Once Upon a Mattress: Medieval Hellzapoppin With Laughs for Days
9 / 10
★★★★☆ Sutton Foster unleashes her inner clown in a torrent of hilarity, bringing new luster to a familiar property
9 / 10
★★★★☆ Sutton Foster unleashes her inner clown in a torrent of hilarity, bringing new luster to a familiar property
5 / 10
Instead, there’s a certain stubbornness to this show’s insistence on trying to get by on sheer nerve, its refusal to try anything beyond the realm of physical comedy (through which Foster will try everything). In its staging and production, it’s of the highest order — the costumes, by Andrea Hood, wowed me, for instance. (I was particularly partial to the gaudily looping sleeves on the garment worn by the Jester — an outfit with more indulgence and wit than anything in the script.) And the show finally cannot overcome the casting of Foster, a game and fantastic performer who simply can’t find her way into a character who’s all sloppy id. Like a legume under your mattress, this casting is a small thing that, as the evening wears on, comes to feel massive.
| 1959 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
| 1959 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 1960 | West End |
London Production West End |
| 1996 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2004 | Regional (US) |
42nd Street Moon Concert Regional (US) |
| 2015 | Off-Broadway |
Transport Group Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Michael Urie |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Sutton Foster |