Director

“The Princess and the Pea” was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was growing up. Like many little girls, I wanted to be a princess, so it was terribly disenchanting to discover that I had slept the entire night, after putting a pea from my dinner plate under my mattress. As an adult, Once Upon a Mattress, the fractured, fairy-tale musical version of this story, has grown to have infinitely more appeal. Princess Winnifred, who is anything but demure, rescues the anything but fearless Prince Dauntless from the clutches of his dragon-lady mother. My concept for this production is simple: Before the Princess comes to town, the kingdom boasts every color in the rainbow except one – the color of growth, renewal, and spring – GREEN! Winnifred’s arrival completes the color spectrum and ultimately, redefines what constitutes a real princess. In the end, after much singing and dancing and general shenanigans, everyone (almost) lives happily, happily, happily ever after …

		Director’s Note for Once Upon a Mattress
		“The Princess and the Pea” was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was growing up. Like many little girls, I wanted to be a princess, so it was terribly disenchanting to discover that I had slept the entire night, after putting a pea from my dinner plate under my mattress. As an adult, *Once Upon a Mattress*, the fractured, fairy-tale musical version of this story, has grown to have infinitely more appeal. Princess Winnifred, who is anything but demure, rescues the anything but fearless Prince Dauntless from the clutches of his dragon-lady mother. My concept for this production is simple: Before the Princess comes to town, the kingdom boasts every color in the rainbow except one – the color of growth, renewal, and spring – GREEN! Winnifred’s arrival completes the color spectrum and ultimately, redefines what constitutes a real princess. In the end, after much singing and dancing and general shenanigans, everyone (almost) lives happily, happily, happily ever after …