This family-friendly adaptation of this spooky, seasonal tale features a funny ensemble and allows kids to step into the action
How many productions can you honestly say climax in a chase scene through the forest atop two cardboard cutouts of horses? OK, so this might not be the scariest adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story, but it is a lot of fun and features audience interaction that allows children in the audience to step onstage and creatively engage with theatre.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the gothic story of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane (Alex Crawford). Ichabod lives in the countryside of Tarrytown and is deeply afraid of ghosts, especially the Headless Horseman! Despite his reservations, Ichabod attends the harvest party of Baltus Van Tassel (Rory Pierce) and Dame Van Tassel (Erin Bell) to court their daughter, Katrina Van Tassel (Emily Gomes). Yet, Ichabod is not the only one who attempts to woo Katrina; Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt also seeks her hand and taunts Ichabod. Brom Bones teams up with local ruffian Dani (Paola Miranda) to play a trick on Ichabod that will take care of him once and for all.
Along with serving as the production’s director, adapter, and performer, Rory Pierce also leads Miner Alley’s education wing and will be directing A Christmas Story and The Story of the Nutcracker for MAP later this year. Pierce’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story is straightforward and places a lot of emphasis on situational comedy in the narrative. Characters ride in on cardboard horses, the set is cheekily adjustable to reveal additional locations, and performers frequently break the fourth wall to crack jokes about the show’s plot directly to the audience.
One of the best parts about this production was how it got the children in the audience directly involved in theatre. Throughout the show, the actors would call the kids in the audience up onstage to participate in scenes with them. Kids are given the chance to act as schoolchildren in Ichabod’s classroom, animals on the Van Tassel farm, Brom Bones’ gang members, and are even invited to dance at the harvest festival with the whole crew. The children were featured throughout much of the production and were having a blast. Each time the actors asked for volunteers from the audience, cheers erupted from the kids as they raced toward the stage.
By the end of the performance, the kids in my audience had grown so comfortable that it started to feel like a production of Mystery Science Theatre, with children shouting callouts at the stage and the actors hilariously riffing back at their remarks. This is such an exciting way to get kids interested and excited about theatre. Miners Alley Children’s Theatre invites young people to not only attend a quality theatre production but try their hand at acting in a low-stakes environment.
Actors are costumed in the lobby and greet guests as they arrive. The performers talked with the children beforehand to ensure they understood they would hear a spooky (but not too spooky) story and prepared them for the fact that there would be audience interaction. The costumes, designed by Liz Scott-McKean, are uncomplicated but well-coordinated. Jonathan Scott-McKean designed the show’s lights, sound, and set. The house music was very creepy and put you in the right headspace for the play. Sound effects were integrated well throughout to aurally transport you into the forest and accent comedic bits.
The set is well constructed and utilized. Jonathan use black fabric to cover the Hair set (which just closed at MAP). He paints sheets to represent the woods, farm, and schoolroom where the play takes place. These sheets, sewn together by Liz and her mother Gail Smith, hang on rods and have slits in them for actors to enter through. The designs are highly representative and, paired with rich lighting, make for an effectively immersive set.
Pierce includes the character Diedrich Knickerbocker in the narrative; this was a pseudonym of Washington Irving’s for some of his earlier works and was later used as a narrator in his stories. Pierce and Bell portray the bickering Knickerbocker couple who serve as this play’s narrators and embody the Tassel couple in the Sleepy Hollow story. While it earned big laughs from my crowd, I’m not sure how necessary (or funny) the whole “married couple hates each other” shtick was; fortunately, the framing device scenes were quick.
The show is so well cast that you are willing to go with them even when the jokes don’t land. Pierce and Bell have excellent timing and execute the physical comedy well. Pierce is a charismatic storyteller, who eases the kids in the audience into the world of the play. Bell – and the show’s other female characters – aren’t given much to do, but she makes the role her own and delivers several well-timed zingers that earn big laughs.
Crawford portrays Ichabod as such a goofy and pathetic character that you just can’t help but smile, even as he struggles. Gomes has a strong stage presence and her reactions are sharp. Hauser and Miranda are excellent comedic actors and bring a real sense of fun to their roles. Hauser is incredibly suave as Brom Bones and perfectly embodies the “bad boy” archetype. Miranda plays multiple roles and uses her expressive face to help land punchlines. Her strong improvisational skills helped as she was frequently tasked with corralling the children’s participation in scenes.
This was a charming play and an excellent educational theatre outreach activity. If you have children who like Halloween or theatre, hop on your cardboard horse and head on down to the Miners Alley Playhouse to check out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow through October 29.
Leave A Comment