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Arts & Entertainment

Robinson Gets Colorful With "Once Upon a Mattress"

Students put together a fun production of a twisted fairy tale

Everything about the latest Robinson Middle School drama production was fun. Princesses tittered alongside watchful knights in the high-spirited "Once Upon a Mattress," a twisted musical retelling of the Princess and the Pea. The cast was clearly having a blast on stage, bringing boisterous group numbers to life with an energy that never seemed to sag.

Winnifred is the leading lady at the heart of the story, and Molly Wise brought the unusual princess to life with seeming ease. Her clear confidence on stage lent credibility to her charismatic character, and her voice shone in numbers like "Shy" and "The Swamps of Home." Prince Dauntless, played by Andrew Suarez, seemed as enraptured with her as the audience was.

Wise and Suarez were joined by a talented bunch of students, all excited to take to the stage. Sarah Marksteiner gave Queen Aggravain the appropriate does of motherly malevolence, while Will Rowson charmed as the jaunty Sir Harry alongside the lilting soprano performance of Rachel Ingle as Lady Larken.

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The entire cast lit up the theater, singing their hearts out and dancing everything from step routines to tap numbers. Pop culture references were snuck in throughout the play, including a memorable "Bad Romance" spellcasting session. The musical is heavy on group numbers and comedic material, daring to be a bit more racy than your average middle-school musical, and many laughs were heard from the effusive audience throughout the night.

The enthusiasm of the cast and crew was evident all around, with inside jokes peppering the biographies in the play program and fun cast photos lining the hallways outside of the auditorium. Everyone's hard work paid off in a performance that made at least one night feel as though it truly ended just as they do in fairytales: happily ever after.

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