In 'Once Upon a Mattress,' Michael Urie isn't your typical Broadway prince

The Ugly Betty star is a king of comedy on screen and stage, but he's bringing those skills into romantic-lead territory in this fairytale musical.

In the world of medieval musicals, Michael Urie is climbing the ranks fast. Last fall, the Ugly Betty and Shrinking star stole the show as Sir Robin in the first Broadway revival of Spamalot. When he hung up his knight's armor in January, it was to become a prince in the "Princess and the Pea"-inspired classic Once Upon a Mattress, first off Broadway at New York City Center and now at Broadway's Hudson Theatre through November 30. Talk about a dream promotion.

"I get to be a prince on Broadway, and that's something I did not expect," Urie enthused. "I'm really grateful and proud."

Self-describing as "not really" a dancer or singer, but passionate about musical theatre, Urie has long kept a mental list of shows he could tackle: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (his 2012 Broadway debut), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (New Jersey, 2015), Jersey Boys (specifically as Bob Crewe, yet to be released). He carved himself a niche in comedic supporting roles, Sir Robin being the latest.

Then came Prince Dauntless. In both the original Mattress script and this revival's adapted one by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dauntless is stunted in adulthood and love by his mother, who keeps him (and the rest of the kingdom) from marrying. When Winnifred (nicknamed Fred and played by two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster) appears straight from a swamp, she immediately steals Dauntless's heart and shakes up everyone's idea of what royalty can be.

Similarly, with a baby face perfect for conveying both boyish charm and pure silliness, and without needing sky-high notes to wow the audience (Foster's got those covered), Urie is proving his skill set works in romantic lead roles. He's not only redefining the Broadway prince, but also his own possibilities as an actor.

"This [role] wasn't on my radar, but it should have been," he said. "Getting to play flirtation and romance, learning about love and what happens when two people have this romantic connection, is really, really fun."

Urie spoke more to New York Theatre Guide about his journey with Once Upon a Mattress below.

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Did you expect this production to transfer to Broadway?

I remember there being some rumblings when when we did it before, but [...] there's a joke about Broadway shows: I don't believe that a Broadway show is happening until it's closing. I certainly hoped it would move, and [New York City Center's musical revival series] Encores! does have a great track record — this team had moved the revival of Into the Woods.

And I had such an amazing time doing it. I certainly didn't feel finished with it when we closed at City Center.

Now that you've had more rehearsal time, are you doing anything new with Prince Dauntless for Broadway?

Our director, Lear deBessonet, and I have found a really wonderful arc for him. He definitely changed in the first run. When Winnifred shows up in this kingdom, it rocks everyone's world [...] but Prince Dauntless more than anyone. We got more specific about what that is, and it manifests in some really wonderful emotional and physical ways.

Like what?

If we're doing it right, you watch him become a man. He's basically a boy — a 40-year-old child who suffers from arrested development. By the end of the show, because of Winnifred, he grows up and becomes a man. Still a playful, childlike man, but a man.

What is it like to work with Sutton Foster?

Oh, it's so fun. It's different every night. We have a little bit of freedom in terms of our timing and our interactions and physicalities with each other.

She's so free. She's also one of the nicest people in the whole world and cares about you and looks you in the eye. I had worked with her before, so I knew this going into it. But on stage, it's even more electric to be around her. You feel safe. You feel more at ease in front of 1,000 people.

Are musical comedy roles something you've actively sought out at this point in your career? From Spamalot to Mattress, there's a trend!

I did go after Spamalot. I said, "I know they're doing Spamalot, they cast a few people — did they cast Sir Robin" — the role I knew I could play?

This one came out of nowhere. I didn't know this show. I didn't know this role. I had seen it before, but I didn't remember Prince Dauntless. When they came to me, I said yes immediately before I even looked at it because of Sutton and because Encores! is cool, and I was a fan of Lear and [choreographer] Lorin Latarro.

I do gravitate towards comedy, but I also think things happen when they're supposed to happen. This medieval musical phase I'm in, it's part of the world needing this kind of entertainment. It's always nice to have an old-fashioned musical on Broadway. This one certainly is this wonderful throwback, a reminder of how funny musicals have been for a long time.

When you got more familiar, did you think, "I can play Dauntless"? Or did anything still, ahem, daunt you about the role?

As soon as it came my way and I read the script and listened to the old recordings, I was like, "Oh, no, I can sing this. I can play this. This is a good part for me," and I'm so grateful someone else had the idea. I'm so grateful that Lear thought of me because it would have snuck past me.

What was your first exposure to Once Upon a Mattress?

When I was in high school, the middle school I graduated from did it, and I went. I loved it, but I remembered there was a mute guy, [the song] "Shy," and [the line] "You swam the moat?" I didn't really remember anything else.

I knew Carol Burnett [originated the Winnifred role]. I knew there was another version with Tracy Ullman, but I never saw any of those. And then a couple years ago, The Transport Group did one off Broadway with Jackie Hoffman as Fred. Which was a really great concept, the idea that Fred was older [...] because the queen has been holding on to her power all this time. It's an interesting thing about the show: There's no kids in this kingdom, because [the prince hasn't] been allowed to get married his whole life.

What is this production's take on Once Upon a Mattress, with Amy Sherman-Palladino's updated script?

It plays not unlike an episode of Gilmore Girls in that they're delightful characters who speak quickly and on top of each other and finish each other's sentences.

The biggest thing is that our Fred is so dirty when she comes out of that moat. The original production was very 1960s, very swinging and cool and clean. Maybe there's one little strand of seaweed that she tosses off. Our Fred is filthy, covered in mud, and it's so disgusting. What would happen if a woman really swam through a moat?

Has anyone said anything meaningful to you about your performance or the show? Carol Burnett told Sutton she was a perfect Winnifred!

Every night on the autograph line, there are half a dozen or more people who have done the show. More than anything I've ever done, people did it in high school, people did it at camp, people did it in community theatre.

I just arranged tickets for a film producer I've worked with, and he said, "By the way, I played King Sextimus in high school." I was like, "I didn't even know you were a performer!" And the wonderful actor John Glover, he was just at our matinee, and he said he used to listen to the record as a kid. He brought himself today for his 80th birthday.

Have you ever had a theatre experience as an audience member that really moved you?

When I was a kid, one of the first things I ever saw was Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan and she flew out over the audience, and it was just so magical.

But I'm the kind of person who'll cry at a production number. I remember the first time it really happened: When I moved to New York, Bernadette Peters was doing Annie Get Your Gun, and [...] the opening number, "No Business Like Show Business," made me cry. And it's not sad. It was just, all those people moving together is moving.

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This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Top image credit: Michael Urie. (Photo by Jenny Anderson)
In-article image credit: Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)