COLUMBUS, Ohio — This week, Shadowbox Live takes the stage with an all-new, all-original production, "Sleepy Hollow: An American Ghost Story."
"This story has been on my list for a long time," said Shadowbox choreographer and COO Katy Psenicka of "Sleepy Hollow."
A lover of literature, Psenicka has wanted to develop Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" into a production for more than a decade. However, the original work published in 1820 is a short story with only four characters; it did not lend itself well to a full-length musical adaptation.
So, to flesh out the story of Ichabod Crane and his clash with the Headless Horseman, Shadowbox's version has approached the tale from the perspective of the women of Sleepy Hollow and added a full second act to the story that tells their version of events after the original piece ended.
"It kind of resolves those questions that [Irving] leaves, to some degree," explained Psenicka. "We still have the big question at the end, but it helps to resolve the motivations of those characters."
To help invoke the eeriness of the tale, the jukebox musical will make use of well-known songs from Nine Inch Nails, Incubus, Radiohead, Flyleaf, Tori Amos and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
But Shadowbox looks to subvert expectations by presenting different versions of the hits its audience may know.
"You might hear CCR's 'Bad Moon Rising' and then you're going to hear it again from a group called the Satin Puppets who takes it way out of time, adds a lot of atmospheric sound to it, and makes it really eerie and really creepy."
The other aspect of production that will produce a haunting feel onstage will be the intricate costumes that have been designed and built for the show by Shadowbox's lead costume designer Linda Mullin.
"I really, really enjoy doing historical pieces," said Mullin. "Sleepy Hollow was a bit of a challenge because it is a historical period. Late 1700s, - especially the women - were in these huge, dresses with tons of fabric. But this is a dance show... so we need to be able to see their legs as they're moving; they need to be able to move in the costumes."
Shadowbox Live's "Sleepy Hollow: An American Ghost Story" runs through Nov. 17. For showtimes and ticket information, visit: https://shadowboxlive.org/.