‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ thrills with brilliant imagination
It’s the time of year for ghost stories, and Orlando Repertory Theatre has found a delightfully creative way to tell one of the best.
In a brilliantly staged production, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” demonstrates how every aspect of theater can work together to tell a story convincingly and with flair. In this case, with laughs — and a few goosebumps, too.
Playwrights Derek Grant Martin and Jesse M. Sullivan have adapted Washington Irving’s 1819 short story for one actor, and it helps the Rep immensely that its performer is the versatile Stephen Pugh. In addition, the theater has given Pugh an absolutely marvelous arena in which to recount the tale of eccentric schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and the biggest fright of his life.
Fittingly, scenic designer Cliff Price has designed a rustic classroom — the Colonial-era desks in a row, books piled neatly. But a grinning jack-o’-lantern leers from near the teacher’s perch. Flickering candles and bobbing lanterns hung from above suggest the time period, but also set the mood.
The most beautiful element: A backdrop series of overlapping frames that suggest the windows to freedom known to every daydreaming student. The almost Impressionist trees viewed through them evoke the story’s rural setting — and then projected footage by Imag(o) in a (na)tion adds to the atmosphere.
It’s not just the visuals that provide such a treat. Anthony Narciso’s sound design adds depth to this world, as chill breezes blow, leaves rustle, a brook burbles and Ichabod’s ride of terror comes with added vocal surprises. Original underscore music by Narciso and Anthony Marshall also heightens the mood, as well as reminding us this is a story.
A creaky school bell starts the tale, which relates how cowardly Ichabod falls for Katrina, the town’s beauty, and thereby draws the ire of brutish Brom Bones. The town itself is haunted by a headless horseman — the spirit of a dead soldier — who rides at night and is willing to take a head from the living if he can’t find his own.
As directed by Tara Kromer, Pugh narrates the story with charm and humor, employing a succession of hats, wigs and coats to bring the characters to life. Ichabod has an affected, priggish sort of voice that is inherently funny, while Katrina for some reason sounds vaguely Southern and Brom sounds like Joe from TV’s “Family Guy” at his most belligerent (a joke for the adults?).
Kromer has Pugh take advantage of any motion the script suggests — Ichabod is a “great” dancer, which the kids enjoy — and both she and Pugh do a masterful job of transitioning the lighthearted fun to something darker and more exciting (but not too scary for the young ones).
Adults and children alike can laugh at the silliness, and the show is paced well: Just as the young boys in front of me grew restless during the Ichabod-Katrina-Brom love triangle, the ghoulish aspects of the story recaptured their attention.
Without giving away all the Rep’s tricks, praise is due to lighting designer Vandy Wood for keeping attention focused where it needs to be.
“His brilliant imagination often got the best of him,” the narrator says about poor Ichabod. As it happens, “Brilliant imagination” is the perfect tagline for this delightful production.