Pleasant Valley Drama Club to perform this classic this weekend

The Pleasant Valley High School Drama Club will be performing “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the high school auditorium.

The play is based on the classic American story by Washington Irving and adapted for the stage by Mary and Andrew Arnault.

The cast of 21 student actors is under the direction of Dan and Marcie Mulligan with production assistance by Donna Morris. And the production is made possible with the help of 10 students in the stage crew.

“Sometimes ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ can be scary,” said Marcie Mulligan. “We want to have a family-friendly show, so it’s done more comical.”

The story is set in 1790 in the small town of Sleepy Hollow located on the shores of the Hudson River near Tarrytown, New York. Ichabod Crane is a tall, lanky and very superstitious schoolteacher. He was invited to the town by Hans Van Ripper and his wife to teach school and conduct the church choir.

Eighteen-year-old Katrina VanTassel has become bored with her boyfriend, Brom Bones, and tired of his childish behavior. She starts flirting with Ichabod Crane, which makes Brom jealous. The tension between Ichabod and Brom peaks when Ichabod is invited to a party at the home of Balthus Van Tassel and Marta VanTassel.

At the party, the guests tell scary stories, which heighten Ichabod’s fears. After he leaves that evening, he encounters the headless horseman. Even this scene, Mulligan said, is done in a way to make it more fun and less frightening.

Stage manager Miranda Chiong, a junior at PVHS, said her favorite part of the story is Ichabod falling in love with Katrina, but she also enjoys the mischief between Ichabod and Brom.

“It’s a very fun show and entertaining for everyone from the love story to the humor,” she said.

The cast includes Anthony Long as Ichabod Crane; Emily Gethen, Katrina Van Tassel; Zach Smith, Brom Bones; Giovanni Marini, Balthus Van Tassel; Aleelah Thompson, Marta VanTassel; Jozef Janak, Hans Van Ripper; Madison Jackson, Mrs. Van Ripper; Kiley VanHorn, Grandmother Van Ripper; Jaxon Havens, Peter Vedder; Melody Norlander, Dame Van Vorhees; Ashley Alexis, Dame Jansen; Jeanna DiAngelis, Margaret; Gabby Larregui, Gretchen; Jose Trinidad, Diedrich; Devin Norlander, Christian; Jamari Meade, Nicholas; Amber Nermoe, Rachel; Brianna Stanley, Beatrice; and Molly O’Brien, Anneka.

Mulligan said she and her husband try to choose plays that stretch the students’ acting abilities.

“It’s a different time period and a different way of speaking,” she said. “They rose to the challenge.”

Emily Gethen, who plays Katrina, thinks the play has been a good way to learn about society in that time period.

“It’s a really tangible way to learn about history,” she said. “And a good laugh at a different time period.”

Tickets for the play can be purchased at the door.