submitted by Robert Allen, Drama Director
The Hoosick Falls Central School Drama Club is proud to present its Spring musical Once Upon A Mattress. The show, an hysterical re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea,” will run for three performances – Friday, April 3, at 7 pm, Saturday, April 4, at 7 pm and an April 5 Sunday matinee starting at 2 pm. Thanks to the support of the Hoosick Falls Central School District, admission is free to all shows. There will be refreshments served and a 50/50 raffle each night, with all proceeds going to the Performing Arts Booster Club.
Once Upon A Mattress takes place in a fictional medieval kingdom ruled by the talkative Queen Aggravaine. The mute King Sextimus has fallen under a curse that cannot be broken until “the mouse devours the hawk.” The Queen has declared that no one in the kingdom may marry until Prince Dauntless weds. Unfortunately, no princess has ever been able to pass the Queen’s test. When Sir Harry and Lady Larken discover they are expecting a child, Sir Harry embarks on a quest to find a princess suitable for Dauntless’s hand in marriage. What he brings back is the brash and unrefined Princess Winnifred the Woebegone, setting off a wildly comical chain of events. The fate of the kingdom rests in a small pea lying beneath 20 soft downy mattresses.
The musical is directed by Robert Allen, with set design by Charles Krawczyk and costumes by Missi Reynolds. Sami Benkowski is dance choreographer, and Charles Krawczyk and senior Justin Carter are serving as lead builders, aided by Dwain Wilwol. Tom Revane and Lancelee Trimm are the leads on lighting design, with Paul Donohue on sound design. Junior Emily K. Wilwol is stage manager, sophomores Amber Luke and Mary Luke head the props department and senior Simeon Youngmann is lead set painter.
A Note To Parents: This show is an extremely funny and lighthearted comedy set in a fairy tale land of knights and ladies, princes and princesses. There is no improper language, no fighting and the action and stage direction are styled much like a cartoon. There are a few adult themes, relating to a character being pregnant and a kingdom whose residents have been unable to marry for years. Kids will definitely enjoy the show. For a more detailed explanation, go to the Hoosick Falls Central School web page, and click on Once Upon A Mattress.