Directed by Steve Wilson
Musical Direction by Donna Debreceni
Choreography by Debbie Stark
July 19 - August 4, 2002
The Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Media Contact: Kristen Stork - Phone: 303.431.3962 - e-mail:
kstorkPHAMALy@aol.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . .
June 17, 2002
The Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League (PHAMALy) Presents the Hilarious Musical Fairy Tale, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
DENVER - The Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League (PHAMALy) presents a wacky musical spin on a classic fairy tale with ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, playing July 19-Aug. 4 in the Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
This once-upon-a-time farce was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA. Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, which turn from hilarious and raucous to romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the familiar classic tale of royal courtship and comeuppance provides for some sidesplitting shenanigans with a cast full of crazy, wacky, fun characters.
In a small kingdom during medieval times, King Sextimus (Gregg Vigil) is unable to speak, due to an unhappy curse placed on him by his wife, Queen Aggravain (Tara Cowan), who has taken over control of the land. In an attempt to keep her son, Prince Dauntless (Jeremy Palmer) single, the queen has decreed that only the princess who can pass her test may marry her son. (Twelve princesses have already failed as the play opens.) Furthermore, no one else in the kingdom may marry until the prince does. This edict presents a problem for Lady Larken (Ali Zimmerman) and Sir Harry (Stephen Hahn), who are unmarried and expecting a child. Sir Harry hurries off to find a princess to pass the test and returns with Princess Winnifred, who instantly attracts the attention of Prince Dauntless and in the end is able to pass the queen's supposedly impossible sensitivity test, which includes a full night's rest on a stack of twenty mattresses atop a pea.
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS was originally written by Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers) and Marshall Barer as part of an adult summer camp. The full-length musical version opened off-Broadway in 1959 with Carol Burnett playing Princess Winnifred, a role that is said to have launched her comedic career. The show was revived on Broadway in 1996 with Sarah Jessica Parker playing the lead.
Director Steve Wilson plans to reinvent the notion of fairy tales with PHAMALy's production of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.
"I hope we'll be able to get audiences to rethink their long-time notions of fairy tales," Wilson said. "Who's to say that Cinderella wasn't in a wheel chair? Or that Prince Charming didn't have spina bifida?"
One of the unique and exciting technical components of PHAMALy's production is the use of wheelchairs. The king, queen and knight are all played by actors in wheelchairs. Their sets and props will be incorporated into these devices. The king and queen's thrones are built on their wheelchairs and will travel with them as they traverse the stage. The knight's horse will be part of her chair, making for a knight like no audience has ever seen before.
PHAMALy's mission is to enable physically-challenged performers to showcase their talents and abilities and to make the performing arts more accessible. As a not-for-profit, membership organization, PHAMALy is dedicated to producing traditional theater in nontraditional ways. Since its origination in 1989, PHAMALy has gained national recognition and received numerous awards including the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and Westword's Best Musical for the regional premiere of SIDE SHOW.
PHAMALy's production of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS runs in the Space Theatre (located in the Denver Performing Arts Complex at 14th and Curtis Streets in downtown Denver) July 19-Aug. 4 with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. (No Sunday matinee will be held on July 21.) Tickets are $20 with discounts for seniors, students, groups and PHAMALy members. A discounted preview performance will be held on Thursday, July 18 at 8:00 p.m. (tickets are $10), and Industry Night is Monday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m. Audio-described performances (with services for visually impaired audience members) are scheduled for Sunday, July 28 and Sunday, Aug. 4, and the show will be sign-language-interpreted for deaf audience members on Sunday, July 28.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 21 and can be purchased by calling 303-893-4100, by going online to www.phamaly-colorado.org or by visiting the Denver Center ticket counter Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Groups purchasing ten or more tickets should call 303-863-0468.
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is presented with the support of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District; the Colorado Council on the Arts; the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado; City of Denver's Office of Art, Culture and Film, Wellington E. Webb, Mayor and Starz Encore. Media sponsorship for this production is provided by The Denver Post.
For media requests, please contact Kristin Stork at 303-431-3962 or kstorkPHAMALy@aol.com.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Music by: Mary Rodgers
Lyrics by: Marshall Barer
Book by: Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, Marshall Barer
Production Staff: Steve Wilson (director), Donna Debreceni (musical director), Debbie Stark (choreographer), Loree Wilcox (scenic design), Dave Mazzeno (lighting design), Matthew Swartz (sound design), Heather Brooks (costume design), Kay Chambers (properties), Melissa Palovich (stage manager), Nicole Abram (technical director), Melanie Mayner (production manager), Mark Dissette (assistant director), Cindy LaViolette (associate choreographer), Charlie Scheer (assistant stage manager), Mallory Nelson (assistant costume designer), Carol Webb (hair and make-up)
Cast: Tara Cowan (Queen Aggravain), Gregg Vigil (King Sextimus), Jeremy Palmer (Prince Dauntless), Lucy Roucis (Princess Winnifred), Stephen Hahn (Sir Harry), Ali Zimmerman (Lady Larken), Don Mauck (Minstrel), Troy Willis (Jester), Edward Blackshere (Jester), Jim Hubbard (Wizard), Angie Aguilar (ensemble), Kevin Ahl (ensemble), Ray Angel (ensemble), Nikki Bishop (ensemble), Deb Countryman (ensemble), Pamela Cyr (ensemble), Michael Danahey (ensemble), Mark Dissette (ensemble), Donna Gunnison (ensemble), Maureen Hanson (ensemble), Miriam Holmes (ensemble), Chaz Jacobson (ensemble), Leslie Reid (ensemble), Karen Sokolow (ensemble), Greg Stanley (ensemble), Bob Webb (ensemble), Teri Westerman (ensemble)