Once Upon a Mattress in Adelaide Hills

Hills Musical Company are getting a little bit silly this month with their May 2026 production of Once Upon a Mattress! 

Once Upon a Mattress tells the story of the Princess and the Pea, but it is nothing like the fairy tale we've all been told. Princess Winnifred the Woebegone is the last hope for the young maidens and knights of the kingdom, who aren't allowed to marry until the darling Prince Dauntless the Drab finds a wife. Winnifred is the opposite of everything typical of a princess; embracing the silliness and the wonder found in the muddy swamps of everyday life. Thwarting the efforts of Queen Aggravain (Dauntless’ overbearing and conniving mother) at every turn, will Winnifred finally be the one to succeed in passing the test for Dauntless’ hand in marriage? 

Once Upon a Mattress tells the story of a fractured fairy tale, intentionally reversing gender norms and fairy tale conventions in every aspect of the story. The show embraces the beauty of being your authentic self, and proves that you don’t need to be a conventional archetype to find love, you only need to be yourself and embrace kindness. 

Molly Noel plays the titular role of Winnifred, expressing that she “absolutely adores playing Winnifred. I love that she isn’t even close to a standard princess and fits outside of every box. I’ve never related to someone more and while she is primarily comedic, she has so many layers and it’s such a blessing to show the audience this incredible character. comedy has always been something I’ve loved and getting to be in a show that pokes fun at fairytales with the most talented cast is the best feeling ever!”

Director and Choreographer Emily-Jo Davidson says what she loves best about this show is “the energy it brings! For both an audience and for the cast, and the constant opportunity for comedic relief and sense of community within its characters”. 

This community is felt deeply through the cast members of the production, with Megan Davidson (playing the archetypal princess with a melodramatic flair, Lady Larken) saying her “favourite thing about this show is the bond the cast and creative team built through a wild ride of rehearsals. No matter what boulder was thrown our way, we were always able to break through it together and come out stronger on the other side.” 

Ella Heywood-Smith (playing Queen Aggravain), also expresses that she loves being a part of the show, “because it brings me such happiness performing alongside such talented people. The show is so funny, and everyone works well to give every joke the laughter it deserves. I am constantly in awe of Emily-Jo Davidson and Matt Redmond (musical director) for working with the cast to bring such a fun show to life!” 

Once Upon a Mattress is playing at the Stirling Community Theatre until May 23rd, be sure to come along for a night full of laughs! 

Shows:

May 15, 16, 21*, 22, 23 at 7:30 pm, and 17th at 2pm 

* Thursday 21st is an Accessible Relaxed Performance, for more info email us at info@hillsmusical.org.au

Cast: 

Princess Winnifred - Molly Noel 

Queen Aggravain - Ella Heywood-Smith 

Prince Dauntless - Matty Turner

King Sextimus - Matthew Phillips

Lady Larken - Megan Davidson

Sir Harry - Thomas Sheldon

Cardamom the Wizard - Maximillian Maher

Jester - Bennett Blaine

Minstrel - Katy Driver 

Nightingale/Larken understudy - Sophie Schwab 

Ensemble/Winnifred understudy - Charlotte Turner

Ensemble/Aggravain understudy - Marine Frin

Ensemble/Dauntless understudy - Zachary Baseby

Ensemble/Sir Harry understudy - Josh Winkler

Ensemble/Jester & Minstrel understudy - Lachlan Stieger

Ensemble - Seb Calvert, Veronica Rogers, Brooke Stevens, & Clare Wilks. 

Bookings: 

https://hillsmusical.org.au/mattress/

Photography: Lily Rose Media.