Bard To Broadway’s Teen Musical Theatre is a bit of a nonsensical, python-esque show, according to Hilary Whelton.
This year’s Teen Musical Theatre (TMT) is Once Upon a Mattress, a musical re-telling of the Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen.
The musical follows Prince Dauntless, whose mother says he may only marry a princess who can feel a pea that is under a pile of mattresses. In comes Princess Winnifred — Fred to her friends — who is determined to pass the test, whatever it might be.
Whelton, vocal director and program co-ordinator, said the script tickled their fancy.
“The script is quite witty, there’s some really, really silly word play that is just so much fun to read,” said Whelton.
Whelton added that the actors have really been getting into the musical.
TMT choreographer Miranda Atkinson said the musical pokes fun at itself.
“It’s a well-known fairytale, but told in an unexpected way. There’s fun little comedic surprises and there’s lots of little moments that have pantomime essence to it,” Atkinson said.
Atkinson added that the students have really been doing their homework and practising in anticipation of the upcoming performances. By their halfway mark — there’s only 13 rehearsal days before the show — Atkinson said a lot of the show was finished.
Whelton said they’ve got a core group of students who attend every year, along with some new kids as well.
“We do have some regulars, and they’re all kind of musical theatre nerds. When they heard that (Once Upon a Mattress) was what we were doing, they all looked it up and found things online that they could watch,” she said, adding that some came “surprisingly well-prepared because they’d done their research.”
This season, 21 teens registered for TMT and 19 of those are girls, according to Whelton. She said there’s been a little bit of cross-gender casting.
“We figure in Shakespeare’s day, women were not allowed on the stage, so we’re getting some of our own back,” Whelton said with a laugh.
In Once Upon a Mattress, Whelton said there’s a good deal of nonsense.
“I think sometimes when you’re playing a silly character, or doing something particularly preposterous, it’s kind of liberating for an actor,” Whelton said. “Teens are often a little self-conscious, it can be a difficult time of life, so this allowed them to go a bit nuts in a good way.”
Whelton added that the musical isn’t serious, so expect to giggle a lot.
“There’s almost something a little bit Monty Python and the Holy Grail about the kind of humour and the kind of word play and the kind of nonsense that’s in this.”
Once Upon a Mattress opens on Thursday (Aug. 11). There are two evening performances on Aug. 11 and
12 at 7:30 p.m. and two matinees on Aug. 12 and 13 at 2 p.m. at the Village Theatre (110 W. Second Ave., Qualicum Beach).
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the B2B box office at the Village Theatre or online at www.b2btheatre.com/tickets.
