North Farmington Production, 'Once Upon a Mattress', Opens March 23

It takes a special kind of talent to climb up on a stage with a mouthful of water, and North Farmington High senior Erica Leaf has that talent.

She plays Princess Winnifred the Woebegone in Once Upon a Mattress, which opens March 23 in the Dean and Sue Cobb Center for the Performing Arts. Not surprisingly, Winnifred is Leaf's "dream role". 

"The character is just like me," she said, "bubbly, fun, over-the-top crazy." 

Based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Princess and the Pea. From the moment she appears in his kingdom, Winnifred wins the heart of Prince Dauntless the Drab (played by Evan Rausch), much to the chagrin of his mother, Queen Aggravain (played by Sarah Young). The Queen designs a test she is sure Winnifred will fail: She must be able to feel a tiny pea at the bottom of a stack of mattresses.

The plot is full of twists and turns, including the sad fate of King Sextimus, played by junior Jacob Rollinger. The King has been cursed and is mute, but that doesn't stop him from stealing the show. 

"He's just so flamboyant and random and funny," Rollinger said. "He has to do some unique things to communicate." 

Leaf describes the play as "very funny for all ages. I love the fairy tale aspect of it, and there's so much color and excitement." 

Both students are stage veterans; Rollinger got his start in theater with Sky's the Limit Productions, a local youth theater company whose creative director Lisa Muscio is directing Once Upon a Mattress. More than 100 students are involved in the cast, tech crew, staff and pit orchestra. 

Performances are slated March 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on March 24. Tickets are $15, $12 for students and seniors, and can be purchased through the box office, 248-426-5202.