The Legend of Sleepy Hollow...

Local high school "Plant" their feet firmly in Sleepy Hollow.

H.B. Plant High School Drama Department

Plant H.S. Auditorium

November 7, 2009

The apparition of the Headless Horseman rides again in Palma Ceia. The Henry B. Plant High School drama department put on a splendidly pleasant production of Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. This limited engagement show was a heart warming example why performing arts should not be cut from our public schools.

This particular stage adaptation was written by author/playwright Christopher Cook of the High Voltage Theatre Company, Columbia, SC. Plant High School is also the first to produce the Legend outside of the aforementioned company. In attendance for Thursday and Friday’s performance were Christopher Cook himself and the show’s director Joey Vasquez. “It’s meant a lot to have them down here and it’s meant a tremendous amount for the kids,” as Mr. Traver puts it.

Our classic story takes place round about All Hollow’s Eve in “the year of our Lord 1795”. The quaint town of Sleepy Hollow is joined by teacher Ichabod Crane. With fresh ears for old stories, the town tells Crane tales of a beheaded soldier who rides at night in search of his head. Crane, being the superstitious type, believes every word and begins to fret when he is all alone out by a tree where the Hessian soldier is believed to ride. Crane’s stay in Sleepy Hollow is not all ghosts and goblins though. He develops an adoration for Katrina, to much the dismay of her father and her other suitor, the broad shouldered and headstrong Abraham Van Brun.

A story with most of it’s well being thrust upon the shoulders of one character, I applaud Mr. Traver’s wise choice of selecting David Patterson for Ichabod Crane. I was blown away by Patterson’s portrayal of Crane as he took the stage and demanded the ears of his students and the audience members simultaneously. A tricky feat of drama is breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience as if we are in on stage. Patterson’s transition from speaking to his handful of students to soliloquy with the curtain down was seamless and well executed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the smooth delivery and superb diction of Luis Sierra’s Crayon and Andrew Kamen’s Knickerbocker. Sierra and Kamen’s characters help the drive the story along as they expertly entered from the proscenium to provide direct narration during scene changes and such. With the decline of “scholarly” words in our everyday vernacular, it was warming to hear students at that level speak so eloquently as if it were actually the late 1700’s. Bravo.

In speaking with a handful of actors before the show, I learned this was Anthony Boullusa’s first endeavor into drama. As I watched his take on the rugged Abraham Van Brun, I couldn’t tell. Granted, I did pick up on when he fumbled over a line, yet I also noticed his ability to snap back and continue the scene. Keep up the good work.

Playing the role of Katrina Van Tassel was the jubilant Mary Krantz. Her ability to tug on the heartstrings of both Crane and Van Brun is palpable. Even without a microphone, I could hear all her lines with distinction and power. My hat’s off to you.

I thought the production was an exciting and exhilarating performance complete with ghost stories, sword fighting, love won and love lost. The majority of the exchanges between actors were clear and precise. Unfortunately, being seated in the peanut gallery, I had a hard time hearing a handful of lines. Kudos to the choreography of the show. It’s not easy to make a fake sword duel seem real. Boullusa and Patterson present a dazzling confrontation to bring the first act to a nail biting close. At the Van Tassel house in the second act, a high energy impromptu dance sequence helps break the dialogue heavy show. The ending, complete with the crawling undead, brings Ichabod Crane’s fears to a reality as he encounters the Headless Horseman face to face.

All in all, this was an excellent performance of rich dialogue, classic dramatic themes and the beauty of live theatre, entertainment. Sadly, the limited engagement of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” ended last night to applauding crowds and smiling faces in the lobby. I can safely say the show was a success and look forward to Plant’s production of Thorton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, “The Skin of Our Teeth”, in March of 2010.

I would like to give a big thanks to Sandy Kamen of the Plant “Drama Mamas” for her correspondence and hospitality. Teryle Traver for his dedication to enriching the lives of young people with the power of drama. A special thanks goes out to David Patterson, Anthony Boullusa, Mary Krantz and Chloe Lind for their time before the show for an interview. Last but certainly not least, the rest of the cast of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” for their diligence to present a polished and well spoken play.

For more information on future Plant High School drama functions, please email plantdramaclub@aol.com for more information.

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