ONCE UPON A MATTRESS History

Many moons ago, in the summer of 1958, at a resort in the Poconos called Camp Taminent, three young writers (composer Mary Rodgers and lyricist/librettists Marshall Barer and Jay Thompson) adapted Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Princess and the Pea for a week-long run. In the true tradition of "hey kids, let's put on a show," this one-act musical proved so popular that it was held over and, before you could say "Mickey and Judy," the show was snapped up by producers for a commercial run in New York.

By the time it opoened off-Broadway in May of 1959 at the Phoenix Theatre (now a multiplex movie theatre), the show had acquired an additional author, Dean Fuller (who had previously worked with Marshall Barer on NEW FACES OF '56) a new director—the estimable George Abbott—a second act and a new title: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. Casting had undergone many changes, but the biggest was the result of George Abbott's desire for a new face to play the starring role of Princess Winnifred. It was Abbott's daughter, Judy, who "discovered" Carol Burnett, a new comedienne then appearing at New York City's famed Blue Angel nightclub, and recommended her to Barer and his collaborators. Not long away from California, Burnett had made a splash with a funny piece of special material called "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles," which she performed on several TV variety shows and which resulted in her club date. Upon her arrival in New York Burnett had determinedly insisted to her younger sister that she was going to be the star of a Broadway musical directed by the famous George Abbott—this piece of irony taking place long before anyone in The Big Apple had even heard the name Carol Burnett. The rest, as they say, is history. The reviews were great and Carol Burnett became a star.

The show had a healthy run of 460 performances in an extraordinary Broadway tour, moving from the Phoenix to Broadway's Alvin (now the Neil Simon) to the Winter Garden and then to the Cort and then finally to the St. James Theater. It was produced for television first in 1964 and again in 1972 with Ms. Burnett reprising her role both times. And the show? Well, what happened to this charming musical is a fairy tale as well. Over the next 35 years without anyone paying really close attention (except maybe the authors) it has ranked consistently among the top five shows licensed from Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals, with over 300 productions annually in the US alone. Not bad at all for a show that began life as a 45-minute divertissement!

In the fall of 1995, Dodger Productions (whose previous Broadway efforts included the Tony Award-winning revivals of GUYS AND DOLLS and THE KING AND I) set about putting together a creative team to bring ONCE UPON A MATTRESS back to Broadway. The anchor for any …MATTRESS production is Princess Winnifred, and to play the part they signed an actress who was then the toast of New York—for playing the part of a dog. But in addition to her winsome turn as the canine title role in A.R. Gurney's off-Broadway comedy SYLVIA, Sarah Jessica Parker also had extensive stage credits going back to Broadway appearances in ANNIE, THE INNOCENTS and THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, as well as a considerable film career. And of course, though no one knew it then, she was a few years away from mega-stardom for her turn as Carrie Bradshaw on HBO's acclaimed Sex and the City. Here at last, everyone agreed, was a Winnifred to charm contemporary audiences.

Carol Burnett appeared in the ABC television version of …MATTRESS in 2005, this time as the imposing Queen Aggravain, while the esteemed British comedienne Tracey Ullman stepped into Winnifred's moat-swimming shoes. The production was directed by Tony Award-winning director Kathleen Marshall.