Medway High School to Present Once Upon a Mattress March 3 & 4

Medway High School will present the musical Once Upon a Mattress on Friday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 4 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The performances, directed by Kendra Nutting, will be held in the Dr. Arthur L. Bettencourt Auditorium at Medway High School, 88 Summer St. in Medway. 
Over 50 Medway High School students from grades 9-12 are involved in the production as cast members, dance ensemble, production crew and pit band. 
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy twist on the fairy tale ‘The Princess and the Pea’, but with some hilarious and romantic twists.
Senior Kate Whitaker plays “Fred,” or more formally, Princess Winifred.
“Fred is basically the epitome of a tomboy princess. She obviously doesn’t fit in. There are so many princesses that have been tested, and she’s from the swamp,” says Kate. “She’s very funny, and she kind of comes in to shake things up.” Kate says she finds it easy to relate to the character of Princess Winifred.
“She and I, our personalities are very similar. She’s kind of an over the top person, and so am I,” says Whitaker, who has performed in every Medway High School musical since her freshman year. She plans join the theatre troupe at Emmanuel College, where she’ll major in education and minor in music in the fall.
Senior Brianna Parrella plays Queen Aggravain, a role very unlike her own personality.
“Queen Aggravain is one of the rulers of this whole kingdom in court,” says Brianna. “She makes all the decisions. She’s bossy; it’s all about her way or the highway, and it’s just really fun to play someone like that, because there are not a lot of chances you can act an entitled self centered person without getting in trouble.” Parrella, who hopes to study music in college, explains, with a laugh, that’s not how she is “in real life.” For her character, she says, “Challenges in playing role: definitely I have to be stern with a lot of characters and very mean and a lot of these are my best friends. It’s hard to look at them and yell at them.”
Another lead in the play, Prince Dauntless the Drab, will be played by freshman Marek Woytaszek.
“He’s very dumb, but very funny and very loving,” says Woytaszek. “He cares about people but he’s just clueless.” Marek says he has experience acting before, in two middle school plays, but, he says, high school is more challenging.
“We have a lot less time and a lot more rehearsals,” says Marek. “Every day, from 3-6 sometimes. You really have to commit to it; You can’t blow it off. It’s a lot of fun though, and a lot of great people are doing it.”
This merry, medieval presentation also stars John Boujnane as King Sextimus. The Minstrel is played by Daphne Freeman and her sidekick, the Jester, by Carissa Barry Moilanen. Lady Larken and Sir Harry are played by Alyssa Palladino and Ross Dunsky.
Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2861979.  Tickets will also be on sale at the door until sold out – Cash and Credit ONLY.  All seating is reserved.  For more information and updates, visit us on Facebook at Medway High School presents “Once Upon A Mattress.”                                                       
Don’t miss this fairy tale parody with it’s catchy melodies by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Marshall Barer.  The audience will delight in the amusing performances of hits such as “Shy” and “Happily Ever After.”