Alhambra High School Presents "Once Upon a Mattress"

Alhambra High School Drama Club invites the community to be part of the audience at their annual musical, Once Upon a Mattress! Performances will be held at the AHS Performing Arts Building at 150 E Street in Martinez on Thursday, April 30th, and Friday, May 1st at 7 p.m., with both a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. closing performance on Saturday, May 2. Tickets for Once Upon a Mattress are available in advance on GoFan or at the door 30 minutes in advance at the price of $17 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and $7 for children under 10 years old.

Once Upon a Mattress unfolds in a small medieval kingdom where all are forbidden to marry until the hopelessly sheltered Prince Dauntless, played by Senior Ethan Basa, is wed to a true princess. Every candidate in the region has been purposely disqualified by impossible royalty tests engineered by the domineering Queen Aggravain (Ella House) and her wizard (Soph Pogorzelski). Desperate to marry, two members of the court (Megan Kelley, Ben Williams) launch a last-ditch search for a royal bachelorette and discover Princess Winnifred, who hails from the swamplands. Sophomore Valeria Gonzalez-Sandoval stars as the tomboyish and spirited princess who suddenly finds herself holding all of the kingdom’s hopes of winning the prince’s heart and freeing the citizens to marry. With the help of the spellbound king (Waylen Dodds), charismatic minstrel (Cameron Cabrera-Hernandez), and loyal jester (Brody Moran), Winnifred must pass the queen’s most devious test yet.

With music by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Marshall Barer, Once Upon a Mattress is a zany and irresistible comedic romp through Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea” tale. The musical premiered in 1959 starring Carol Burnett in her Broadway debut and has flourished through famed Broadway revivals and several popular television adaptations. The book's (Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller & Marshall Barer) clever wordplay and wit are punctuated by jazzy, upbeat musical numbers brimming with theatrical charm including standout songs “Shy,” “Song of Love,” and “Happily Ever After.” Audiences will delight in the lively choreography, vibrant costumes, and fun medieval sets in Alhambra’s version as they find themselves rooting for the underdogs of this topsy-turvy fairy tale.

Once Upon a Mattress is directed and produced by Ms. Emma Malki, and Mrs. Sara Stafford is the technical director and musical director. The show is choreographed by Ms. Brittany Finley. In all, more than 100 Alhambra High School students are involved in the production. Additional roles feature Soraya Chavez-Monteiro as the Nightingale of Samarkand, Chloe Lamm as Emily, Calina Montero as Princess No. 12, and Charlotte Allen, Annabella Boyce, Angelina Harris, Lillian Padilla, Ben Scott, Emma Scott, Daylana Shorter, Eliza Ugot, and Samantha Yasaki as featured knights and ladies with a large ensemble of royal court members: Brianna AlveyMcDaniel, Jake Chavez, Gladys Collins, Hogan Dodds, Derek Dyken, Beatrice Fresco, Rachel GarciaSalas, Anabelle Rose George, Sierra Greene, Hydi Hamilton, Ramona Hawkins, Kenneth Ko, Mariano Kozera, and Kylie Nemis. Performing the instrumental music under the direction of Mrs. Stafford, with additional aid from Mr. Monte Bairos, are student musicians Cailyn Armstrong-Dandridge, Nicholas Chavez, Danny Dominguez, Wren Earp, Sophia Fernandez, Bella Haddeland, Violet Harrington, Austin Loker, Maruel Millena, Myron Millena, Max Narducci, Raafae Sarfraz, Emma Sinaga, Chloe Stovall, Aimee Truong, Mia Truong, Kaiya Yasaki, and Duke Zak. Technical crew includes students Livi DeShasier, Aliyah Esquierdo, Ruby Griffone, Selihom Hailye, Eli Huntsinger, Marielle Lejano, Araceli Lopez-Manzo, Mak Lusk, Erin O’Hara, Landon Poston, Salem Simpson, and Daphne Yasaki, with design and construction by AHS’s Stagecraft classes.

Once Upon a Mattress is presented in part by the nonprofit organization Alhambra High School Arts Foundation, which funds key production costs for student shows. To donate securely, visit givebutter.com/ahsdrama.