Coastal Rep - The Golden Bay Times

Once Upon a Mattress is a lively Broadway-style musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and a book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Barer, inspired by the classic fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea.” Set in a faraway kingdom ruled by a sharp-tongued queen with a talent for sabotaging romance, the story follows a shy prince who desperately wants to marry but cannot do so without his mother’s approval. Suitors and princesses from across the land have tried and failed to pass the queen’s impossible tests, leaving the kingdom’s knights and ladies in romantic limbo. Everything changes when an unconventional, outspoken princess arrives, drenched from a storm and brimming with confidence. Her bold spirit rattles the royal court, challenges the queen’s rigid expectations, and sparks a battle of wits that fuels the show’s humor and heart. Packed with clever songs, colorful characters, and playful medieval charm, this musical blends satire, sweetness, and show-stopping ensemble numbers into a spirited tale about authenticity, courage, and the courage it takes to be yourself.

Plaza Suite is a classic stage comedy by Neil Simon that takes place entirely in the elegant confines of Suite 719 at New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel, where three very different couples check in and serve up a blend of humor, heart, and human foibles across three distinct acts. In this theatrical triptych the audience follows a long-married pair trying to relive their honeymoon and rediscover some spark, a confident Hollywood producer attempting to charm his old high school flame with unexpected results, and a set of anxious parents desperately trying to coax their reluctant daughter out of the suite’s bathroom on her wedding day while a crowd waits downstairs; each scenario is spirited, witty, and sharply observed, revealing the quirks, regrets, yearnings, and comic missteps of everyday relationships. The play’s single setting gives it a clever unity even as the characters and situations change, and Simon’s sharp dialogue and keen sense of timing make the laughs roll and the reflections land, giving audiences a lively, engaging look at love, marriage, nostalgia, and the often ridiculous dance between past hopes and present realities in a way that feels both timeless and entertaining.