Broadway Breakdown – "Matt Reviews: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. Yay, Nay or Meh?"

Host: Matt Koplik
Date: August 15, 2024

Episode Overview

In this solo review episode, Matt Koplik dives deep into the Broadway transfer of Once Upon a Mattress, originally an Encores! production. The main focus is a no-holds-barred assessment of the revival’s artistic choices, direction, cast changes, script updates, and how the production performs both as a City Center show and as a commercial Broadway venture. Known for his passionate and salty opinions, Matt dissects the show’s merits, its shortcomings, and what it says about Broadway’s current landscape—ultimately landing somewhere between "meh" and "fine," but with plenty of details and punch along the way.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: Encores! and Broadway Transfers

(00:00 - 15:00)

• Historical Note: Matt notes that Encores! was never originally intended as a launchpad for Broadway transfers—it was conceived as a way to showcase rarely-seen musicals: “Not necessarily meant to be a workshop for a Broadway revival. That was never Encores’ mission statement.” (07:24)
• In recent years, Encores! productions are now increasingly geared toward possible Broadway moves, affecting internal dynamics: “On the first day of rehearsal, everyone’s thinking: Is this going to transfer?” (16:25)
• Matt bemoans how the transfer fever takes away the original adventurous, low-stakes spirit of Encores!:

  “Now it’s become, ‘Which is the one that’s going to transfer?’ And when I tell you, that seeps into the productions themselves.” (16:02)

2. About Once Upon a Mattress

(15:00 - 22:00)

• Show’s Origins: The musical started as a little camp show, then beefed up for Carol Burnett’s iconic Broadway run—each character tailored to its original actor.
• Popularity Landscape: Mattress is “never far from our minds”; it’s popular in schools and regionals, plus multiple revivals and TV versions mean it’s hardly a “lost classic.”
• Original Qualities:

  “The score is better than the book—always has been, and it’s still better than this current book.” (35:24)

• Script Update by Amy Sherman-Palladino:
  • Combined Jester & Minstrel roles, cut some songs, and modernized/softened some humor and innuendo.
  • Matt finds the loss of “The Minstrel, the Jester and I” lamentable, though not unforgivable.

3. Encores! vs. Broadway: Visuals and Execution

(22:00 - 39:00)

• Minimal Scenic Transfer:

  “The entire physical production is pretty much exactly as it was at Encores. I think they’ve added about $20 worth of scenery. It is 95% the visual that we had at City Center.” (29:40)

• Color Palette & Choices: The gray and black set allows the costumes to pop, but Matt finds it "not impressive by any means."
• Expectation Shift:

  “The moment you take something to Broadway… there is now an expectation. If you are going to keep everything you had the first time because you want to keep it cheap, there has to be a specific purpose.” (1:29:40)

• On the move from Encores! to Broadway:

  “At Encores, you forgive certain things. On Broadway, you’re charging three times as much, you need more intention, more polish.” (1:31:30)

4. Casting: Hits and Misses

(39:00 - 1:03:00)

Returning Cast (from Encores):

• Sutton Foster as Winifred

  • Improved vocally from Encores (no longer has Covid, not double-tasking with Sweeney Todd rehearsals), but not “kicking the song’s ass” on “Shy.”

  • “She is just all over that stage, running around, splitting, kicking, jumping, leaping, stuffing her face with grapes.” (1:51:00)

  • “I find her Winifred to be a sensible 7.5, 8 out of 10. She could be a 10 out of 10. I think part of the disappointment is we all thought Sutton would be amazing, and it’s just not quite as amazing as I’d like.” (1:52:12)

• Michael Urie as Dauntless

  • MVP of the show; “big, specific, and tight” performance.

  • “He is big, he is specific, and he is tight. He never goes off the rails, always keeping the train on track.” (54:40)

• Nikki Renée Daniels as Lady Larkin

  • Lets loose more; finds some new comedic notes.
  • Limited by the underwritten nature of Larkin: “She is specific, she is tight. I wouldn’t say she’s big. Part of that is just… Larkin is very difficult to do that.”

New to the Broadway Cast:

• Anna Gasteyer as Queen Agravaine

  • Sings brilliantly; lacks the comic timing and specificity of predecessor Harriet Harris.

  • “She’s moving incredibly fast through her lines, going very high pitched—she’s not drawl, she’s not deadpan… she’s just sort of playing the killjoy.” (56:12)

  • Overqualifies the role vocally, but her “Elphaba finish” to “Sensitivity” feels tonally wrong.

• Will Chase as Sir Harry

  • Earnest energy, but “going big and tight, not specific.” Vocally miscast.
  • Recurring “spurs” gag—“such diminishing returns. It’s cute enough the first time… But then they keep talking about the spurs, and… it just gets weaker and weaker.” (50:14)

• Daniel Breaker as the Jester

  • “Tight; not big or specific. He’s coming at [the comedy] from, like, ‘I’m genuinely normal,’ but the jester needs to go along with the madness. His approach doesn’t jive with the actual material.”

• Brooks Ashmanskas as the Wizard

  • Brings signature comic physicality; suffers from lack of direction, sometimes shoehorning bits (“every now and then the character I’m playing is super gay”), but with less structure.

• General Directional Lapses:

  “I didn’t think any of them were given any kind of direction. Lear [the director] is good at casting and then letting her cast fly free.” “With comedy like this, you have to be big, you have to be specific, and you have to be tight. Only Michael Urie manages all three.” (54:12)

5. Direction, Staging, and Choreography

(1:03:00 - 1:33:00)

• Direction:

  “She’s not really one to be like, ‘Here’s your intention, or that’s not working, or this is messy, or this isn’t looking right.’ It is fly free, and if something’s bad, we’ll work it out.” (56:25)

• As a result, comedy rhythms and sightlines sometimes miss (“rookie mistake” examples).
• Choreography (by Lorin Latarro): Not “funny choreography”—serviceable, but doesn’t add comedic energy; mentions the scarcity of genuinely funny dance in Broadway musicals today.
• Physical Gags: Occasional fun bits (Sutton with grapes, Urie’s difficulty with stairs), but often blocked awkwardly (for example, sightlines are ignored on key bits).
• Pacing Issues:

  “Act one is 80 minutes long. That is insane… honestly, it should be one hour forty, no intermission, but alas…” (1:19:00)

6. Script Modifications and Humor Style

(1:33:00 - 1:42:00)

• Amy Sherman-Palladino’s script overlays: more bits, recurring gags (like the “spurs”); injects some modern humor, but sometimes tries too hard.
• Not as “naughty” as older versions—cuts some of the sexual subtext ("why are we so afraid of even insinuating sex?" (36:45)).
• Matt prefers the book and score as originally written; new adaptation neither improves nor fundamentally damages.

7. Audience and Critical Reception

(Throughout and especially 1:37:00 - end)

• Matt predicts the show will get positive reviews (“not because that’s how I felt, but that’s just because I feel like that’s where we’re at right now…") (1:23:40)
• Notes that initial euphoria from fans and critics for Encores! productions doesn’t always translate to lasting legacy:

  "These words that lose their meaning because people want you to believe that they just saw the thing. And as time goes on… you will be baffled at how quickly they are no longer part of the narrative." (1:37:12)

• Anticipates Mattress will not remain significant after its run closes.

8. Listener Q&A and Dream Casting

(1:42:00 - 1:54:00)

• Physical Production: Looks “minimalist”—actually “looks cheap,” not a “full scale revival.”
• Dream Casting: Shout-out to up-and-coming comedic women; proposes Bonnie Milligan or Julia Mattison for Winifred, Natalie Walker (future Queen Agravaine).
• Sutton Foster’s Comedy: She’s “as goofy as ever,” but could use more sharply defined direction.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Shifting Encores! Expectations:

  "Now it’s become, well, is this the one that’s going to transfer? Which show is going to transfer? And when I tell you that, that seeps into the productions themselves." (16:02)

• On Directorial Weakness:

  "What [director] Lear does well is she's good at casting and then letting her cast fly free. And that's all I'm really going to delve into on that." (56:25)

• On Anna Gasteyer’s Comedy:

  “She is just sort of playing the killjoy. And it’s disappointing because I think she can find that disdain if she gave herself the time.” (56:44)

• On the Visual Production:

  “If you’re going to be four black and white columns, place them in a way that gives sight lines, that gives me the illusion of a palace… If we’re going for a semi cartoon palace, make that the thing.” (1:34:10)

• Matt’s Final Evaluation:

  “It’s a fun time. It’s not an exciting time.” (1:53:10) “I just found it to be terribly meh and it’s disappointing. I was hoping for more.” (1:34:35)

• On Social Media and Theater Hype:

  “These words that lose their meaning because people want you to believe that they just saw the thing… and then they go away and you’ll be baffled at how quickly they are no longer part of the narrative.” (1:37:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00-07:15] – Encores! history, transition from archival to Broadway incubator
• [07:15-15:00] – Once Upon a Mattress backstory, why it’s not a lost classic
• [16:00-22:00] – Mattress as Encores! production and major script changes
• [22:00-39:00] – Physical production, color scheme, and expectations of “minimalist” shows
• [39:00-1:03:00] – Deep dive on new and returning cast; what’s working and what’s not
• [1:03:00-1:33:00] – Direction, choreography, specific comic and staging problems
• [1:33:00-1:42:00] – Script’s strengths/weaknesses, modernization, and audience experience
• [1:42:00-1:54:00] – Listener questions, dream casting, legacy, and critical context

Tone & Takeaways

• Matt is as acerbic, passionate, and detail-obsessed as promised—his tone is energetic, irreverent, and deeply knowledgeable. He’s candid about loving musical theater, especially when it delivers, but isn’t afraid to call out laziness or “meh” mediocrity.
• Emphasis on the importance of specificity and directorial rigor in musical comedy: “God is in the details.”
• The episode provides valuable context for how Encores! and Broadway interact, the unique expectations placed on Encores! transfers, and what makes or unmakes good musical comedy in 2024.
• Final assessment: Once Upon a Mattress is fine—not bad, not great, just... meh. Sutton Foster fans and Michael Urie admirers will still have a good time, but this isn’t the revival to change anyone’s mind.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode

This summary provides a full roadmap through Matt Koplik’s full-throated and sardonic review, from production context and cast critique to listener Q&A and industry commentary. The episode can be enjoyed both as a guide for current New York theatergoers thinking of seeing Mattress, and as a broader state-of-the-industry dispatch on Encores! and musical comedy standards. While skipping ads and pleasantries, this write-up gives you Matt’s clearest opinions (“it’s terribly meh and it’s disappointing”) and the nuts-and-bolts reasons why. Sutton Foster brings her signature spark; Michael Urie delivers a comic masterclass; but the show itself, like the set, feels like it’s going through the motions—with neither the ambition nor the polish Matt hopes for.

Notable Final Shout-Out: The episode ends with Matt plugging Bonnie Milligan as his dream Winifred, wishing for more “get fucking freaky” female comedians in American musical theater, and a hearty “don’t yuck your yum” for those who love the show anyway.