There's more to the story of "The Princess and the Pea" than most people know.
The truth can be discovered in Warsaw Community High School Drama Dept.'s presentation of "Once Upon A Mattress" this weekend.
In the story, according to www.stageagent.com, "Due to an unhappy curse, King Sextimus is unable to speak. Meanwhile, his terror of a wife, Queen Aggravian, has taken over control of the kingdom.
"Most importantly, in an attempt to keep Prince Dauntless single, she has decreed that only the princess that can pass her test may marry her son. Further, no one else in the kingdom may marry until Prince Dauntless does.
"Lady Larken and Sir Harry are extremely disturbed by this fact since Lady Larken is now pregnant with Sir Harry's baby.
"Luckily, Sir Harry is able to find an amazing princess, Winnifred the Woebegone. She instantly catches the attention of Prince Dauntless, and in the end, is able to pass the Queen's supposedly impassable sensitivity test.
"When the Queen still tries to prevent the Prince Dauntless from marrying, he tells her to 'shut up,' which ends up breaking the curse on the king. Now able to speak, King Sextimus regains his rightful position as leader of the kingdom, and all is well."
Dana McAfee, WCHS drama teacher, said "Once Upon A Mattress" is based on "The Princess and the Pea" but "adds the humorous stories of all the characters around it. It's really funny, but it's not complicated."
"Once Upon A Mattress" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the WCHS Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $5 for students, and $8 for adults. Pre-sale tickets are available for reserved seating. For tickets, call the box office at 574-371-5040.
Cast members include Josh Savage as the minstrel; Maralee Frush, pantomime queen and chorus; Henry Robison, pantomime prince, chorus and lead dancer; Kiara Stewart, pantomime princess, chorus, lead dancer; Chance Parker, wizard; Liz Watson, princess No. 12, chorus; Hannah Bishop, Lady Larken; Kayley Herbruck, Queen Aggravain; Michael Kuhn, Prince Dauntless; Luke Secaur, King Sextimus the Silent; Lucas Thomas, jester; Antonio Mantey, Sir Studley; Gordon Blair, Sir Luce; Quinton Bolduc, first knight, chorus; Aaron Christenberry, second knight, chorus; Zack Rooker, third knight; Alli Tucker, Lady Rowena; Marisa Vogel, Lady Merrill; Vicki Betances, Lady Lucille; Derek Grose, Sir Harry; Grace Bagshaw, Princess Winnifred; Lucy Clements, Sir Luce's girl, chorus; Alex Deeter, Mabelle, chorus; Emily O'Daniels, nightingale, chorus; Jillian Burley, Lady H, chorus; Nichole Herendeen, first lady, chorus; Nakita Lollar, second lady, chorus; and Haley Coffman, third lady, chorus.Ladies in waiting and chorus include Elizabeth Ailes, Nikki Abel, Shelby Anderson, Brittany Florentine, Alex Floyd, Claire Hickerson, Jessica Hoag, Ashley Jones, Gina Klomfass, Summer Perry, Susanna Stichter, Mallorie Stiver, Joanna Taylor, Natalie Wilson and Allison Zigon.
Knights and chorus include Ryan Carmichael, Landen DeGraff, Louis Gervais, Matt Grothouse, Andy Johnson, Colin Rea, Conner Schue, Aaron Secaur, Spencer Slabaugh, Mark Southworth and James Tener.
