The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

November 22nd and 23rd, the high school hosted its annual play. The auditorium was absolutely packed with friends and familiar faces, along with folks I've never met. It turned out to be quite the production! Hard work from everyone and great acting made this modern twist of " The Christmas Carol" an absolute gem. I don't know if I have ever appreciated theater as much as I did Friday and Saturday night.

This play takes place during Christmas, in a Suessified setting. The four young narrators began by giving credit to both Charles Dickens and Peter Bloedel with some hilarious rhymes. In the first set, a few children were dressed up in little caroling outfits while a couple of other kids were decorating a tree in the background.

In the second set, as Ebenezer Scrooge, who was played by Rich Jesperson, went home for the night. Scrooge 's old diseased pal, Jake Marley, now a ghost, returned to his friend to warn him of what his current situation was. Marley informed Scrooge he was to be visited by three spirits over the next three days: The Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future. My favorite costume in the first act was the "skateboard ghosts." They were super cute and spritely.

The ghost of Christmas Past took Scrooge to see himself when he was younger. He had a little bit of a realization when he saw the kind of life he had growing up.

The ghost of Christmas present took him to see how others were celebrating this famous holiday. This ghost was my favorite ghost out of the three, as he was wearing a costume that looked like a real present.

"What of the workhouses, are there no prisons?" was repeated throughout the play. Ebenezer had explained that to two little girls at the beginning of the production when they asked for money to help the less fortunate. The ghost of Christmas Future took Scrooge to see what the future is going to be. After making the realization that maybe the way he celebrated Christmas and treated others wasn't right. He didn't want the future to be what he was seeing. He begged and pleaded and was brought back to the present where he made friends and apologized for the wrong; he was doing.

I had the opportunity to get a quote from Cheryl and Curt Strutz saying, "It was the best play we have seen all year, and it got us into the Christmas Spirit."

And a young actress said, "It was so much fun! I didn't want it to end."

As the production came to a close, Ebenezer's spirit has changed, and he is now "drunk with joy." What a wonderful way to bring a "Suessy" twist to the original story. The combination between "The Grinch" and "A Christmas Carol," was beautifully written. All the cast was quite wonderfully dressed. The actors sure played their parts with enthusiasm and energy. I enjoyed seeing all the hard work that went into this production. It was quite the drama. The detail and electricity on the stage made the play fit together wonderfully.

A big thank you to all who participated and helped, including the directors and producers: Amanda Hoffman, Dianna Keane, and Vanessa Janssen. They would also like to acknowledge and say thank you to Chase Hoffman, Bryanna Goodman, Cecelia Bjornestad, Daijalin Sunchild, Grace Fastisten, Jake Carroll, Josh Hagen, Malaysia Baumann, Marla Ray, Petra Yirsa, Sarah Sura, Teagen Cochran, and a guest appearance from Tom Arnold who helped with backstage.