Tarrytown

“WINNER! Best New Musical”
— San Diego Theatre Critics' Circle Craig Noel Award, 2017

    Adam Wachter's musical Tarrytown is a contemporary story loosely based on Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," is a funny, tuneful, and intense musical drama in 90 minutes for three singing actors.

   Its world premiere production opened at the Backyard Renaissance theatre company in San Diego, California, on November 30, 2017. It was nominated for five 2017 San Diego Theatre Critics' Circle Craig Noel Awards and won "Best New Musical." Scroll down for photos from that production and highlights from the reviews.

   A reading was presented by MCC Theater in New York in 2018, directed by Michael Arden and starring Jeremy Jordan, Andy Mientus, and Krysta Rodriguez. This same all-star cast is featured on the Studio Cast Recording, now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, or wherever you find music.

The album, featuring orchestrations by Brian Usifer, was released on May 11, 2020, to benefit The Actors Fund’s COVID-19 assistance programs.

Tarrytown was a top-10 finalist for the 2019 Richard Rodgers Award.

Tarrytown has since had successful amateur productions in Las Vegas, New Hampshire, and at Penn State University. In 2022 it was adapted into the Welsh-language audio drama Ysbrydnos and aired on BBC Radio Cymru, and in 2024 it was translated into Japanese and produced in Tokyo.

In 2025, Tarrytown had its Off-Broadway premiere at The Cell theater in New York. It was also performed at Tarrytown Music Hall in a concert production starring Tony Award-winner Santino Fontana, Andy Mientus, and Krysta Rodriguez.

To license a production of Tarrytown, contact Rachel Ellicott at Paradigm Talent Agency.

“Sleeper Musical Of The Year!”
— The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2017

Summary

Autumn engulfs the sleepy village of Tarrytown, about an hour up the Hudson River from New York City, as Ichabod Crane walks to his first day of work teaching music at Sleepy Hollow High School (“Tarrytown”). Katrina, the principal’s assistant, welcomes him and shows him to his classroom (“Katrina’s Welcome Song”). Excited at the prospect of a new friend from the big city, she invites him to her house for dinner (“My New Gay Best Friend”).
That evening, Ichabod arrives at Katrina’s house. She is finishing cooking, and sends him to hang out with her husband, Brom, in the other room. Brom, a history professor at the local community college, is watching a football game, and Ichabod is immediately attracted to him (“Four Downs To The Ten-Yard Line”). The three sit down to dinner (“Dinner For Three - Part 1”). Katrina complains about being stuck living in such a small town, but Ichabod remembers that his life in NYC had its challenges, too (“Back Home”). As the dinner progresses, Brom thinks Katrina is drinking too much wine, and Ichabod can’t help but feel there’s tension between them (“Dinner For Three - Part 2”). After dinner, a very drunk Katrina reveals personal secrets and longings to Ichabod (“What Do You Do?”) while Brom grades history papers in the other room and dwells on his own frustrations with his career and marriage (“History”).
At a local Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Ichabod tells the story of his recent issues with drug addiction and hopes that moving out of New York will help aid in his recovery (“Goes Away”). Brom and Katrina get into another argument at home, and she calls Ichabod to ask his advice. He tries to remain impartial, but she infers that she should leave her husband and secretly starts packing.
Brom visits Ichabod at school to get advice on smoothing over his issues with Katrina, and Ichabod suggests a romantic gesture, maybe a getaway of some kind. Ichabod is also confused by Brom’s good-natured flirtation, and he starts to wonder if perhaps there is an underlying mutual interest between the two of them.
That weekend, Katrina decides to finally walk out on Brom (“Down The Stairs”), but he surprises her with an outing (“Apple Picking Song”). She leaves him crestfallen, and Brom discovers it was Ichabod who both convinced her to go, and, he believes, set him up for disappointment with his getaway idea. A student’s folklore-inspired essay on a local Headless Horseman legend inspires him to take revenge on Ichabod and get Katrina back.
Katrina moves in with Ichabod, who is now feeling divided between his loyalty to her and his attraction to her husband. Since his wife left, Brom has been more flirtatious and attentive than ever. At another NA meeting, Ichabod bemoans his situation (“The Man In The Middle”).
Brom invites Ichabod over for a get-together on Halloween. Katrina is torn about missing Brom and her old life and decides to join. The three carve pumpkins, hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, and Brom tells a ghost story about the local Headless Horseman’s ghost (“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”), which scares the easily-spooked Ichabod. An argument between Brom and Katrina reveals another dark secret about their past together, and she leaves, which prompts Ichabod to finally reveal his romantic feelings for Brom (“When You’re Near”). They kiss, and Brom, explaining that he needs to be more “altered” in order to explore anything further, convinces the susceptible Ichabod to do drugs with him – though Brom secretly doesn’t ingest any himself. Katrina returns, and Brom tells Ichabod to meet him on the bridge in the nearby cemetery.
Later, in the cemetery, Ichabod is alone (“Ichabod”). He is both frightened by his surroundings and excited at the prospect of being with Brom. As the drugs kick in, he hears the sounds of a horse approaching, then, terrified, sees a giant Headless Horseman, who throws a jack-o-lantern at Ichabod, knocking him off the bridge and into the cold waters below.
One year later, Katrina wonders what ever happened to that Ichabod they briefly knew, who was never seen again after that night. Brom shrugs it off; after all, they didn’t really know him that well. Katrina, despondent, returns up the stairs to her loveless marriage (“Another Halloween”).

Production Photos

The Cell, New York, October 2025

Asakusa Kyu-geki, Tokyo, Japan, March 2025

Backyard Renaissance, San Diego, November 2017

Alchemy Arts Academy, Las Vegas, June 2025

Players’ Ring/3S Artspace, New Hampshire, June 2021

Reviews

BroadwayWorld

FULL REVIEW: "BWW Album Review: Forget Sleepy, Wachter’s TARRYTOWN Will Awaken Your Soul” by Courtney Savoia

Wachter is a master of the pen with lyrics that are clever, expressive, imaginative, and paint a poignant picture of the characters from this tale that we all know and love. Strategic updates are made to take this story into the 21st century and examines another important part of the body - the heart - as we get to know the characters on a more human level and understand their deepest fears and desires in life.

Overall, Tarrytown infuses the classic story with more depth and exposes us to music and lyrics that are thought-provoking, witty, and emotional. It will certainly inspire newcomers and loyal visitors to give this famed town a second look. I think all will agree that while on the surface it may appear sleepy, there's a great deal that will awaken your soul!

The Purbalite

FULL REVIEW: “Musical fans won’t snooze through this retelling of Sleepy Hollow“ by Ava Weidensall

Adam Wachter’s Tarrytown may not be placed firmly in the public eye like many other musicals, but that is certainly not for a lack of quality.

The album’s sound overall is pleasant to listen to, embracing contemporary musical theatre while still maintaining a rather unique feeling.

All in all, Tarrytown is worth a listen for fans of contemporary musical theater.

The Writers’ Library

FULL REVIEW: “Returning to Sleepy Hollow” by Amber Rizzi

The music is great, and the story is really easy to get sucked into!

Tarrytown had beautiful music and – like the original source – an enthralling story that grabbed me and refused to let me go until the end!

The San Diego Union Tribune

FULL REVIEW: "Backyard Renaissance's 'Tarrytown' a tuneful twist on a classic tale" by James Hebert

In the new musical “Tarrytown,” people lose their heads over love, friendship and the sometimes befuddling distinctions between the two.

If that seems an unlikely pedigree for a smart, contemporary romantic musical, Wachter makes it work pretty wonderfully, with a lyrical and gracefully flowing score, often witty lyrics and a savvy way of updating Irving’s characters without shoehorning them into some contrived-feeling story.

This is an outsize accomplishment for the upstart company, and a real coup to give birth to such a promising piece by Wachter, a seasoned New York arranger-orchestrator and more who is debuting his first original musical.

Wachter’s songwriting and storytelling pop with invention. 

Wachter has a good ear for the unexpected rhyme.

Wachter also weaves in beautiful vocal counterpoint, and musical director/pianist Steven Withers ably captures the delicate, sometimes Sondheim-esque vibe of Wachter’s score, which would be worthy of full orchestration.

 

The Times of San Diego

FULL REVIEW: "The Headless Horseman Rides Again in ‘Tarrytown’ at Backyard Renaissance" by Pat Launer

Wachter has woven all kinds of fun and snarky humor into his very clever lyrics, which often fly by at a breakneck pace. It’s a thrilling and chilling 90-minute romp, with more songs than dialogue, and a number of delectable contrapuntal trios.

The musical is more than just the re-configuration of a legendary ghost story that seems to be rooted in our collective consciousness. It’s a consideration of unfulfilled dreams, and how that results in compromise, disappointment, inertia, bitterness — even violence.

Kudos to Wachter (this is the first, very promising, original musical for the New York-based orchestrator/arranger/musician/composer), and to the team at Backyard Renaissance. They’ve made the very most of a small musical and a small space.

 

BroadwayWorld.com

FULL REVIEW: "BWW Review: TARRYTOWN at the Diversionary Black Box Theater" by E.H. Reiter

TARRYTOWN, a world premiere musical, shows that you never know what will cause you to lose your head, in this clever and entertaining musical about love, friendship, and relationships.

The cast is delightful, with a great chemistry, a fun sense of quirkiness, and having fun with the slow burn tension as the story turns more chilling.

All three are excellent singers, finding the nuance and the humor in these clever lyrics. Composed by Adam Wachter, the music is wry, witty, and charming; full of energy, unexpected rhymes, and some beautiful vocal counterpoints.

Music Director and pianist Steven Withers brings gorgeous accompaniment in this sometimes complicated but graceful and detailed score.

 

San Diego Story

FULL REVIEW: "Keeping the Halloween Spirit Alive" by David Dixon

Nothing says holiday-season counter-programming like having a Halloween musical in December. October 31 plays a very important role throughout Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company’s world premiere of Tarrytown. Adam Wachter’s script is a modern-day adaptation of Washington Irving’s famous short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Tarrytown features a similar structure to Irving’s classic plot. Just as in the original, Wachter starts off the evening with scenarios that aren’t out of the ordinary. He makes audiences care about each individual before taking the tale into stranger territory.

Wachter’s narrative is faithful to the spirit of the original plot, and there aren’t any explicit references to a murderously violent headless horseman until past the halfway point of the 90-minute runtime. That’s not a distraction, because one of the best things about the new show are the current day versions of the central characters.

The positive qualities of Wachter’s writing and score make Tarrytown worth recommending. His take on “Sleepy Hollow” features intelligent melodies and a good sense of humor. Wachter brings an enjoyably fresh perspective to a timelessly creepy classic. It’ll make you want to count down the days until next Halloween.

 

San Diego Gay & Lesbian News

FULL REVIEW: "Theater Review: Tarrytown" by Jean Lowerison

Washington Irving’s well-known Halloween story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” gets a fetching musical update – and amusing twists – in Backyard Renaissance Theatre’s world premiere of Adam Wachter’s “Tarrytown,” playing through Dec. 17 in Diversionary’s Black Box Theatre.

The rest of the play is a delicate and often delightful psychological 90-minute pas de trois, as these three characters try to work out their attraction (or is it just friendship?), longing, dreams, and disappointments.

Wachter’s lyrics have a definite Sondheim feel – lots of words, sung quickly in stream-of-consciousness style, but fortunately with better melodies than Sondheim typically produces.

 

Talkin' Broadway

FULL REVIEW: "Regional Reviews: San Diego" by Bill Eadie

Adam Wachter is a New York City-based theatre musician. He's written a charming and spooky chamber musical named Tarrytown, and he's given the world premiere to a small San Diego troupe called Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company.

The story seems ordinary but au courant, the songs plentiful and melodic, and the lyrics inspired to the level of tour de force. Mr. Wachter especially excels at complex rhythms and unexpected rhymes. In Katrina's song, "My New Gay Best Friend," for example, he rhymes "Manhattan" with "gratin," "dinner" with "thinner," and "antsy" with "fancy," all in the same verse.

Tarrytown opened without a great deal of fanfare but proves itself to rival in quality the several new musicals that have been staged in San Diego this year. It closes this weekend, so hurry if you want to see it.

 

San Diego CityBeat

FULL REVIEW: "Backyard Renaissance's 'Tarrytown'" by David L. Caddon

       On the surface, Adam Wachter’s one-act musical Tarrytown seems like another variation on the eternal triangle, in this case an insecure gay man (Tom Zohar) and an unhappily married couple (Kay Marian McNellen and Bryan Banville) all residing in rural Tarrytown, N.Y. But in fact Tarrytown is a deft take on Washington Irving’s famous “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” That narrative device and a thoughtful musical score make this world premiere presented by Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company so promising.

Wachter’s lyrics are by and large clever and insightful in what they posit about finding love and self in a scary world. The cast directed by Francis Gercke and Anthony Methvin enjoys definite chemistry in very tight confines, and Zohar is an expressive vocalist whose Ichabod Crane (just one of the three Irving characters referenced in this piece) is a sensitive and vulnerable protagonist.

Press