Once Upon a Mattress to be Staged at Boman Fine Arts Center

A classic musical with outrageous characters and equally hilarious plot and script is coming to Boman Fine Arts Center this week. Once Upon a Mattress which was made famous by the legendary comedian Carol Burnett and the late Ken Berry will grace the stage at Boman.

Josh Spargrove is the theater and acting teacher behind this production and feels this show is an excellent show to cultivate the acting skills of his students.

The show involves precise comedic timing and interaction. The cast must blend together and build on each other during the production. Spargrove agrees that each actor in the show must set a very high bar for themselves and Spargrove encourages them to reach it.

The classic tale is a musical and comedic take on the story of the Princess and the Pea. It was written in a way that requires each actor to keep pace with each other and deliver comedic punch lines while acting out the delivery.

The show promotes the actors to have to think on their feet if something happens and they need to bring it back to script. The show itself has a message which rings loud and clear to both the actors and the audience and Spargrove believes the cast has embraced that message.

Spargrove is known for challenging actors to portray characters that are not normally what they are in real life. In this case he was able to find some actors who could enhance who they are in real life while allowing others to explore unfamiliar roles and situations.

The show takes the stage on November 17th and 18th. Tickets are available by going to bomanfineartscenter.org and looking under events. Showtimes are Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm.