Sutton Foster is the 2024 Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress’s great comic engine. Her physical, openhearted Princess Winnifred makes the fairy-tale musical sparkle—but the production around her remains uneven, with songs that vary in staying power, a crowded concert-style stage, and an ending that arrives too abruptly.
What is Once Upon a Mattress about?
The musical turns Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea” into a comic kingdom-wide marriage problem. Queen Aggravain refuses to let anyone marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, finds a suitable princess. Her elaborate tests have already driven off prospective brides.
Lady Larken, pregnant by the knight Sir Harry, wants him to find a princess so they can marry before their situation comes to light. He returns with Winnifred the Woebegone, a strong-willed woman from the swamp. The Queen gives Winnifred her own test: prove her sensitivity by detecting a pea beneath twenty mattresses.
Winnifred is usually called Fred, and the revival gives her more than a straightforward fairy-tale makeover. Her optimism and appetite for adventure sit alongside a desire for companionship and a life on her own terms. As Foster put it, “She’s optimistic, she’s adventurous, she’s curious,” in a Broadway.com interview published August 29, 2024.
#1 Best Overall
Is Sutton Foster good as Winnifred?
Yes. Foster is the production’s defining strength, and the role makes especially good use of her physical comedy. Her Fred is winsome and down-to-earth rather than merely loud or eccentric: the humor comes from a body and personality that seem to move faster than the court can keep up. A grape gag and a hip-thrust sequence give the performance its broad, revue-like comic energy.
Foster also makes Fred’s self-possession feel compatible with her romantic hopes. In a Broadway.com interview on August 13, 2024, Foster described playing the part by saying, “I get to be completely free,”. Adapter Amy Sherman-Palladino said on opening night that the story was about “bringing out Fred’s dream of what would make her happy.”
Rank #2
- P/V/G
- Pages: 416
- Instrumentation: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
The caveat is that a star performance cannot supply momentum to every scene. Both Amelia Merrill of New York Theatre Guide and Brittani Samuel of Broadway News singled out Foster; they also observed that the show loses energy when Fred is offstage. Her work is a persuasive reason to watch this revival, not a cure for its underlying structural weaknesses.
Where the production charms—and where it falters
Directed by Lear deBessonet and adapted by Sherman-Palladino from the book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer, and Dean Fuller, the revival preserves the show’s old-fashioned musical-comedy spirit. Mary Rodgers’s score, with lyrics by Barer, gives it familiar theatrical pleasures. Merrill found “Shy” and “Song of Love” memorable, but felt that other numbers faded from memory; Samuel was more receptive to the light, family-friendly spectacle.
Rank #3
The disagreement is not over whether Foster stands out, but over how much the production’s charm compensates for its limitations. Samuel welcomes the bright costumes, inclusive spirit, and accessible pageantry. Merrill argues that the show’s structure remains a problem, especially at the act break and in an abrupt resolution, and that contemporary slang does little to fix it.
The staging carries over the Encores! production’s concert origins: scenic elements are minimal, while a live conductor and orchestra contribute a playful, brassy sound. That setup can make the evening feel lively, but the stage can also seem crowded, with performers and musicians competing for room. The result is an energetic show whose visual and musical bustle does not always become dramatic momentum.
Who is in the revival?
Foster played Princess Winnifred, with Michael Urie as Prince Dauntless and Ana Gasteyer as Queen Aggravain. The principal company also included Daniel Breaker, Will Chase, Nikki Renée Daniels, David Patrick Kelly, and Brooks Ashmanskas. The production transferred from New York City Center Encores! to Broadway.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How long is it, and is it appropriate for children?
Listings give the running time as two hours and 15 minutes, including intermission. New York Theatre Guide describes the show as generally suitable for families, while noting sexual references and audience-directed prop antics. BroadwayWorld lists an age recommendation of 5+. That is a source’s guidance, not a guarantee that every child or family will be comfortable with the material.
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When did the Broadway revival run?
The production opened at the Hudson Theatre on August 12, 2024, after previews began July 31, and closed November 30, 2024. IBDB records 13 previews and 128 performances. Those dates describe a completed engagement; they are not current ticket information.
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