The reviews are rolling in for the Britney Spears jukebox musical Once Upon a One More Time, which officially opened on Broadway on June 22 in the Marquis Theatre after beginning previews May 13.
When the fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of The Feminine Mystique in the laps of classic fairytale heroines, they're inspired to try and change their stories—all set to the soundtrack of songs made famous by the Princess of Pop. It features a book by Jon Hartmere (bare).
Leading the cast are 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, and Mila Weir and Isabella Ye sharing the role of Little Girl.
Joining them are 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.
Read the reviews here.
Associated Press (Mark Kennedy)
Broadway News (Brittani Samuel)*
Entertainment Weekly (Emlyn Travis)
New York Daily News (Chris Jones)
The New York Post (Johnny Oleksinski)
New York Stage Review (Frank Scheck, Sandy McDonald)
New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)
New York Theatre Guide (Gillian Russo)
The New York Times (Elisabeth Vincentelli)*
TheaterMania (Zachary Stewart)
The Wall Street Journal (Charles Isherwood)*
The Washington Post (Peter Marks)*
*This review requires creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
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.
Get a first look at the musical's stars below.
Aisha Jackson and Briga Heelan
Cast from Once Upon A One More Time
Cast from Once Upon A One More Time
Justin Guarini
Aisha Jackson
Briga Heelan
Justin Guarini, Briga Heelan, and Aisha Jackson
Brooke Dillman
Ryann Redmond and Tess Soltau
Ryann Redmond, Jennifer Simard, and Tess Soltau
Tess Soltau
Ryann Redmond
Jennifer Simard
Adam Godley
Jon Hartmere and Adam Godley, dressed as the Narrator in Once Upon a One More Time
