Catch the final performance of ‘Once Upon a Mattress’

You might be familiar with Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea,” in which a princess proves her royalty when she complains about a sleepless night due to the discomfort caused by a pea nestled beneath 20 mattresses.

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a twisted, humorous version of the fairy tale that was a Broadway hit in 1959 and made Carol Burnette a star. It was revived in 1996 starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

This summer, it has been on stage at Columbia Children’s Theatre, and Sunday’s matinee marks its closing performance.

The performance stars 140 actors in first through 12th grades who are participating in the YouTheatre program. YouTheatre introduces students to acting through productions each summer and winter season.The script is part of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Getting To Know Series of musicals adapted for youth performers.

In this version of the fairy tale, Queen Aggravain has declared that no one in the kingdom is allowed to marry until her son Dauntless does. Princess Winnifred swims the castle moat to reach Prince Dauntless the Drab, and it may not be a pea causing her sleepless nights after all.

“The young actors in the show have completely blown us away,” said Jim Litzinger, managing director for the theater. “Working on ‘Mattress’ gave them a taste of classic American musical theater – something that’s not typical Disney fare. They worked hard to make comedic material from the 1960s accessible to a modern audience. In addition, they conquered sophisticated music with complex harmonies and challenging choreography.”

The final performance will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Columbia Children’s Theatre on the second floor of Richland Mall, 3400 Forest Drive in Forest Acres. General admission tickets are $10 or $8 for active military and seniors with proper ID. Advance ticket purchases are recommended and may be purchased at www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com.

Bridget Winston, Special to The State