Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow was the third musical I worked on, and is an operetta adaptation of Washington Irving’s classic short story. It has yet to be performed or recorded.
Plot Summary*
*Note: This is not a full plot summary so that the plot twists of the play may be preserved.
Prologue
A camp counselor is telling horror stories to campers around the campfire (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow).
Act I
Ichabod Crane returns home to Sleepy Hollow after fighting in the American Revolution. He finds the town drastically changed - for the worst. Lunatics can be heard screaming from Dr. Lancaster's Asylum (Screeching, Gibbering, Maniacs). Among the maniacs, Ichabod recognizes a voice - the voice of his sister, Camille (Where Has The Day Gone?). Ichabod is greeted warmly by the villagers and his fiancé, the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. The only person in town who isn't glad to see Ichabod is Brom Van Brunt, a brute who has been trying to win Katrina over while Ichabod was at war. As Katrina and Ichabod walk together through the woods, Ichabod tells her that the only thing that kept him going through all those hard nights was the memory of her (The Memory of You).
That night at a welcome home party for Ichabod, Katrina’s father, Baltus Van Tassel, informs Ichabod of new rules that have been put into place since he left for the war. 1) No one is allowed in the graveyard except Reverend Steenwyck. 2) No one is allowed to talk to any of the committed except for Doctor Lancaster. 3) No one is allowed to wander outside in the streets of Sleepy Hollow after midnight. As Ichabod questions these absurd rules, the grandfather clock on the wall strikes midnight. Everyone except Ichabod turn rigid with fear as the sound of a horse galloping draws nearer. As the galloping dies away, the mood lightens in the room, but not much.
Ichabod begins his search for the truth of the mystery. Van Brunt's henchman, Krimp, tells him the tale of the Hessian Mercenary who was sent in by the British to control the colonists. The Hessian was a maniac who tormented and tortured the citizens of Sleepy Hollow. Finally, they gathered together and beheaded him one night as he slept. Ever since then, he has haunted the streets of Sleepy Hollow killing anyone who happens to be walking around outside at midnight. Ichabod dismisses the tale as nonsense. Later that night he has a confrontation with Camille who has broken free of the asylum. He tries to bring her inside before midnight but she refuses. As the clock strikes midnight, lightning flashes and the stage turns black as Camille's scream pierces the darkness. When the lights return, Camille's decapitated corpse lies on the stage.
Act II
After Ichabod upsets the villagers at Camille's funeral, Katrina comforts him (I'll Be There). Reverend Steenwyck approaches Ichabod and tells him to meet him in the graveyard at midnight. That night, Steenwyck reveals the town's horrible secret to Ichabod. From this point on, Hell continues to break loose in Sleepy Hollow right up to the climax of the show.
Cast of Characters
(In Order of Appearance)
Counselor
Ichabod Crane
Children (Campers)
Reverend MacLean
Lunatics
Camille Crane
Villagers
Katrina Van Tassel
Brom Van Brunt
Krimp
Baltus Van Tassel
Dr. Allistair
Boy (One of the Lunatics)
Musical Numbers
Prologue
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Counselor
Act I
It's So Good To Be Home - Ichabod
Screeching, Gibbering, Maniacs! - Lunatics
Where Has The Day Gone? - Camille, Ichabod, MacLean
Ichabod's Home! - Villagers
We meet at Last, Mr. Crane - Van Brunt
The Memory of You - Ichabod
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Ensemble
Doctor Allistair's Secret - Allistair, Ichabod, Camille, Lunatics
Oh, God! - Katrina, Ichabod
The Hessian's Ballad - Krimp
This Strange Town - Ichabod
Camille's Ravings - Camille, Ichabod, Katrina
Act II
Requiem - Children
You Don't Understand - Villagers
I'll Be There - Katrina
Feud - Allistair, MacLean, Ichabod
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Van Tassel, Katrina, Ensemble
I Need to Know - Ichabod
A Head With No Body - Van Brunt, Ichabod, MacLean
The Dead of Night (Screeching, Gibbering, Maniacs) - Lunatics
Katrina - MacLean, Ichabod, Van Brunt
Breakdown - Van Brunt
Escape (Screeching, Gibbering, Maniacs) - Lunatics
Finale - Van Brunt, Katrina, Ichabod, Boy
Epilogue
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Counselor, COMPANY
Instrumentation
Strings
2 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Celli, 1 Double Bass
Keyboards
Organ, Celesta, Synthesizer
Woodwinds
Reed 1: Soprano Recorder (Piccolo Optional)
Reed 2: Alto Recorder, Tenor Recorder (G Alto Flute Optional)
Reed 3: Bass Recorder, Tenor Recorder
Reed 4: F English Horn
Reed 5: Eb Alto Clarinet, Bb Bass Clarinet
Reed 6: Bassoon, Conrabassoon
Brass
3 F French Horns
3 Trombones (2 Tenor, 1 Bass)
Percussion
3 Timpani, Concert Bass Drum, Vibraphone, Marimba, Wind Gong, Wood Blocks, Crash Cymbals, Wind Chimes, Tambourine, Triangle, Rain Stick, Thunder Sheet (Optional Crystallophone)
*Note: This is the ideal instrumentation, however I would be more than happy to arrange a simplified orchestration on request to accommodate smaller productions.