Sutton Foster (Photo: Joan Marcus)

Once Upon a Mattress

By Deirdre Donovan

The new Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress, starring Sutton Foster, stacks up to two hours of pure theatrical fun. Deftly directed by Lear deBessonet, this production arrives on the heels of its popular run at New York City Center's Encores!, retaining some of its original cast members and adding a few fresh faces.

Once Upon a Mattress is an update of the Hans Christian Andersen tale (smart new adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino), "The Princess and the Pea" in which a free-spirit of a princess, Winnifred the Woebegone (Foster), arrives in a repressed kingdom intent on wooing its eligible prince, Dauntless the Drab (Michael Urie). In spite of Queen Aggravain's (Ana Gasteyer) attempt to derail their budding romance, true love eventually triumphs, to the delight of everybody living in the tyrannized kingdom.

The show's ace in the hole, of course, is Sutton Foster herself. It's no news that she's a triple-threat.  But her trademark goofiness comes strongly to the fore in this production, not to mention her arsenal of physical comedy routines custom tailored for each scene she appears in. From the moment she arrives on stage in a damp, mud-splattered purple dress (costumes by Andrea Hood), announcing to all that she has just swum the moat, she draws all eyes to her. Donuts to dollars, she will win over the heart of every audience member as she sings and dances her way through this two-hour show.

That's not to say that the cast is completely under Foster's shadow. Not at all. For starters, all three actors playing the royal family deliver sterling performances: Urie, who's reprising his role from the Encores! concert production, is perfectly cast as the Prince, a mama's boy who's struggling to break free of the Queen's royal apron strings. Ana Gasteyer inhabits the Queen with the ferocity of a tigress crossed with the narrow-mindedness of a small-town gossip. Rounding out the royals is the superb David Patrick Kelly as King Sextimus the Silent, who humorously communicates throughout only using gestures and facial expressions.

David Patrick Kelly, Michael Urie, Ana Gasteyer (Photo: Joan Marcus)

Then there's Nikki Renée Daniels and Will Chase as Lady Larken and Sir Harry (the one with the spurs on his boots), respectively, whose romance provides structural symmetry and thematic counterpoint in the musical. The resourceful Daniel Breaker does double duty as the Jester and narrator. And Brooks Ashmanskas's Wizard, as the Queen's confidant, is just right in his villainous role.

If the excellent acting makes this Mattress soar, its production values make it sparkle. David Zinn appropriately conjures up a fairytale-ish set of rainbow colors and spacious airy rooms that allows for smooth scene transitions and ample space for performers to execute their dance numbers.

Choreographer Lorin Latarro, who's done a hat trick on Broadway this year by choreographing The Who's Tommy, The Heart of Rock and Roll, and now Mattress, brings her daring choreography to her latest project. And it adds a freshness to the iconic musical.

Hood's costumes consistently are spot on, emphasizing not only a character's personality but creating colorful tableaus on stage. Whether it's the loud yellow dress that makes Foster look like a bright-as-paint advertisement for the joys of courting or the ensemble's multi-shaded outfits that lend a dream-like air to the proceedings, Hood gets it right every time.

The show has 18 musical numbers, with Mary Rodgers's music and Marshall Barer's lyrics still sounding as pleasing today as they did in the day of the original 1959 Broadway production (this show helped to launch Carol Burnett's career as a TV celebrity). The duet "In a Little While," crooned by Chase's Sir Harry and Daniels's Lady Larken in Act 1 is utterly delightful as the two lovers warmly look forward to their imminent parenthood. Another duet in Act 2, "Man to Man Talk," shared by David Patrick Kelly and Urie, is a hilarious reenactment of what a father tells his son about human procreation. But what rips the roof off the Hudson Theatre nightly (and on some afternoons) is "Shy," as gloriously belted out by Foster in Act 1. By turns charming, and purposefully over-lively, it's dripping with irony.

Michael Urie, Sutton Foster with the ensemble (Photo: Joan Marcus)

This iconic musical comedy, though only revived twice on Broadway since its 1959 debut, is continually staged at high schools across the country. It's often been dubbed a "gateway musical" for its innocent merriment, even though a few of its scenes subtly mention sex. Love, acceptance, and breaking free from societal expectations are some of the messages delivered by Once Upon a Mattress.  What better time than now to see this show that invites us to look at the world with a more inclusive attitude.

Once Upon a Mattress

At the Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44^th. Street, Manhattan

For more information, visit www.onceuponamattressnyc.com

Running time:  2 hours; 15 minutes with intermission