They're so lucky! They're stars! But no one's crying, because the Britney Spears-inspired musical Once Upon a One More Time finally opened on Broadway June 22 at the Marquis Theatre. On the opening night red carpet, the cast and creative team of the show were joyful, and a little bit relieved. Many of them had been with the show for the entire six years of its development, including through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Says Justin Guarini, who plays Prince Charming, "It's been a six-year journey for me, and I couldn't be more proud of what we have, and the people that I get to work with. The amazing creative team that has come in and really shaped us into Broadway's best party."
Aisha Jackson, who plays Snow White, summed up her feelings simply as, "I am grateful. I'm overjoyed. I'm excited to finally share this with New York audiences. It's been a long time coming in."
Once Upon a One More uses the music of pop performer Britney Spears, with a book by Jon Hartmere, to tell the story of a group of fairytale princesses. Tired from having to tell the same story over and over again, they are inspired to break out of their restrictive boxes after the fairy godmother gives them a copy of Betty Friedan's seminal feminist text The Feminine Mystique.
For Brooke Dillman, who plays the fairy godmother (also called, "the Notorious O.F.G."), Friedan and Spears go together better than you would think. "I think Britney Spears and Betty Friedan would have gotten along terrific," the actor explained. "Because [Britney] never gives up. And to be at the height of your craft when she was so young, and just continue that on and have a career like that—it's just inspirational to everybody." What would she say to the Princess of Pop? "Thank you Britney for the songs for this show. Because wow!"
Below, Playbill played a game of True or False: Britney Edition. See how well the cast of Once Upon a One More Time know their Britney facts, and scroll down further to read more reflections.
In order to create a Britney Spears-inspired show, one needs to be a Britney fan. And luckily, the show's directors and choreographers, couple Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid, fit the bill.
Says Mari, "We all are millennials, so we're naturally inspired by that generation of music and dance. So, I think it's just kind of part of our language. It was a natural fit."
The couple's choreography isn't what you would call classical jazz hands. They come from the modern dance world; their work is inspired more by pop music videos and hip-hop, with sharp movements and dynamic formations. Keone is grateful they did not have to sacrifice their style for Broadway. "The Broadway community has accepted that. Internally, the company desired that. So we feel so grateful that our style's working in this space, because it's not usual."
The cast members of the show are also longtime fans, having grown up with Spears' music. Enthuses Lauren Zakrin, who plays the Little Mermaid and literally finds her voice as the show progresses, "I'm a die-hard Britney Spears fan. I grew up with her. I dare to say she was my first inspiration. So I want to sing and want to perform and move my body...It's unbelievable that I'm doing this exact job. It's just a perfect fit."
The decision to use fairytales as the base for the story, instead of doing a bio-musical, came from Spears herself. "She loves fairies. This is what she wanted," says Tony nominated actor Jennifer Simard, who plays the Stepmother and came prepared with Spears facts. "I'm just so glad Broadway gets to honor her. Because she was a theatre gal too, do not forget, in Ruthless!" Indeed, Spears was in the Off-Broadway cast of Ruthless! in 1992, where she and Natalie Portman both understudied the role of Tina Denmark, who kills her classmates so she can be the lead in the school play (Tina was played by Laura Bell Bundy). Adds Simard, "I'm so glad we can do this in homage to her."
The cast were also quick to point out how the show's feminist themes pair perfectly with Spears' songs, from the empowering anthem "Stronger" to the motivating "Work Bitch" to the vulnerable balled "Everytime."
"It all aligns so perfectly," says Briga Heelan, plays Cinderella, the person who leads the princess rebellion. The character is particularly special to Spears, who wrote a song titled "Cinderella," which is featured in the show. Says Heelan, "Britney grew up throughout her music and she made music about so many different things, with incredibly clear points of view—songs about being in love, having regrets, making mistakes, being angry, being overjoyed, being hurt. Her discography, it just runs the gamut of all of these things, and they're all rooted in this like, continuous discovery of who she is. And that's in our show."
The show also unintentionally parallels Spears' own life—where she was placed against her will into a conservatorship by her father, James P. Spears, who controlled her every move personally and professionally. How the singer broke free of it is not unlike how the fairytale princesses break free of the repressive patriarchy in Once Upon a One More Time. Perhaps Spears herself is aware of it, since she posted on Instagram that the show was "funny, smart and brilliant" and sent her well-wishes to the cast and crew.
Says Morgan Whitley, who plays Princess Pea: "She's an incredible woman herself, incredibly strong and versatile. She's been through so much. I love that the seed of this musical came from her."
Actor Ryan Steele had a lovingly blunt summation of Spears: "She's a badass. She's a badass human. A badass artist." Steele plays Prince Erudite, who in the show breaks out of his own prescribed box by falling in love with a man instead of a princess. "She's overcome so many obstacles. We've finally seen her really hone in on her voice and take ownership over her life. And we all celebrate that every time we go on stage. Her spirit's with us."
And with those words, the cast of the Once Upon a One More Time entered the Marquis Theatre because it was time to get to work (bitch).
The cast of Once Upon a One More Time includes Briga Heelan (Great News) as Cinderella, Justin Guarini (American Idol, Wicked) as Prince Charming, Jennifer Simard (Company, Mean Girls) as the Stepmother, Adam Godley (The Lehman Trilogy) as the Narrator, Brooke Dillman (The Office) as The O.F.G. (Original Fairy Godmother), Aisha Jackson (Frozen, Paradise Square) as Snow White, Ryann Redmond (Frozen) as Stepsister Belinda, Tess Soltau (Wicked) as Stepsister Betany, Mila Weir and Isabella Ye sharing the role of Little Girl, Ashley Chiu (KPOP) as Sleeping Beauty, Gabrielle Beckford (The Prom) as Rapunzel, Nathan Levy (Dear Evan Hansen) as Clumsy, Ryan Steele (Newsies) as Prince Erudite, Joshua Daniel Johnson (Sneakerella) as Prince Brawny, Kevin Trinio Perdido (Almost Famous) as Prince Mischievous, Mikey Ruiz (Beyond Babel) as Prince Gregarious, Josh Tolle (Kinky Boots) as Prince Suave, Stephen Scott Wormley (The Lion King) as Prince Affable, Morgan Whitley (American Psycho) as Princess Pea, Lauren Zakrin (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Little Mermaid, Liv Battista as Belle, Pauline Casiño as Esmeralda, Selene Haro (Beyond Babel) as Gretel, Amy Hillner Larsen (The Marvelous Wonderettes) as Goldilocks, and Justice Moore (Hamilton) as Red.
The cast is rounded out by Matt Allen (Escape to Margaritaville), Jacob Burns (Hamilton), Salisha Thomas (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), and Diana Vaden (Tootsie).
Keone and Mari Madrid are directing and choreographing, leading a creative team that also includes creative consultant David Leveaux, scenic designer Anna Fleischle, costume designer Loren Elstein, lighting designer Kenneth Posner, sound designer Andrew Keister, projection designer Sven Ortel, and wig designer Nikiya Mathis. Casting is by Hardt Casting.
Once Upon a One More Time launched its digital lottery May 12 through Broadway Direct. A limited number of $47 tickets will be available for each performance. Lottery entries will be accepted starting at 9 AM the day prior to the performance until 3 PM the day prior to the performance. Once the lottery closes, winners will be notified within minutes and will have one hour to claim and pay for tickets. Seat locations and number of tickets awarded by the lottery are subject to availability, and some seats may be partially obstructed. There is a limit of one entry per person per day and a limit of two tickets per entry. To enter and for more specifics, click here.
Once Upon a One More Time previously played a run at Shakespeare Theatre Company in 2021.
James L. Nederlander and Hunter Arnold produce.
