Review: SLEEPY HOLLOW in Bridgeport

Halloween is coming, and what better way to open the Downtown Cabaret Children's Theatre with Phill Hill's Sleepy Hollow?

The original short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving, was published in 1820. Hill adapted the story into a kid-friendly musical, blending some of the original characters with music for contemporary audiences. What stayed: schoolmaster Ichabod Crane (Jason Parry), Brom Bones (Lance Anthony, who also directed and choreographed the show), the Headless Horseman, and an extended Van Tassel family - a sleepy Mayor Van Tassel (T. Sean Maher), Mrs. Van Tassel (Lauren Linn) and their three daughters, Katrina, Heidi and Hilde (Ashley DePascale, Chelsea Dacey and Jessica Bahrig). Also in the show is Edgar, Brom Bones's sidekick (Mackenzie Sherrod). Don't worry. The show is not scary. Not one child cried during the show, even with Axel Hammerman's excellent lighting design and Chris Gensur's equally effective sound engineering.

As with all the original productions by the people who make up the "bones" of the Downtown Cabaret Children's Theatre (can't resist that), Sleepy Hollow combines a simple but solid story with sharp wit and twists, pleasing the entire family. Musical Director Eli Newsom's songs include Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "We Are The World," John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising," J.J. Cale's "After Midnight," and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk." (That made my eight-year-old son's day, especially with Parry's energetic dancing to it.) Kudos also to DePascale for her splendid voice, Anthony for his acting, singing, choreography and directing, and Sherrod for stealing every scene he was in. As the songs goes, "Don't believe me, just watch."

Sleepy Hollow runs through November 1. For tickets, visit www.mycabaret.org. And, in time for Halloween is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, also at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport. 203-576-1636.

One last thing. Some people are unaware that there really is a Sleepy Hollow, and it was famous long before the television series. It's not far from New York City or Connecticut, either. Once called North Tarrytown, it is the location of the Rockefeller estate, Kykuit. The combined middle school and high school was recently renovated, and its sports teams are The Horsemen! Check out some spooky events, too, at www.visitsleepyhollow.org.

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