'Once Upon a Mattress' opens tonight

Students from North Columbia Elementary School in Columbia County traveled to Lincolnton on Monday, April 30, for a performance of "Once Upon a Mattress" given by the musical theatre class at LCHS. Public performances of the musical are scheduled for May 3-5 in the school auditorium. Tickets are $7 each and may be purchased at the ticket window at LCMS or at the door. There is no reserved seating available.

The LCHS Musical Theatre Class will present "Once Upon a Mattress" tonight (Thursday) through Saturday, May 5, in the school auditorium.

Performances are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. each evening.

With music by Mary Rogers and lyrics by Marshall Barer, the story is loosely based on the fairy tale, "The Princess and the Pea."

The story line centers around a decision made by royal officials that no one in the kingdom can marry until Prince Dauntless finds a bride - 12 princesses are "tested" and all fail. Then, in swims Princess Winnifred from the "land of the foggy, foggy dew."

Queen Aggravain, Prince Dauntless' mother, and the Wizard devise a special test for Winnifred, one that involves a pea and 20 mattresses. If the princess sleeps soundly, she is one of the common folk. If she doesn't get a good night's sleep, she is of royal blood and will be allowed to marry the prince.

All the while, King Sextimus goes around chasing the young maidens. In addition to being a lecher, the king is also mute because of a curse which will end "when the mouse devours the hawk."

Cast in the leading roles are Jaime Turner as Princess Winnifred, Hilary Aycock as Queen Aggravain, Hunter Smith as King Sextimus the Silent, Ross Waters as Sir Harry, Sarah Herring as Lady Larkin, Steven Dollar as Prince Dauntless the Drab, Tyler Hinson as the Wizard, Raphael Albea as the Jester, and Abigail Minor as the Minstrel.

Along with Turner, Aycock, Smith, Waters, and Hinson, other graduating seniors taking part in the show as either a member of the cast or production crew are Ashleigh Vick, Cody Davis, Earnessa Davis, Kayley Bannister, Brittney Sheppard, Kendall Huff, Ryan Williamson, Kelsey Reese, Madison Easter, Allison McGill, and Courtney Janssen.

A few of the musical numbers featured in the production are "Shy," sung by Princess Winnifred; "Sensi- tivity," performed by Queen Aggravain and the Wizard; "Spanish Panic," a big dance number involving the whole cast; "Happily Ever After," performed by Princess Winnifred and the cast; and "Yesterday I Loved You," sung by Sir Harry and Lady Larken.

The production is being directed by Randy Smith, with musical direction provided by Carolee Hobbins. The show was choreographed by Charlie Sanders, a senior at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs.

This marks the seventh musical production for Smith and Hobbins.

In her comments, Hobbins said, "The show has been in production since January, with dialogue, songs, and dance numbers learned along the way. These students have had terrific attitudes all semester long and a willingness to work well with each other, both of which have greatly enhanced the production. Randy and I are extremely proud of this class.

"We encourage everyone to come out and support the efforts of these students," she continued. "I don't think anyone will be disappointed."

Hobbins went on to note that the basic backdrop for the set was designed and painted by Richard Worth. "The students took Mr. Worth's design and built and painted the entire set, which gives you the feeling of being in a medieval castle, right down to the fire-burning torches on the walls," she said.

Tickets for "Once Upon a Mattress" are $7 each and may be purchased at the on-campus ticket window or at the door. High school Gold Cards will be accepted for one performance only. There is no reserved seating.