SLEEPY HOLLOW THE MUSICAL at West Valley Arts is a spirited twist on the acquainted story crammed with earnest performances.
SLEEPY HOLLOW THE MUSICAL (guide and lyrics by Jim Christian, music by Tom Edward Clark) premiered at Weber State College in 2009 and received the Nationwide Musical Theatre Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Middle. It’s a very unique retelling of the story by Washington Irving that paints merciless new schoolteacher Ichabod Crane as somebody for the townspeople of Sleepy Hole to worry, or a minimum of endure, as they nonetheless stand up to the aftermath of a curse after years of struggling.
The rating is extra Rodgers than Wildhorn—like BRIGADOON’s spookier cousin. Paying homage to Golden Age musicals, it’s embraced by the luxurious operatic vocal stylings of the forged, guided by music director Karin Gittins.
The guide, written by director/choreographer Jim Christian, spends time to develop backstory for a number of of the city’s residents, creating many key characters for the multi-age firm of actors to convey to life.
Standouts embody Ricky Parkinson as Ichabod Crane, Jordan LeBaron as Brom Van Bron, Emma Roberts as Katrina Van Tassel, Joseph Paul Branca as Faas Brinkerhoff, Morgan Fenner as Rosalie Brinkerhoff, Lauren Slagowski as Sabine Vedder, Emily Duncan as Gusta Tenbrook, Caroline Anderson as Arabella Van Ripper, and extra.
The straightforward however efficient set design by Brad Shelton is showcased, in flip, warmly and eerily by Ryan Fallis’ lighting design. The costume design by Kelsey Nichols and wig/make-up design by Savanna Finley are, just like the village itself, fairly as an image and but wholly lived in.
In the event you’re in search of a seasonal present a bit totally different from the remaining or a contemporary musical you haven’t seen time and again, chances are you’ll wish to give this one a attempt.
SLEEPY HOLLOW THE MUSICAL performs by way of October 30, 2023. For tickets, name the field workplace at 801-965-5140 or go to www.wvcarts.org.
Picture Credit score: West Valley Arts
