By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
When the curtain opens for the Whitewater High School Players production of “Once Upon a Mattress,” tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Whitewater High School Auditorium, the audience will find itself riding back to the Middle Ages as they view a 15th-century stone castle where the stage used to be and costumes so bright and colorful that they will be appearing on many viewers’ Christmas present list.
In this tweaking of the fairy tale, “The Princess and the Pea,” Queen Aggravain has ruled that no one can get married until her son, Prince Dauntless does but the queen has managed to sabotage every princess that comes along. When Sir Harry and Lady Larken learn that they are going to be parents, wed or not, he goes off to the swamps and brings back Princess Winnifred (“Fred” to her friends). The queen is horrified and immediately begins to scheme, but Winnifred, with some help from Sir Harry, the King and the Jester, isn’t going to be quite so easy to get rid of.
Under the direction of Jim McCulloch and Liz Elliott, with choreographer Lynn Lema, the cast includes: Ali Barrett, Mia Bentel, Savannah Boss, Gianna Creanza, CiCi Crowe, Mitch Dalzin, Haley Dieter, Michael Hilliger, Hannah Hitchcock, Betsy Hixson, Sally-Kate Hixson, Jeremy Hoesly, Cally Julson, Weston Lema, Andra Matthews, Marren McCulloch, Angie McKelvey, Gabe Schemmel, Alli Sedmak, Nicole Sedmak, Kristof Staniszewski, Caty Strait, Emma Stutzman, Remi VanDaele, Lydia Wiley-Deal, Travis Winger and Jon Zheng.
The technical crew members are Thomas McManaway, Gwen Smith, Devin Samaranake, Jack Downs, Jacob Lee, Michael Kuhl, Maddie Kuhl, Leif Sayhun, Joe Creanza and Sage Spear, and the pit band musicians, under the direction of Abi Pulvermacher, include: Alisha Parboteeah, Grace Ejnik, Lydia Wiley Deal, Natalie LaBreche, Megan O’Connor, Ryan Schultz, Andi Markham, Bashkim Veliu, Jacob Zuehlke, Elliott McCulloch, Em Erdman, Jimmy King and Tony Kading.
According to the actors, taking part in this production is as much about facing challenges as it is about earning applause from the audience.
Allisan Barrett, a sophomore cast in the roles of a townsperson and a nightingale, said a challenge for her is “Sinking into my role and working with others to make the scene believable.”
“Getting the beat and notes of my music,” is challenging according to Jon Zheng, a freshman who appears as a knight. “I think the best way to handle it is to practice.”
Senior Hannah Hitchcock, playing Lady Rowena, commented, “The biggest challenge I see for myself is finding something to laugh hysterically at leading into the finale.”
CiCi Crowe, a senior who is part of the chorus, described as a challenge “remembering the (dance) moves correctly in front of such a large crowd, especially since this is my first time on stage,” adding, “My tactic is to sneak peaks at the other dancers.”
Tickets ($8 for adults; $5 for senior citizens and students) are on sale at the WHS Box Office or can be reserved by calling (262) 472-8178. The musical, first staged off-Broadway in 1959, will also be performed on Nov. 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m., along with a matinee showing at 2 p.m. on Nov. 22.
The Nov. 21 performance offers a dinner and show “date night” option, including a ham and turkey dinner with all the trimmings and live entertainment in the WHS cafeteria from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tickets for that show are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors/students. Dinner only tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors/students.
All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Music/Drama trip to New York next summer.
