Amy Sherman-Palladino and Sutton Foster can’t discuss trash. At least, not for the following 45 minutes, anyway. The pair are at the moment catching up on a Zoom name with Vanity Fair to debate their new Broadway present Once Upon a Mattress. Foster is at residence in New York City, the place, in just a few quick hours, she’ll don Princess Fred’s wig (full with grime and moss) for that night’s efficiency. Meanwhile, Sherman-Palladino is driving shotgun subsequent to her husband and collaborator, Dan Palladino, en path to Long Island to start out edits on their upcoming present Étoile. “Don’t say anything bad about me,” Palladino shouts from behind the steering wheel. “Alright, I’ll hold back,” says Foster, to which Sherman-Palladino quips: “We’ll have to do it on a different phone call.”
Sutton Foster and Company in Once Upon A Mattress.Joan Marcus
Foster and Sherman-Palladino have been working collectively for over a decade, first pirouetting their means by 2012’s single season of Bunheads, which Sherman-Palladino cocreated, wrote, and directed, and Foster starred in. Then got here 2016’s Gilmore Girls: A Year within the Life. And now it’s Once Upon a Mattress, the 1959 musical spin on “The Princess and the Pea” that facilities on the aforementioned brash and impartial Princess Winnifred (Fred for brief)—a task originated by Carol Burnett in her first star activate Broadway, and now held by Foster. Once Upon a Mattress is Sherman-Palladino’s personal Broadway debut, having tailored the unique ebook, written by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. (After concluding its off-Broadway run at NYC’s City Center again in February, the present is at the moment at Manhattan’s Hudson Theatre.)
“First of all, you don’t say no to Sutton Foster,” Sherman-Palladino explains on taking the leap to Broadway. “That’s important. I learned that a long time ago.” Foster’s Mattress costars embrace Michael Urie and Ana Gasteyer. “I’ve known for a long time that Sutton is half-Muppet. Jim Henson is stamped on her ass somewhere,” she says, whereas Foster laughs. “Watching Sutton perform is one of the greatest joys of my life. There’s so much that she can do, and I still think people haven’t seen a quarter of what is in her,” Sherman-Palladino continues. “I think there are certain talents that come along once-in-a-lifetime, and I have been very privileged to be along for the Sutton Foster ride. I will hang onto her coattails for as long as I can, until my arthritis makes me let go.”
Here, the 2 talk about how the present got here to be, their collaborative partnership, and additionally jazzercise.
Vanity Fair: Amy, what made you wish to adapt Once Upon a Mattress?
Amy Sherman-Palladino: Sutton’s textual content that mentioned, “Hey, do you want to adapt Once Upon a Mattress?” And I went, “Okay.” I drive a tough discount. It must be, at the least, a five-word textual content.
Look, I'll do something for Sutton. If Sutton mentioned, “You need to murder these people,” I wouldn’t ask why.
Quite frankly, there’s not a variety of considerate comedy elements for girls on the market, however this felt pure. In the road of comedians, it’s Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and Sutton Foster—they're the holy trio. It simply appeared like a no brainer. Then I forgot to inform my brokers, and they received some kind of deal memo, and they known as me in a panic. They’re like, “You agreed to this, and I don’t know if you know it’s a City Center show, so you’re only going to get three cents and a water bottle.” And I’m like, “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That’s fine.” They’re like, “But we can maybe go back…” I’m like, “You’re not going to go back. It’s City Center. I’m glad they have a curtain. Let’s do this. It’s Sutton. What are you talking about? Go away. Go back to the San Vicente bungalows, and enjoy yourselves there.” So, it grew to become this actually enjoyable factor that I might do for my woman, and then, immediately, it’s going to Broadway, and I’m like, “Oh, shit. Okay. I’m going to have to shave my legs for that one.” That’s the lengthy, sophisticated journey of me doing Mattress.
Sutton Foster, Amy Sherman-Palladino, and Ana GasteyerJoan Marcus
