The 2013 Middle School Winter Musical, Once Upon a Mattress, is a twist on the classic fairytale The Princess and the Pea. The company consists of students in grades six through eight in lead roles, the ensemble and the stage crew. The cast rehearses three times each week, working hard to make their acting, singing and choreography a success. The musical will be performed over the final weekend of the first trimester.
In the play, the overprotective Queen will only allow a “real” princess to marry the Prince, and she gives every potential princess courting for his hand tests that are impossible to pass. She finds herself facing a new and much more difficult situation when fun-loving Princess Winnifred arrives from her home in the swamps, setting off a stream of energetic musical numbers and comical scenes as the Queen does everything in her power to keep Winnifred from passing the test. “Winnifred is a cool character,” said Elena Neilson, who plays the role of Winnifred in this production. “She’s very goofy, and I like that because she’s funny, and kind of, just… wacky.” Once Upon a Mattress is a favorite middle school musical for Neilson. “The cast and crew are putting a ton of effort into the show. We’re really all trying our best,” she shared with the newspaper staff.
Once Upon a Mattress has been performed at FCS three times before and is an immensely popular show. “When a play is done several times, that speaks to the popularity of the play and how much audiences enjoy it,” said director Julie Gordon. As opening night draws near, the cast and crew are busy preparing the scenes, songs and props so that this production will be as successful as past performances of this musical. The company of Once Upon a Mattress invites you to see their show on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.