Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On the evening of Monday, Dec. 16, the Hamilton County High School (HCHS) parking lot was full to the brim. Cars were forced to park in the grass, and crowds of people were making their way into the auditorium. The reason for the gathering was the performance of “Bah, Humbug! Scrooge’s Christmas Carol,” the Christmas show that the HCHS performing arts troupe had been working on for months was finally ready for the public to view. The cast of the show was Ebenezer Scrooge (Nicholas Kent), Beth Cratchit (Alex Hughes), Fran (Kaylyn Murphy), Tiny Tim (Christian Pierce), Belinda Cratchit (Zoe Carlisle), Peter Cratchit (Fennley Jones), Martha Cratchit (Ayla Croes), Mary Cratchit (Jordan Skaggs), Virginia Cratchit (Landin Hines), Jacob Marley (Michael Jones), Polly Poynter (Janiya Jones), Winnie Winslow (Ariel Zipperer), Victoria Vasser (Maya Mallett), Spirit of Christmas Past (Kimmy Ervinc), Fanny (Riley Moody), Young Ebenezer (Davis Griffin), Miss Fezziwig (Anna Ervinc), Spirit of Christmas Present (Laqwardius Carter), Spirit of Christmas Future (Abigail Madden), Fran’s Friends (Brenley Ginn, Dilyla Jones, Emily Heard-Eicher, Emily Simpson, Holly O’Donnell), Lizzie (Summerlyn Marzucco), Dilly (Jackson Searcy), Paddy (Gabe Epstein), Dorie (Maria Estrella), Sal (Kamari Johnson), Little Girl (Brenley Ginn), Carolers (Addibelle Godwin, Shalenena Smith, Janiya Marshall, Avery Tanzosh, Lyla Marzucco, Adalyn McCoy, Timothy Fason, Davis Griffin, Autum Ervine, Audrey Jones, Brayden Wright, Ariana Harris, Tyquan Gandy, Cordelia Gandy, Tommy Nails), Goblins (Zoe Carlisle, Sayla Croes, Khloe Floyd, Brenley Ginn, Emily Heard-Eicher, Dilyla Jones, Abigail Lindsey, Holly O’Donnell, Riley Perry, Juliann Ramos, Amari Rayford, Emily Simpson, Jordan Skaggs, Zion Wallace), Ensemble (Haighen Harmon, Riley Gerth, Angela Thomas, Michelle Castro-Rios), Stage Manager (Catalena Gonzalez), Stage Crew (Carter Law, Georgia Perry, Aubrey Harris, Bella Nelson, Nora Gainey), Sound Manager (Chris Jones), Tech Crew (Nevaeh Gardner, Javarien Marshall, Cara Masters, Makenly Thomason, Skyla Gerth, Ethan Owens), Scene Artist (Mary Claire-Hunter), Accompanist (Gavin Combass) and Director (Amber Jones). The story was a retelling of the classic, “A Christmas Carol,” this time with a few more roles for students to participate in. On top of that, the show was not a traditional play but instead incorporated music, making it a musical. The performance included new songs, such as “That’s Him” and “He’s Dead and Buried,” while also highlighting classics, such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” The costumes and set were fantastic, and the entire auditorium was filled, with barely a seat available for anyone. Elected officials, school administration and local community leaders could all be found in attendance. It was a fantastic night for the cast, crew and audience.