The Coterie to Present ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, 6/19-8/5

Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale, "The Princess and the Pea," comes to the stage as a musical comedy in Once Upon a Mattress June 19 – August 5 at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center.

The Coterie is working with the esteemed Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization to create this new theatre-for-young-audiences audiences version of Once Upon a Mattress from the Broadway original by Mary Rogers (music), Marshal Barer (book and lyrics) and Jay Thompson and Dean Fuller (book).

"For some time, I've wanted to bring this piece to Coterie audiences," said Jeff Church, Coterie artistic producing director. "Grandparents and some parents will remember this is the delightfully comic musical that made Carol Burnett famous by telling the story of the 'The Princess and the Pea' - only this princess is from the swamp!

"This atypical view of the traditional princess is just what we like to do," Church said. "Mary Rodgers, daughter of Richard Rodgers, is the composer of the hilarious songs, including the famous, robust number called "Shy." We expect Mary to join representatives from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization who are coming here to experience this Coterie world premiere."

Once Upon A Mattress is part of the Coterie's Lab for New Family Musicals, a program developed to improve the quality of productions available for families and young audiences. "Inviting the original Broadway artists to work on their shows in Kansas City has been very rewarding for the talented artists associated with our theatre," Church said. Previous Broadway artists involved in the program include Henry Krieger (Lucy Duck), Harry Connick, Jr. (The Happy Elf), Stephen Schwartz (Geppetto & Son) and the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Seussical,Once On This Island, Twice Upon A Time).

After every Friday night performance of Once Upon a Mattress, there will be a freeSomething Fun experience. Audiences may experience an autograph session with Princess Fred and friends, an Opening Night reception, a Q&A or even a mini-class with the cast. The experience will change each week.

Once Upon a Mattress is the last of three productions this season in the Coterie's Family Series and is funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) and the ArtsKC Fund.

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