Once Upon a Mattress

Carol Burnette moved up from her original role as Princess Winifred to play the Queen, and Tracey Uhlman was a great pick to take on the role of Princess in this musical based on the story The Princess and the Pea.

If you pay attention to the lyrics, you find some wonderful things, like The Swamps of Home. The Swamps of Home are beautiful ... when viewed from a distance.

Of course, the big fun number is "I'm in Love with a Girl named Fred". It's madcap and simply funny. If you don't find yourself singing along with the chorus I can't help you. ;-)

It's kind of a shame Tommy Smothers has the role of the mute King, his comic delivery would have been perfect throughout.

I enjoyed the original back in the day, and my wife and I just enjoyed this revival.

While watching ONCE UPON A MATTRESS and seeing Carol Burnett as Queen Aggravain, I immediately realized that she must have played Princess Winnifred in the original version of the show in the '60s. This became all too clear when I saw that Tracey Ullman's daffy princess was lacking a certain spark that Burnett would have given to the part--plus she was a little too mature for the role to begin with.

Denis O'Hare seemed another case of miscasting as Prince Dauntless, a role could easily have been played by Matthew Morrison, who instead was saddled with a boring secondary role.

But despite these misgivings, there's much to like about this rowdy version of the tale, vibrant with colorful sets and costumes (particularly Burnett's jeweled outfits) and some witty lines that are tossed about by a capable cast.

But there's always the feeling that something isn't right--and not being able to compare this version with the original I can't say what it is but I see from other reviews that much of the original material was altered or deleted entirely. Perhaps this is why there's a feeling that it could have been so much better.

Summing up: For Carol Burnett fans, it's a delicious chance to watch her play broad comedy with such finesse. She never misses an opportunity to ham it up but keeps it from being too over-the-top to be enjoyable. And while the choreography could have been more inventive, Tracey Ullman gives all of her energy to some of the dance routines with some very funny results.

Unfortunately, Tom Smothers is wasted in the role of the mute King Sextimus. But all in all, it's a fun version of a fractured fairy-tale, based on "The Princess and the Pea."

I barely remember the 1972 television version of this, so it's probably unfair to say that one was better. But my impression is it was better, simply because Burnette played Winnifred. This is not to say Tracey Ullman was bad. Ullman is tremendously talented and she does a good job, but she was too restrained in the part. Burnette perfectly captured the world's least appropriate princess, but Ullman actually comes across as fairly sweet and gentle, at most mildly eccentric and occasionally slightly loud. It doesn't help that Burnette cannot completely contain her inherent wackiness; the play feels as though it should be a contrast between a cold, imperious queen and a wild, tomboyish princess, but the distance between Ullman and Burnette doesn't seem that great.

Still, it's a fun musical with many amusing moments and a good cast. And who knows, maybe if I saw that 1972 version I'd say, this isn't nearly as good as I remember.

Because that's what it is! Once Upon a Mattress debuted off-Broadway in 1959, and soon moved to Broadway. It's been a longtime favorite of mine, and many other people.

Several different productions have aired on television since then, the most recent of which was this Disney version in 2005. You know how the major US networks often have productions of musicals during the winter holiday seasons? That was the case with this version of the musical.

So, YES, it plays like a stage musical. That's kind of the point!

I'm only writing because of my disagreement with one of the other reviewers. Carol Burnett shines in this rather uninspired remake of the Broadway musical. Having once seen her play Princess Winifred, it is a pleasure to see her take the older role of Queen Aggravaine. She always has a way of taking an ordinary line reading and making it funny with her unique delivery. She should garner a supporting actress nod from someone, (Emmies, Golden Globes, anyone?) Tommy Smothers was great as the mute king, and Matthew Morrison and Zoey Deschanel were serviceable in their roles. Mixed reviews, however, for the two leads. A younger Tracey Ullman would have been great in this role, but she does seem a little old for it now. All in all, she gave it her best shot; and she does have her moments. But I would have preferred to see Sarah Jessica Parker's take on it, and I would have much preferred if Disney had left the stage musical intact instead of omitting roles and songs. Now that this has aired, would someone please release the 1964 TV version that gave Carol Burnett to the world? I haven't seen it since childhood, and I would love for my own children to experience this musical as it should be experienced...not this bland Disney remix.