Washington Irving’s The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, the frightful tale of a headless horseman terrorizing Dutch settlers in the New York countryside, has been a theatre favourite since the 1940s, and continues to be so to this day: Phillip Meeks and Jake Smith’s version, arriving in Mold this March, is now in its second year of touring.
Audiences nowadays might be more familiar with Sleepy Hollow’s film and TV adaptations. They might also be more familiar with one of its stars, Wendi Peters, who plays ‘village crone’ Marietta Papenfuss as a Corrie favourite. But Peters is a seasoned board-treader, relishing roles like Marietta.
“She’s a bit of an outsider and does a lot of lingering in the shadows,” Peters told me. “It took a while to perfect the scowling! Sometimes I have to turn upstage, briefly, to relax my face!” She also attempted to watch the Tim Burton film to prepare but quickly turned it off. “Our adaptation is so different; more exciting. I love that I’ve been able to create Marietta with no references.”
Theatre is where Peters is “happiest”, and clearly it shows: you could base a drinking game on how many times ‘critically acclaimed’ appears on her theatrical credits and get extremely tipsy. A fan of musicals since she was little, the actress highlights appearing as Diana in You Are Here last year as a favourite – mostly because she loves a challenge. “I was on stage for the full 90 minutes and had 16 songs.”
A challenge is a sadly apt descriptor for how lockdown has treated those in the arts. Sleepy Hollow co-star Bill Ward, also known from Emmerdale, tided himself over working as a delivery driver, while Peters was lucky enough to do voice work from a home studio. “We’ve all had to deal with it in our own way.”
Home entertainment helped, too. “I’ve been watching After Life Season 3 and The Tourist, [and] I love an audiobook. My favourite recently was Miriam Margolyes’ This Much Is True. All the better with her reading it!”
The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Theatr Clwyd, Mold, Tue 8-Sat 12 Mar. Tickets: £10-£30. Info: here
words HANNAH COLLINS
