Once Upon a Mattress

Reqarding "Once on a Mattress" Maybe its because I am 64, yet still have a romantic heart, but I found nothing out of line in having the principal characters played by people in their 40s. Contextually, this was appropriate. And I thoroughly enjoyed Tracy Ulman as "Fred".

Tracy Ulman's performance in "I am shy" reminded me of the bold delivery of Ethel Merman.

Tom Smothers was perfect for the part of Sextemus, and Carol Burnett is her usual terrific self.

The young couple not only were well fit for their roles, but they also sang beautifully together.

I was pleased to learn that this is being made available on DVD. I see it as a keeper.

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."

"Once Upon a Mattress" is a delightful musical. It is, however not big enough to be made into a film, so a television version would be a perfect solution. In fact, it was the perfect solution in two earlier versions, both of which starred Carol Burnett, who created the role of Princess Winnifred in the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. however, both of those versions were abridged and differed from the script slightly, so the third version would have been the perfect opportunity to remain faithful to the stage script,

this is sadly one of the films shortcomings. A substantial amount of the score is dropped, not to mention some curious script alterations, such as lady larkin being sent to the dungeon, and the character of the minstrel is dropped.

On top of that, the cast is a mixed blessing. Carol Burnett is delightful, using her trademark comedy to the best of her abilities, beautifully hamming it up. taking on Burnett's role is Tracy Ullman ("Hairspray"'s Marissa Jaret Winokour was originally considered, but she turned it down). On the whole, Ullman is a good choice for the role, charming but still not an obvious bride for a prince. Ullman's comedy is adept and her singing is good, but on the whole one can't help but think she is a but mature for the role. The same goes for Dennis O'Hare as Prince Dauntless, his over the top performance somewhat schticky. Matthew Morrison is charming as sir harry, and Zooey Deschanel is appealing as Lady Larkin, even if she is a bit too contemporary for the role.

Still, after ABC's wonderful remakes of "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Annie", one can't help but feel that they could have done better.

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!

This is the first time I have seen any version of "Once Upon a Mattress". I thought Carol Burnett was wonderful as the domineering, often emotional and sometimes quite evil queen. And she could even sing. Tracey Ullman was outrageously quirky, especially when she tried to go to sleep. She could also be warm and pleasant, and she even had some singing talent--if that was her. Her first musical performance was more funny than anything else. Tom Smothers did quite a good job as the mute king, who could not talk after being cursed. Denis O'Hare also delivered. Zooey Deschanel and Matthew Morrison were very talented singers and did okay at acting. And Michael Boatman was very funny as the Jester, and Edward Hibbert deliciously evil as the Wizard.

I would say this was clean enough for most children. I questioned the TV-PG rating until I heard a reference to premarital sex. But unless a child knows where babies come from, this would be meaningless. It might lead the child to ask where babies come from, and of course King Sextimus gave his son a hilarious explanation of the process which never really got to the point. Especially since it was all in mime.

There was also a double entendre from Winnifred, but it would go over most kids' heads.

I enjoyed the music for the most part. Despite the medieval setting and costumes, a lot of the music sounded like Rodgers and Hammerstein. Winnifred also performed a sultry jazz number that seemed appropriate for a stripper.

The dancing and costumes also impressed.

I won't say it was a Disney classic, but it was certainly up to the usual Disney standards.