J. Harrison Ghee, Nikki Renée Daniels, Cheyenne Jackson and More Join Once Upon a Mattress at City Center

Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee, Nikki Renée Daniels, Cheyenne Jackson, Francis Jue and David Patrick Kelly will perform in the upcoming New York CIty Center Encores! production of Once Upon a Mattress. The new cast members join Sutton Foster and Michael Urie, who lead the cast as Princess Winnifred and Prince Dauntless.

Ghee, who won a Tony Award for portraying Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot, will play the role of Jester. Daniels, who will play Lady Larken, was most recently seen in Company and played Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago company of Hamilton. Jackson and Kelly both appeared in the 2022 Broadway revival of Into the Woods; they play Sir Harry and King Sextimus the Silent, respectively. Jue, who appeared in the 2004 revival of Pacific Overtures and the original 2002 production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, will play the role of Wizard. 

The Once Upon a Mattress ensemble will also include Kaleigh Cronin, Ben Davis, Gaelen Gilliland, Jaquez, Morgan Marcell, Abby Matsusaka, Adam Roberts, Ryan Worsing and Richard Riaz Yoder.

Opening on January 24, 2024 for a special two-week run, Once Upon a Mattress wil be the first production of the 30th Encores! series at New York City Center, directed by Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet. The music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer, will be presented in a new concert adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). The show will feature choreography by Lorin Latarro and music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell.

Once Upon a Mattress will be followed by Encores! productions of Jelly's Last Jam in February and Titanic in June.