Once Upon a Mattress NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (105)
See it if you want to laugh and be delighted
Don't see it if you want a serious show
See it if You love a full-on musical.
Don't see it if Little bit too long.
See it if You want to be fully entertained for over 2 hours by a most talented cast.
Don't see it if You don't like singing and dancing on stage because there's lots of that.
See it if you want to see a great cast perform a classic. Great fun!
Don't see it if you don't like "fairy tales". This is really well done but it's still basically an adult cartoon.
See it if you enjoy light, humorous, fairy tale type musicals. This show has a fun score that was well sung in this production.
Don't see it if you are looking for something a little more serious. Read more
See it if C'mon -- it's LYPSINKA! And Jackie Hoffman! That should be enough to get you there. The rest is just the icing on the cake.
Don't see it if You're looking for Pinter. Or a Russian tragedy. This is just a flat out good time, and if you don't like a good time stay home. (LYPSINKA!)
See it if wowed by Foster who is definition of entertainment-but also by Urie, Jackson, Harris & Daniels who are fun to watch in classic musical
Don't see it if “Looking for deep meaning or amazing score-this is a delight; pure entertainment
See it if You want an enthusiastic cast performing a charmingly old-fashioned musical. You like fractured fairytales. You like musical comedies.
Don't see it if You prefer more contemporary musicals. You like serious stories. You prefer shows w/bigger production values.
Critic Reviews (22)
"'Mattress' has its charms, but they do wear thin…This production is never quite smooth enough, on the one hand, or wild enough, on the other, to consistently hold the attention. That is, except when Ms. Hoffman is blushing and belting or Mr. Epperson is doing Lypsinka doing Aggravain...More surprisingly, Ms. Hoffman’s Winnifred is genuinely affecting...That turns out to be quite enough to win the hearts of a prince, and an audience."
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"The chief pleasure of this small-budget but zestfully acted production is to see a ham like Hoffman wax girlish, as well as deliver the slapstick—vocal and physical—the role requires...No wonder the piece has become a staple of community theaters and TV specials since the 1960s...If you’re priced out of Broadway’s biggest attractions and welcome a night of old-fashioned fun served up with style, 'Mattress' has plenty of bounce."
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"The freewheeling new 'Once Upon a Mattress' comes with a concept: Belt loudly and carry a big shtick. The plan works for this musical riff on 'The Princess and the Pea' that made a Broadway star out of Carol Burnett in 1959...At nearly 2 1/2 hours, it takes too long to get to the happily ever after. But when it comes, Hoffman is there for another zinger."
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"It's a thin, silly story to fuel a two-and-a-half hour musical, and the antic book features more than a few groan-worthy gags. The score, too, is unmemorable...But assuming you're in the right mood, the show is fun nonetheless, and this production, exuberantly directed by Jack Cummings III, is ultimately hard to resist. Hoffman is a deliciously daffy Winnifred. She uses her expert comic timing and nasal vocal delivery to make her character's desperation hilariously palpable."
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"An offbeat, joyful, absolutely triumphant production...It combines an affection for old-fashioned musical comedy with a downtown vibe and pumped-up hormonal spirit. Feeling scrappy but actually quite elaborate, it features a full-size orchestra, big vocals and jaunty dance choreography. Hoffman is looney, sincere and truly hilarious...The revival is dedicated to the memory of its composer, Mary Rodgers, who passed away last year. She would have loved it."
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"With jazz-infused music by Mary Rodgers and the dramatic heft of a cocktail party joke, 'Once Upon a Mattress' feels straight out of the waning days of Broadway's Golden Age. The show still sparkles with glitz. Beware, however: Nostalgia can be deceiving...Unfortunately, the book has not aged as gracefully. Many scenes feel like amusing diversions rather than crucial plot points."
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"There's no shortage of big laughs when one of Broadway's funniest supporting clowns gets the full leading lady treatment in director Jack Cummings III's deliciously raucous production… 'Once Upon a Mattress' is bursting at the seams with performers loaded with showbiz pizzazz...Transport Group's 'Once Upon a Mattress' may be the best reason to venture down to the Lower East Side since Yonah Schimmel learned how to make a knish."
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"'Once Upon a Mattress' is an old-fashioned clown show; even in its expanded version, it has the feel of something cribbed from a mid-century television variety show...Cummings' production is a collection of hits and misses...The cold truth is, Hoffman inhabits one show and Epperson is in another one altogether...As it happens, it's not enough to cast a clown show with clowns - you need the right kind of clowns."
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