Once is enough for Broadway’s Britney Spears musical, ‘Once Upon a One More Time’

The Rundown

What happens when O.F.G. (the original Fairy Godmother) gifts Cinderella a copy of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique? The princess-to-be with only one shoe realizes that’s not all that’s missing in her life.

The premise of Once Upon a One More Time, a new Broadway musical inspired by the music of Britney Spears, hopes to rethink “happily after after” for the 21^st century with the help of Spears’ catchy catalog, Keone and Mari Madrid’s choreography that cracks the musical theater mold, and some over-the-top performances that turn the show into an eye-popping “Circus” that makes up for its flaws with plenty of “Scream & Shout.”

No Tea, No Shade

Early in Once Upon a One More Time, the Narrator (Adam Godley) says to Cinderella (Briga Heelan), “Listen, I’ve been doing this a long time. And believe me, if I change so much as an intonation, the children go full Rumpelstiltskin. They want things the same, every time… We’re not here to make fairytales, we’re here to follow them. Don’t overthink it.”

Follow that advice, and the musical — energized by the Madrid’s hip hop choreography packed with popping, krumping, and happy feet — delivers pop culture confection. Similar to & Juliet, the musical that imagines what might have happened if the child bride had survived Shakespeare’s tragedy set to the music of Max Martin, Once Upon a One More Time hopes to give its princess posse some agency in a fairy tale world reigned by polygamist Prince Charming (Justin Guarini).

It’s been 25 years since Spears burst onto the music scene with “…Baby One More Time,” followed by chart-toppers including “Womanizer,” “Circus,” and “Oops!… I Did It Again.” They’re all packed into the show, framed by Jon Hartmere’s book, which includes a gay romantic subplot between Prince Erudite (Ryan Steele) and Clumsy (Nathan Levy), a nod to Snow White’s entourage.

While the stakes are ideologically high (“Because these fairytales, they teach children how to see the world. What to fear. Whom to love.”), the musical fails to reign in the narrative beyond the broad strokes of a well-produced cruise ship revue.

To that point, though Guarini, Aisha Jackson as Snow White, and Jennifer Simard as the evil Stepmother (more on that soon) deliver thrilling renditions of Spears’ catalog, recorded backup vocal tracks add an overproduced, mechanical sound, diminishing the allure of seeing a Broadway show in the first place. At the performance I attended, some moments could have ranked on RuPaul’s worst lip-sync list.  

Let’s Have a Moment

If Anna Fleischle’s concert-like scenic design had more to chew on, Simard would sink her teeth into it. But that doesn’t stop the Broadway veteran (this is her eighth show) from making the most of the matchmaking Stepmother.

Fusing bits of Mae West, Bette Midler, and Jennifer Coolidge, Simard’s stratospheric vocal power turns Spears’ 2003 hit “Toxic” into a bring-down-the-house Act II highlight, punctuated by the Madrid’s choreography, which finally connects movement with the plot as she and the Narrator plan their otherworldly takeover.

The Last Word

Once Upon a One More Time is the latest complicated chapter in Spears’ resilient career. Fans rallied in 2009 with the hashtag #FreeBritney in response to the 2008 conservatorship put in place due to her mental health. That ended in 2021, but Spears continues to appear in the spotlight, most recently addressing the tumultuous relationship with her sister Jamie Lynn.

And for those wondering if this is another career manipulation, producers James L. Nederlander and Hunter Arnold confirmed that the show is fully authorized and licensed by Spears, negotiated and signed post-conservatorship. (Spears receives writing credits for 5 of the 23 musical numbers, along with below-the-title billing that reads “Based on the music performed and recorded by Britney Spears.”)

The Britney Army will likely say, “Gimme More.” For those simply looking for an energizing but ultimately forgettable night on Broadway, once might be enough for Once Upon a One More Time.

Once Upon a One More Time plays at the Marquis Theatre.