ONCE UPON A MATTRESS TICKETS AVAILABLE

Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming production of “Once Upon a Mattress” which will be presented at the Estherville campus of Iowa Lakes April 3-5, at 7:30 p.m.

More than 60 community residents and students from Iowa Lakes Community College have spent the last few weeks preparing for the show.

Tickets reservations may be made by calling (712) 362-7972 or e-mailing Judy Klunder at jklunder@iowalakes.edu. Messages may be left anytime – day or night. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. The last several productions were sold out all three nights…so attendees are encouraged to make their reservations early.

"Once Upon a Mattress" is a charming musical spoof that is set in "a castle somewhere" and takes place "Many Moons Ago," although there is a reference to 1428. Woven into the main story are several funny subplots involving a colorful cast of characters including a mute king under a curse, a soft-shoe tap dancing jester, a wizard who really just wants to do stage magic and the beautiful Lady Larken who has…a problem?

As the story goes, Prince Dauntless must have his mother's approval of any princess he is considering to marry. The queen has succeeded in nixing an even dozen, much to the dismay of the ladies-in-waiting who cannot marry their own sweethearts until the prince has taken a bride.

Enter Princess Winnifred, or "Fred" for short, who's determined to marry the prince. But first she must pass the queen's test. Unknown to the princess, a tiny pea has been placed under a stack of 20 mattresses. If the princess is sensitive enough to feel the pea, she is, indeed, a true princess and suitable to wed the overjoyed prince.

Dillon Bennett (Iowa Lakes Community College) sings her heart out as ‘Fred.’ Madison Hargett (Iowa Lakes Community College) is portraying Lady Larken. Male singers are outstanding in the following roles: Michael Wilbur (Iowa Lakes Community College) as Prince Dauntless; Jedd Sherman (Spirit Lake) as the minstrel; Kyle Koenecke (Iowa Lakes Community College) as Sir Harry; and John Wallace (Ruthven) as the jester.

The queen is stalwartly played by Jeannene Larson (Estherville). The mute king is a hoot as portrayed by Daniel Yonker (Jackson, Minn). The wizard is brilliantly played by Joe Wilson (Arnolds Park).

Based on the book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer, with music by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Barer, the story ends happily and will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Attending one of the three shows is a great way to enjoy a quality production while supporting local college and community actors. But act soon; since the performances are sure to be sold out.