Sutton Foster is At Her Best in ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

This will be a shorter than usual blog post, but having just seen ONCE UPON A MATTRESS — part of New York City Center’s Encores series — I find myself once again being blown away by Sutton Foster’s performance.  And this from someone who’s been a long-time fan.

Playing the wild “Princess Winnifred the Woebegone” —  a role that has been played in various productions by Carol Burnett, Imogene Coca, Tracey Ullman and Sarah Jessica  Parker — Sutton’s performance is pure fun… and it shows in every minute of the show how much she’s enjoying it.  Her perfect combination of comedic timing and top-drawer vocals really made her the perfect choice for this show… just before she takes on a troubled soul of a different kind:  “Mrs. Lovett” in SWEENEY TODD!

She’s also surrounded by a delightful cast:  Michael Urie as her suitor, “Prince Dauntless,” and Harriet Harris in a show-stopping performance as his mother “Queen Agravain.”  Cheyenne Jackson plays the ever-enthusiastic though slightly dim-witted “Sir Harry” and Nikki Renee Daniels soars (especially vocally!) as “Lady Larkin.” Tony-winner J. Harrison Ghee shines as the “Jester” with Francie Jue as the charming, bubbly Wizard.  

There are only a few performance of this show (which I hope upon hope will be made available for streaming down the road — or dare I dream transfer to Broadway next season?) but do catch it if you can.