Like a car started on a cold Albertan morning, it took a little while for the Olds High School Drama Club's production of Once Upon a Mattress…the story of the Princess and the Pea to warm up and pick up speed.
But once it did, the production cruised along nicely.
The musical tells the story of a faraway kingdom where no one can marry until Prince Dauntless (Brian DeLong) finds a wife.
While he's ready to take his vows, his mother, Queen Aggravain (played with a delicious dose of manipulation by Danielle Prevost) would like to keep Dauntless' matrimonial bed empty.
The situation seems grim for Dauntless until Princess Winnifred, played by Erin Schultz in some productions and Jessica Hammer in others, arrives in the kingdom.
Aggravain decides to test Winnifred's worthiness for her son by placing a pea within the tower of 20 mattresses Winnifred sleeps on in the royal castle.
If Winnifred can't sleep, she has the sensitivity of a princess and can marry Dauntless.
If she sleeps the whole night through—which Aggravain tries to assure through a number of schemes—Dauntless remains a bachelor.
During the performance attended by the Olds Albertan for this review, Hammer was playing Winnifred, or Fred as Dauntless decides to call her.
With the sunniest of dispositions and an energy that picked up the entire show once she appeared on stage, Hammer injected the heart and soul into the production.
While her supporting cast was strong, Hammer stole her scenes and kept the engine of the musical moving along at times when pacing problems held other aspects of the production back.
Accentuating the strong performances of Hammer, Prevost, DeLong and Maeghan Wild as the silent King Sextimus are the outstanding medieval-style costumes prepared for the production by Beverly Toews.
The details and costumes of every character's wardrobe stood out against an equally fantastic set.
Art director Renu Mathew and her scenery crew deserve credit for much of the production's vibrant tone.
Hopefully, some of the technical problems that hampered the first two performances will be ironed out by the time the production returns to the stage this weekend.
Beyond that, director Rhonda West's vision of Once Upon a Mattress is engaging and her cast lives up to the task of bringing the world of Dauntless and Winnifred to life.
Once Upon a Mattress's final shows take to the stage at the TransCanada Theatre on November 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and are available at the OHS office, by dialing 403-556-3391 or at www.oldskiwanis.org/concert.htm.
