Stage roles are stress busters for Lenny Klompus, Gov. Linda Lingle's senior adviser for communications. "It's like a massage," he said of the relief and comfort a play brings.

Klompus was in a nonsinging role in Hawaii Opera Theatre's "South Pacific" summer production and now is mute in his portrayal of King Sextimus in Army Community Theatre's "Once Upon a Mattress," which opened last night at Richardson Theatre, where it runs for the next three weekends.

"I don't talk, but I 'sing' with my hands on one whole song," said Klompus, who has had to ramp up his body language and hand-signing without words. "But I do have eight (spoken) lines — at the very end of the play."

The silence is part of a curse by a witch that renders the King speechless. His kingdom is taken over by his wife, Queen Aggravain (portrayed by Tina Shelton), who has decreed that no one in the kingdom can get married till their son, Prince Dauntless (played by Pedro Haro), does. But the queen blocks every princess who might make a suitable bride.

Based on the enduring children's favorite, "The Princess and the Pea," "Mattress" is bedlam of sorts and is surprisingly family-friendly. It made Carol Burnett a Broadway star in 1959, when the late George Abbott tapped her as Princess Winnifred (portrayed in the Army production by Renee Garcia Hartenstein).

"On my day job, I'm always talking. So this is a stretch," Klompus said. For inspiration, he watched Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie" and Marcel Marceau tapes.

"For me, the most difficult thing has been the hand and facial movements," he said. "They're the impetus for others (actors) to do things; a gesture signals a line, and in rehearsal, I've forgotten a gesture, just as you forget a (spoken) line."

Not that he hasn't been practicing.

When he was fetching a soda at the state Capitol, he was making hand motions for his unsung song "about the birds and the bees, and these people looked at me incredulously," he said.

As the governor's aide, he often takes and makes cell-phone calls during rehearsal breaks. "You have to figure, we were in rehearsals at the height of Hurricane Flossie. More recently, there's been the matter of the Superferry."

Why does he make time for theater?

"It's a passion," he said. "As far as I can remember, I've always loved musical comedy; my parents took me to shows. It's a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the things you'd like to be but can't, so I get to play these parts on stage. Like a commander in the Army ('South Pacific') and now a king."

He clears his participation with the governor, who supports his off-duty endeavors.

"She encourages me to do (shows), since everyone needs an outlet," Klompus said. "And she's great about coming to my shows."

Work colleagues rarely rib him, but he anticipates some "when they see me in tights. Yellow tights," he said. "And I have new appreciation for women who put on pantyhose. Took me 10 minutes to get 'em on."

The speechless skills he's picking up also means Klompus is ready for a new challenge.

"I was never good at charades before," he said. "Now, I'm going to be terrific."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.