ONCE UPON A MATTRESS to Open South Bay Musical Theatre's 64th Season

South Bay Musical Theatre  will open its 64th season with Once Upon a Mattress, the hilarious and heartwarming musical comedy inspired by the classic fairy tale 'The Princess and the Pea,' running September 26 through October 17, 2026 at the Saratoga Civic Theater.

With music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and a book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer, Once Upon a Mattress turns the familiar fairy tale on its head. Fiery swamp princess Winnifred the Woebegone arrives at the royal court and finds herself in a battle of wills with the impossibly picky Queen Aggravain, who will stop at nothing to prevent Winnifred from marrying her son, Prince Dauntless the Drab. Along the way, audiences will encounter outrageous characters, clever humor, romantic entanglements, and such memorable songs as the crowd-favorite 'Shy.'

Made famous on Broadway by Carol Burnett in her breakout role as Princess Winnifred, Once Upon a Mattress has delighted audiences for generations. This production celebrates the wit and warmth of Mary Rodgers, daughter of legendary composer Richard Rodgers, while introducing a new generation to one of musical theatre's most unabashedly funny fairy tales.

Directed by Doug Brook, with choreography by Esther Selk, music direction by Mark Wong, and vocal direction by Kristin Pfeiffer, this joyful production brings together a cast of 23 Bay Area performers.

The cast features. Jessica Whittemore, Adam Strauss, Melissa Mei Jones, Dave Leon, Mary Melnick, Mandy Heiser, Robin Melnick, Lucy Nino, Daniel Rios, Tim Huang, Noah Lerner, Jacob Janssen, Sam Merritt-Broyles, Cam Burchard, Samantha Borthwick, Karlin Smith, Joy Lee, Lizzie Izyumin, Clara Walker, Kaitlyn Scadina, Kyrie Timbrook, Ruby Delgros, Wylie Merritt-Broyles.

Understudies include Samantha Borthwick, Jacob Janssen, Kyrie Timbrook, Clara Walker, Kaitlyn Scadina, Tim Huang, Ruby Delgros, Cam Burchard, and others. Princess Winnifred will be played by understudy Samantha Borthwick at the October 2 performance.

Doug Brook, Esther Selk, Mark Wong, Kristin Pfeiffer, Michael Paul Hirsch, Noah Price, Y. Sharon Peng, Dan Singletary, Olivia Downey, Don Nguyen, Quentin Tepliuk, Casey Keys.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy SBMT on a budget: Parking is free; seniors age 65 and over receive $3 off adult prices; children age 12 and under and students pay just $37-$38; and season subscribers save up to 25% compared with single-ticket prices.