By JOHN FLEMING and MARTY CLEAR
Published January 15, 2004
Many musical theater fans are fond of Once Upon a Mattress, the 1959 show that was Carol Burnett's Broadway debut. With music by Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers), it relates the fairy tale of The Princess and the Pea, in which Princess Winnifred the Woebegone (played by Burnett) contends for the hand of Prince Dauntless the Drab. A 1996 revival starred Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker, and a made-for-TV production is now in the works with Marissa Jaret Winokur as Princess Fred.
Mattress, with Kathy Peacock and Christian Maier, above, as the young lovers, opens tonight and runs through Feb. 1 at St. Petersburg Little Theatre, 4025 31st St. S, St. Petersburg. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. $8, $16. 727 866-1973; www.splt.info
- JOHN FLEMING, Times performing arts critic
Looney links and high notes
If you've been yearning to hear Metropolitan Opera singers perform duets with Elmer Fudd, Saturday is your lucky day. What's Opera, Doc?, a family program conceived and produced by Lincoln Center, brings together live singers from the Met and familiar pieces of pop culture, including several Looney Tunes classics. The idea is to show kids that opera can be a hoot. Grownups ought to enjoy the live performances and get a nostalgic kick out of the cartoons. There's also a new five-minute opera and a singing lesson for the audience with Met tenor Scott Ailing. There are two shows, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Tickets are $12. Parking is free. Call (727) 791-7400 or visit the Web site rutheckerdhall.com. The show is recommended for ages 6 and up.
- MARTY CLEAR, Times correspondent
Pete Fountain makes a splash
Fans of Dixieland and swing will want to take in this weekend's Florida Orchestra pops program because it features Pete Fountain, the great clarinet player, in signature numbers such as Basin Street Blues, Up a Lazy River, Moonglow and Time on My Hands. Fountain, born in 1930, has been something of a national icon since the late '50s when he was featured weekly on The Lawrence Welk Show and opened his nightclub in New Orleans. He went on to make about 100 recordings during his long career. Susan Haig conducts the orchestra, which pitches in with bluesy selections from West Side Story and Night in the Tropics. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday at Ferguson Hall of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m. Saturday at Mahaffey Theater and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall. $21-$45. (813) 286-2403 or toll-free 1-800-662-7286.
