UKIAH, Calif. – The Mendocino College Theatre Department’s current production, “Once Upon a Mattress” is a raucous, entertaining re-envisioning of the “Princess and the Pea” with a heroine who, unlike the original, takes the bull by the horns and fashions her own Happily Ever After.

In the realm of fairy tale retellings, the play itself may not have the most inventive of plot twists, but who can resist a princess who swims a moat to catch her prince? Or story characters who answer to the names of Princess Winnifred Woebegone, Prince Dauntless the Drab and King Sextimus the Silent?

From the over-the-top antics of the Wizard (Shannon Sawyer), the chirrupy Queen Aggravain (Denise Doering), to the mostly silent (due to a curse that has rendered him mute), but very expressive King Sextimus, the large ensemble cast enthusiastically embraces roles that range from the slightly absurd to the downright comedic.

The result is a highly energetic production that’s sure to amuse and delight audiences of all ages.

It’s the 15th century in a faraway Kingdom, and Lady Larkin (Lindsey Chapman) is in a bit of a pickle.

She is pregnant but is unable to marry her gallant knight, Sir Harry (Eddie Haehl) because Queen Aggravain has decreed that no one in her land shall marry until her precious son, Prince Dauntless (August Kaster), has found a wife.

This, however, is turning out to be an impossible task as every potential bride has to prove herself to be a true princess by passing a test designed by the shrewish Queen.

“A princess is a delicate thing, delicate and dainty as a dragonfly’s wing. You can recognize a lady by her elegant air, but a genuine princess is exceedingly rare,” sings the Minstrel (Maria A. Monte) who also helps narrate the story.

At the play’s opening, 12 princesses have already tried and failed to win Queen Aggravaine’s approval, prompting Sir Harry to travel beyond the kingdom into the marshlands in search of a proper princess.

However, who shows up at the castle door – or over the wall, rather – is Princess Woebegone, wet and bedraggled after having just swum across the moat in her eagerness to meet the Prince, spunky and boisterous, and as undainty and indelicate as she can possibly be.

Much to Queen Aggravain’s chagrin, Prince Dauntless falls hopelessly in love with her. But of course, she must pass the test. In this case, a pea under a pile of twenty mattresses.

If Princess Woebegone sleeps undisturbed through the night, she’s not a true princess at all, and Prince Dauntless must remain haplessly single.

To aid the dastardly plot along, Queen Aggravaine throws a ball and demands that everyone dances the Spanish Panic (to tire Woebegone out) and spikes the princess’ drink with a sedative.

The ensuing dance numbers are a hilarious whirlwind of quick steps and mad cavorting as Woebegone alternately wields a weight over her head to showcase her strength, and drinks goblet after goblet of wine.

The cast exuberantly leads the audience through rompy, toe tapping tunes such as “Song of Love”, the amusing “Man to Man Talk”, and a rousing “Once Upon a Mattress” finale.

Most notable in their roles are Blare Elliot whose strong vocals and bouncy performance charmingly embodies the ever-jaunty and buoyant Princess Woebegone and Schuyler Marcier as the mute King Sextimus, humorously pantomiming his way through most of the show.

This being a fairy tale, the princess triumphs and wins her prince, but getting there is all the fun in this production.

“Once upon a Mattress” runs through March 31 in the Center Theatre at the Mendocino College Ukiah campus. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday March 31 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are available at the Mendocino College Bookstore on the college campus, at the Mendocino Book Co. in downtown Ukiah and also online at www.artsmendocino.org . Prices are $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors, and ASMC cardholders.

For more information, call 707-468-3172 or visit http://www.mendocino.edu/the-arts/theatre.

The Mendocino College Ukiah campus is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1969 musical, “Sweet Charity,” starring Shirley MacLaine, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, April 9, at 1 and 6 p.m.

Entry to the film is by donation.

Bob Fosse’s first film was nominated for three Oscars and adapted to the screen from the hugely successful stage version.

Standout numbers include “Hey, Big Spender” with MacLaine, Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly, as well as “The Rhythm of Life,” sung with relish by Sammy Davis Jr.

Fosse’s exuberant direction keeps things interesting, with glimmers of ideas and techniques which he would apply with perfection in his final opus, “Cabaret.”

The movie is sponsored by Karen Weston and Nancy Rhoades. Rated G. Run time is 2 hours and 28 minutes.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com.

One of the many challenges in life is in knowing where you're supposed to sit. I slid into the wrong pew at a funeral 40 years ago and still smart from the hard looks I got.

Here's a church pew poem by Bruce Pemberton, who lives in Palouse, Washington. It's from the literary journal Third Wednesday.

Autumn 2017

There’s coffee and pie
with a widow from the church.
Why do you sit
in the back pew? she asks.
I’m close enough, I say.
Can I sit back there with you?
I’ve always sat there, I tell her,
with my same two friends,
and their clicking oxygen pumps.
One sat next to me for years,
called herself my church girlfriend,
who metastasized, telling me she was
tired of waiting to die.
Now, there’s just my 88-year-old friend,
his pump echoing in the sanctuary,
and there’s that empty
space between us.
I’d like to invite the widow to sit there,
but I miss my dead friend’s laugh,
her loving stories about her husband,
and how we were always
glad to see one another.
I tell the widow all this.
What if I just sat there? she asks.
It’s a free country, I tell her,
and she smiles.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2018 by Bruce Pemberton, "Autumn 2017," from Third Wednesday, (Vol. XI, no. 2, 2018). Poem reprinted by permission of Bruce Pemberton and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2019 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1945 comedy-mystery, “The Thin Man Goes Home,” starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, March 26, at 1 and 6 p.m.

Entry to the film is by donation.

The fifth entry in MGM’s “Thin Man” series maintains the high production and story values of the first four.

Nick and Nora visit Nick's boyhood home in small town America, and, not surprisingly, find themselves embroiled in a murder plot that involves the mysterious painting of a windmill.

There’s plenty of Nick/Nora fast, witty dialogue to enjoy along with clever Asta, the wire-hair terrier, moments as well.

The movie is sponsored by Michael Lorenzini. Not rated. Run time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com.

‘TRIPLE FRONTIER’ ON NETFLIX

A heist caper with former members of Special Forces pulling off a big score is not a fresh, novel concept but Netflix’s “Triple Frontier,” graced with an excellent cast, is a highly watchable diversion.

The putative leader of old military buddies is Oscar Isaac’s Santiago “Pope” Garcia, who may no longer be wearing an Army uniform but can’t stay away from the action in his function as a mercenary working with police in Colombia tracking down drug lords.

In this capacity, and working with informant Yovanna (Adria Arjona), Santiago has become aware of notorious drug lord Gabriel Lorea (Reynaldo Gallegos), a vicious killer holed up in a safe house stashed with untold millions of dollars.

Returning to the states to catch up with his old war buddies, Santiago hatches a scheme to stage a heist of Lorea’s hideaway in the remote jungle area of Columbia, knowing his informant will provide useful logistical information.

Ben Affleck’s Tom “Redfly” Davis is the first one Santiago approaches. Though initially skeptical and reluctant to get involved, the recently divorced Tom, living in the garage of his own house, is barely getting by selling condos and he could use the money for his family.

William “Ironhead” Miller (Charlie Hunnam) spends time giving motivational talks to military recruits. Ben Miller (Garrett Hedlund) scrapes by as a cage fighter. Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal), a chopper pilot, has lost his license but not his skill set.

Santiago’s recruiting effort for the heist results in a certain amount of trepidation from his pals until all objections can be quelled. Moral dilemmas will surface once again when the going gets dirty and tough.

The stakes are fairly well defined by Tom when he tells the group that they can’t go back to a normal life after the heist because “what we are about to do is criminal” and “we don’t have the flag on our shoulders.”

While Santiago is the so-called mastermind behind the idea of stealing from a drug lord, the conflicted Tom proves to be the important linchpin to the operation as he demonstrates his talent for tactical planning.

After years of dedicated service to their country, the five buddies prove to be motivated by the desire to make up for lost opportunities to generate financial rewards that would normally come from hard work and commitment.

To some degree or other, they all suffer not only from returning to civilian life but from economic disparity relative to those who never donned the uniform and served in treacherous battles.

Setting out on a rogue mission in the South American jungle, the group is well aware they are headed to a war zone where no government is going to come to their rescue. The stakes are exceedingly high and there is no margin for error.

The heist planning is meticulous, and the help of Yovanna to provide insider knowledge of the compound is key, and yet her nervous behavior throughout should itself cause some doubts about the success of a mission fraught with peril.

With a smart game plan, the heist is pulled off as the crew uncovers the horde of seemingly endless bundles of cash hidden throughout the safe house. The getaway involves a shootout with Lorea’s thugs while one member suffers a bullet wound.

The hard part is a trek through dangerous lands as the group makes it way to another country for an escape by boat. Along the way the five buddies are forced to make difficult choices, putting everyone on edge and tempers often flaring.

Moral dilemmas arise when their getaway helicopter runs into trouble as it loses altitude due to the excess weight of its cargo. Crash landing on remote farmland results in unpleasant encounters with the villagers.

This is just the beginning of things going wrong after the tense heist had been executed according mostly to plan. Jeopardy for the team keeps mounting the closer they get to their escape destination.

“Triple Frontier” is great escapist fare and an engaging thriller. Putting the perils of the escape aside, the heist perpetrated by ex-soldiers is reminiscent of “Ocean’s 11” (the Sinatra version), only set in the jungle.

2019 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL UPDATE

The TCM Classic Film Festival returns to Hollywood from April 11 to 14 for four days of a wide range of programming themes, including the central theme of “Follow Your Heart: Love at the Movies.”

Fitting into the main theme is the screening of the iconic “Gone With the Wind,” the torrid romance between Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh during the onset and aftermath of the Civil War.

Stanley Donen’s “Indiscreet” stars Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in a romantic comedy about a hapless-in-love actress who falls for a handsome banker hiding a big secret about his marriage.

Among other milestones, the Festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” This column will soon preview more details on the highlights of the festival’s plans still being formulated.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

UKIAH, Calif. – The Ukiah Symphony Association takes great pleasure in announcing its selection of Dr. Phillip Semyon Lenberg as the new music director of the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra.

The previous director of 29 years, Les Pfützenreuter, announced his retirement from the symphony director position in December of 2018, effective at the end of the 2018-2019 season.

Dr. Lenberg has previously guest conducted throughout the United States, serving as apprentice conductor for the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the assistant conductor with Henderson Symphony Orchestra, a part-time instructor and guest conductor at San Francisco State University, and music director and assistant conductor at The University of Nevada Las Vegas.

He has been a rehearsal and cover conductor for Itzhak Perlman, Hilary Hahn, Sarah Chang, Oleh Krysa and others.

He has performed in Europe, Canada and North America as a conductor and instrumentalist, and has recently performed in venues including Notre Dame Cathedral, The Glenn Gould Studio of the CBC, Herbst Theater, Nourse Theater and SFJazz.

Dr. Lenberg pursued his undergraduate degree at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

He received both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and completed his teaching credential at San Francisco State University while student teaching at Lowell High School in San Francisco.

Dr. Lenberg is currently serving as professor and conductor of instrumental ensembles at Mendocino College in Ukiah. He will take up the baton beginning with the 2019-2020 season.

The Ukiah Symphony Association is a 503-C non-profit organization dedicated to supporting a community symphony orchestra and a regular symphonic concert series in Ukiah.

The Ukiah Symphony Association can be contacted at https://www.ukiahsymphony.org, by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and by phone at 707-510-1793.