"Once Upon a Mattress" Time- Page 9

[DramaDork925]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:43pm

Thank God for Matthew Morrison's gorgeous voice because otherwise... urgh.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:49pm

Well I thought it was cute, not the greatest thing I've ever seen but I knew nothing about the show other than it was based on Princess and the Pea though from what you're all saying I perhaps wish I did know more...I enjoyed it.

[DG]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:51pm

So, I'm getting to watch this out here on the 'other' coast, and have read through the thread. Let's see if I have everything straight as to what to expect:

Carol is amazing and wonderful as usual, but she's completely overdone and inappropriate for the camera.
Dennis is funny, huggable and great, but entirely miscast.
Tracy is wonderful, funny and sings well, but she has no energy or comic timing and is too old.
Some songs that are the best have been cut, but it makes sense because they aren't needed - but the show is ruined since they aren't there.

I hope I have everything correct . . .

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:54pm

IT hought this was so cute lol. Im gonna buy the DVD because Im cool like that....hahah. Its not the best thing Ive ever seen but it's cute enough :)

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:05pm

I highly enjoyed the film.

I was dissapointed about cutting the minstrel and a lot of the Jester's material, but let's face it, all of the action with the Minstrel and the Jester just pull attention and focus away from the characters that actually move the story forward.

I mean, the Minstrel and the Jester, on stage, sing the same amount of songs as Fred, more tha Dauntless, Aggravain, HArry, or Larken, and the story is about those characters. "Very Soft Shoes", "The Minstrel The Jester and I ", and "Normandy" as it's presesnted in the stage show only distract from the actual story at hand, although they are great songs.

Performance-wise, I thought everyone was great. Tracy was really fantastic, her "Shy" was terrific. Zoey Deschanel's Larken was a highlight for me. Carol Burnett was pretty good, I thought she could have played it a bit bigger, but was delightful nonetheless, and I loved her new song. Matthew was hot and sang well.

My biggest complaint? THE WIZARD. OH MY GOD. SO ANNOYING. He just drove me crazy. And why the heck did they dress him as the nightingale? and his costumes were HIDEOUS.

Other complaints? Big boo to cutting "An Opening for a Princess". Other bad cuts were half of "Song of Love" and "Yesterday I Loved You" (however, I like "Normandy" better and I like that they kept it.) Also, "The Swamps of Home" was weirdly staged.

The movie wasn't fantastic, but I didn't think it was awful, was quite entertaining, and rather adorable.

[Feathah]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:10pm

Just starting to watch this (TiVO) and so far it's weird but fun. IMO.

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:17pm

Really...bad...

You can't take out the minstrel, and "Opening for a Princess" and "Very Soft Shoes" and have Sir Harry sing "Normandy"

and many, many other things.

Queen wasn't bitchy enough.

[Feathah]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:24pm

Okay a few more minutes have passed. It's not fun. It's just weird.

[Jovie24]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:32pm

I am watching it now. Did Tracy do her own Vocals or did someone else?

Drtheatre

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:34pm

Did anyone else completely missed Sarah Jessica Parker? I could not stand Tracey's sight or voice.

[Feathah]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:36pm

The sets are from a grade school production!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 10:54pm

I enjoyed watchin it. It certainly had faults but a cute movie anyways.

[overthemoon419]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 11:02pm

I don't think ANY production could make me miss SJP. Listening to her Winnifred is, in my opinion, the equivalent of slowly pulling my brain out through my eyeballs.

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 11:25pm

I thought it was cheesy fun, if not what it could have been. I don't think Mattress exactly needs a realistic setting, so I was fine with the Styrofoam Castle- but I could have done with a director or DP who knew something about filming musical numbers. But you can't say that's a problem unique to this movie- no one seems to know how to film a musical anymore.

My dad of course had to remind me of that episode of Law & Order in which Denis O'Hare played some sort of creepy religious fanatic.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 11:32pm

How was Dennis miscast? I thought he was perfect. I suppose The movie has sort of this creepy vibe to it, because all the protagonists are older than the age their characters act. But it gave it a funny edge for me.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 12:06am

I thought it was fantastic.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 12:30am

I like the creepy edge. It's supposed to have that edge. Everyone in the kingdom is sex-starved.

Yes, Tracy did her own singing. She's a well-established recording artist, actually.

And Tracy is SO much better in this role than SJP. The latter was too gentle and meek. Tracy gave us a damn good Fred.

And again, I agree with someone else on Burnett, she could have been a bit bitchier and bigger.

[defying_gravity2]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 12:40am

I thought it was cute. I liked it for what it was. Matt looked very attractive, by the way.

[ThE nEw KiD]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 12:46am

That was awful. It didn't have the spark Cinderella had. Also, whoever that was playing Larkin was TEEEEEEERRIBLE! How did she get that role?

Marc Platt produced this so I wouldn't be surprised if THE WIZARD and I line was intentional.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 12:50am

I thought it was subpar, in every aspect, all of the singing was a little weak, carol butchered Sensitivity, and tracy and dennis were both too old.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 1:31am

I liked it. It didn't take itself too seriously. I thought the cast was divine, and the general product to be enjoyable. I'll be buying the DVD. Glad to see a fun musical that is just out for pure fun.

[elimeyer]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 1:41am

It was fluffy, made by Disney, so expected. It also seemed to be redone for a younger audience.
All in all, not terrible....
But, a let down for all the wait...
-elli-
Chanukah @ Don't Tell Mama!!!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 1:42am

I thought so too,BobbyBubby. I viewed it the same way. I also found it very refreshing after the absolutely dreadful Music Man. Just shows that if you don't cast something correctly, no matter how good the material may be, the final product will NOT be enjoyable. Thankfully, I felt they casted this one correctly. I loved Carol Burnett, but mostly everyone enjoyed her. I liked Tracy Ullman a lot. And I liked everyone else a lot, too. Even Zooey Deschannel (that would be Lady Larken, most of you posters forget that the actress playing her has a name besides "Lady Larken chick" or something to that extent). I found her VERY lovely. My only real reservations were the beginning which I found cute, but a bit too "Disney-esque", and the framing (too many close-ups) in the beginning was a bit awkwardly done. But as it went on I felt Kathleen Marshall's direction improved.

[jackson992]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 2:27am

I loved Simplicity, also Tracy's opening song(Shy I think?) and also the song she sings alone in her room(? title)

[CompanyGuy]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 2:52am

Okay, my thoughts:
"Once Upon a Mattress" is an over-the-top musical. It harkens back to fairy tales and make believe. This is Disney we are talking about. This was the kids' version of the musical.
With that said...
Tracy, not the best singer... but she has comedic timing up the ying-yang. Just look into her roots. She and Carol come from the same type of back ground. And the age issue. I don't think she and Dennis were too old. IMO, that is what makes it funny. He is kept from marrying till his forties. Forty-Year-Old Virgin...
Dennis has a great quality to his acting. I saw his work in Assassins. I don't know his Oscar portrayal, but to me he fit perfectly. The subtle nuances are what make him likable and fun to watch.
Carol, she is know for her wackiness, especially in the facial area. She is a comedic genius in my book. And maybe her Queen wasn't bitchy, but she portrayed it like she thought fit.
I will say that I was disappointed in the cut songs. That is except "Very Soft Shoes". I love that song, but really in the show it doesn't fit. It does nothing to further the plot. It does further the jester's character, but why do we need to know?
I agree with the direction. Really I do. It was sloppy.
I will mention that I think that this show can be really dirty. HEHE. That is what appeals to the older audience. The whole underlying theme, is sex and marriage. It depends on the director and how far they want to push that theme.