Ullman, Not Winokur, to Star in ABC Mattress

A new TV-movie of Once Upon a Mattress, once mentioned as a vehicle for Hairspray Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, has found a new star. Tracey Ullman will now play Princess Winnifred in the musical opposite original Broadway Winnifred Carol Burnett as Queen Aggravain. Kathleen Marshall, who won a 2004 Tony for her choreography of Wonderful Town, is set to direct.

"I'm bummed that I can't do it," Winokur, who is currently starring in the Los Angeles production of Hairspray, told Broadway.com. Although the rising actress was originally offered the role of Winnifred, her busy schdule kept her from signing with the project. In addition to her commitment with Hairspray, Winoker is set to star in and produce the feature film Always a Bridesmaid for New Line Cinema. "I really wanted to work with Carol Burnett and I'm a huge fan of Tracey Ullman and wish the production all the luck in the world," Winokur said. "Maybe I can star in the next Broadway revival instead!"

Ullman is best known for her sitcom The Tracey Ullman Show, which ran from 1987 to 1990 on the Fox network and won her three Emmy Awards. She first made a splash on the British stage in Four in a Million in 1981, an improvised comedy at the Royal Court Theater for which she won a London Critics Award. She also appeared in the West End musicals Elvis, Grease and The Rocky Horror Show. In New York, she made her stage debut in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of The Taming of the Shrew and also headlined the short-lived The Big Love on Broadway in 1991. Recent television appearances include the HBO series Tracey Takes On... and a recurring role as an unorthodox therapist in Ally McBeal.

Once Upon a Mattress is set to start filming in September in Vancouver.