singing and acting would still be on point. 

Another thing to note was how well the costumes complemented the set. The bright colors of the costumes against the castle walls are what made the musical so nice to look at. The 15th-century costumes were accurate and the extravagant queen and the wizard’s outfits were some of the coolest costumes I’ve ever seen. 

I also loved how they touched on various themes with a lot of comedy. It certainly resonated with the crowd because everyone would break out into laughter a lot during the show. Frederick will be doing Once Upon a Mattress on November 4, 5, 10, 11, and the 12. It’s a colorful, funny, and entertaining show and if you can, I highly recommend to go see it.