Show featuring Britney Spears’ hits starts previews 5-13-23

Gabrielle Beckford (The Prom tour, Gloria: A Life at A.R.T.) will play Rapunzel, Ashley Chiu (KPOP at Ars Nova, She Said) is Sleeping Beauty, Nathan Levy (Dear Evan Hansen) is Clumsy, Ryan Steele (Newsies, Matilda the Musical) is Prince Erudite, Morgan Whitley (American Psycho, The Greatest Showman) is Princess Pea, and Lauren Zakrin (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812) is Little Mermaid. Rounding out the cast are Matt Allen (Escape to Margaritaville, Something Rotten!), Liv Battista (Billie Eilish Tour, Beyond Babel) as Belle, Karissa Bruno as Little Girl, Jacob Burns (Hamilton tour), Pauline Casiño (“Little Voice” on Apple TV, The Soul Spot) as Esmeralda, Selene Haro (Beyond Babel) as Gretel, Joshua Daniel Johnson (Disney’s Sneakerella) as Prince Brawny, Amy Hillner Larsen (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Hairspray tour) as Goldilocks, Justice Moore (Hamilton, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) as Red, Kevin Trinio Perdido (Almost Famous, Fire Island: The Musical) as Prince Mischievous, Mikey Ruiz (Beyond Babel) as Prince Gregarious, Salisha Thomas (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Josh Tolle (Kinky Boots tour, The Heart of Rock & Roll) as Prince Suave, Diana Vaden (Tootsie, Mack and Mabel at Encores!), Stephen Scott Wormley (The Lion King, “The Blacklist”) as Prince Affable, and Isabella Ye as Little Girl.

In an original story written by Jon Hartmere (bare, The Upside), Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid and other classic storybook characters gather for their fortnightly book club, when—oh baby, baby! —a rogue fairy godmother grants their wish for a new story, by dropping The Feminine Mystique into their corseted laps. The arrival of this new tome spurs a royal revelation: there is more to life than bird-made dresses and true love’s kiss! The ultimate revisionist fairytale for anyone who yearns to feel “stronger than yesterday,” Once Upon A One More Time weaves the chart-topping anthems of the Princess of Pop herself, Britney Spears – including “Oops I Did It Again,” “Lucky,” “Circus,” and “Toxic” – into a heartwarming and uproarious musical adventure about taking happily ever after into your own hands.

The world premiere production of Once Upon a One More Time played a sold-out, extended engagement at the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC), in Washington, D.C, from November 29, 2021-January 9, 2022, and was praised as “ingenious, and improbably funny” (Washingtonian). The musical was described as “an evening of buoyant delight” by The Washington Post critic Peter Marks, who also wrote in a feature on the production, “Once Upon A One More Time is one of the most ambitious new musicals in a theater world awakening to a creative new day – a most unlikely cultural mash-up, reframing a bevy of storybook characters in an enlightened, modern context.” NPR said the show, “combines fairytales, Betty Friedan and Britney Spears in a large-scale, Broadway way, resulting in clever, uproarious fun. Who couldn’t use a little more fun these days?” DC Metro Theater Arts raved the show is, “inspiring! A full-fledged, Grade A, gold star success… and exactly the party we need right now. It is as thought-provoking as it is toe-tapping, as clever as it is hilarious, as bold as it is shiny. I predict it will be an intergenerational smash.”

Joining the Madrids and Hartmere on the musical’s creative team are five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux (Nine, Romeo and Juliet on Broadway, NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE”) as Creative Consultant, Tony Award-nominated Scenic Designer Anna Fleischle (Hangmen, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Costume Designer Loren Elstein (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead), Tony Award-winning Lighting Designer Kenneth Posner (Wicked, Beetlejuice), Sound Designer Andrew Keister (KPOP, On Your Feet!), Tony-nominated Projection Designer Sven Ortel (Newsies) and Drama Desk nominated Wig Designer Nikiya Mathis (Death of a Salesman, Chicken & Biscuits). Casting is by Hardt Casting (West Side Story).

Once Upon A One More Time was originally developed and produced by Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington D.C. (Simon Godwin, Artistic Director; Chris Jennings, Executive Director).

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE

Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com/877-250-2929, or in person at the Marquis Theatre Box Office (210 W 46th Street).Groups of 10+ can call: 212-840-3890 or 800-714-8451. For performances through June 24, the playing schedule for Once Upon a One More Time is Monday–Saturday at 8:00PM, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00PM. Beginning June 27, the regular playing schedule is: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00PM & 8:00PM, Sundays at 3:00PM. Holiday weeks may vary, and there are no matinees on May 17 or May 24. Beginning September 5, the Wednesday schedule is 7:00PM only, and the Sunday schedule is 2:00PM & 7:00PM.