Two divas headline an off-Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress.
By Brandon Voss
An off-Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress, the 1959 Mary Rodgers musical based on “The Princess and the Pea,” opens December 13 at the Abrons Arts Center, but the real fairy tale here is the casting.
Best known for her scene-stealing supporting roles in musicals like Hairspray, Xanadu, and On the Town, Jackie Hoffman stars as the unpolished Princess Winnifred, the role created on Broadway by Carol Burnett and played by Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1996 revival. John “Lypsinka” Epperson snatches the crown of the evil Queen Aggravain.
“They’re both incredible actors and comedians with that old-school clown sensibility,” says Transport Group artistic director Jack Cummings III, who helms the revival. “Plus, they relate to their characters. John is interested in very glamorous, elegant divas, and Jackie’s the quintessential underdog. They’re a great fit.”
That pesky pea may be small, but the show is anything but. What began in 2013 as an intimate one-night concert is now a lavish production with 19 actors and a 12-piece orchestra. “This is the biggest show we’ve ever done, by far,” says Cummings, who got the blessing of Rodgers before she passed away last summer.
As for Hoffman and Epperson, both big personalities, Cummings says they’re getting along famously: “And I’m not just saying that!” But which diva gets the final bow? Hoffman, who has never had a leading role. “When John first came to me with the idea for this project, it was never about him. He’s been very enthusiastic about seeing Jackie finally get the attention we all think she deserves.”
Next, December 2015.