Sleepy Hollow haunts WSU

Jim Christian, director of Musical Theatre Studies at Weber State University, has taken the reins as director, playwright and lyricist of a new take on the classic story of “Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, published in 1820.
“It goes beyond the basic story that they probably know,” Christian said. “A lot of people know it because of the Disney cartoon, or maybe they’ve read the short story, but we look at what happens beyond the incident where Ichabod meets the Headless Horseman at the bridge. We also go into the dark side of Ichabod Crane, so instead of him being seen as the hero of the story, he’s anything but the hero.”
Crane is played by WSU junior Addison Welch, a musical theatre major.
“The fact that it is an original work by Jim Christian was a big factor, because I’ve worked with him before and I know how dedicated he is to this work,” Welch said. “The chance to work with him and start off this show in the process of bringing it about was a big reason for my excitement to try out for the role.”
Welch didn’t know much about the character before auditioning for the role.
“He’s a tall, gangly guy who doesn’t really like scary stories,” Welch said. “The character is taken further in the show and now that I’m in it, I realize that.”
All the same characters from the original come to life in Christian’s version of the story, including love interest Katrina Van Tassel and the rowdy Brom Bones.
“I think (people) will take away a new appreciation of the story,” Christian said. “It’s got comedy, it’s got romance, it’s got thrills, it’s got some heart-pumping drama. I hope that they’ll come away with it really engaged in the story so that they can walk away feeling what the characters felt.”
In order to achieve everything he wanted in the show, Christian brought in Paul Draper, a 2002 WSU cultural anthropology alumnus, as the show’s “magic consultant.”
“A magic consultant is someone who has skills in the field of performance magic and illusion,” Draper said. “I’ve advised on a lot of theatrical productions.”
Draper brought to the project his experience working on other projects such as hosting the special features of Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist, magic consulting for Criss Angel’s “Mindfreak” and as an expert on spiritualism and ghost phenomena for the History Channel.
“Jim and the production team were then able to write ‘spooky’ phenomena in the show without previous knowledge of how to actually make it work,” Draper said. “So like a magic wand, I helped them to just make the magic happen.”
The magic that happens is very real to those watching in the audience.
“We have objects that levitate, people that appear and disappear, people that transform and spirit phenomena,” Draper said. “All of these pieces of magic exist within the world of Sleepy Hollow and I helped to make them a reality.”
Other popular moments in the show include the famous showdown between Crane and the Headless Horseman on the bridge.
“There is a really cool horse chase,” Welch said. “The Headless Horseman chases Ichabod Crane through the woods; you put your imagination into it and it is amazing. It’s something that I’m really excited for people to see.”
All in all, everyone involved thinks it’s the perfect way to enjoy the Halloween season.
“I think the overall meaning of the show is that life is hard, and you take from it what you want,” Welch said. “You are in charge of what comes back to you. It is a widely known story, so it will be beneficial for all audiences; everyone can take away something from this show.”
“Sleepy Hollow” opens tonight and will play tomorrow and November 3-7 in the Allred Theater for $7.00 with student ID, $10.00 without.