January 24, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Five questions with Ben Gilly of the ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

Tonight at 7 p.m, The St. Joseph Church of Christ will present “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

We asked Ben Gilly, who is Bob Bradley, to answer five questions for us.

What can you tell me about your character?
I play the character of Bob Bradley, husband to Grace and father to Beth and Charlie; a
solid family man. Bob is begrudgingly tasked to help his wife with wrangling the kids together for
the pageant.

What has been your favorite part about the pageant?
I’ve enjoyed watching the children of the cast grow and develop their characters. Many
of them came in with little to no theatre experience and have really learned a lot and put
together a great show.

What do you hope the audience takes away from the story?
While presented mostly as a comedy, the core of the show is the biblical telling of
Christ’s birth. Audience members should expect to laugh, cry, and learn about the meaning of
Christmas. I hope everyone is able to see a little bit of themselves in the characters of the story.

What has it been like acting with your kids?
My daughter, Ellie, has loved every bit of this show. My wife and I have both always had
a soft spot for drama and theatre and it’s been awesome to watch our girl express herself and
learn how to have a stage presence. It’s been a real bonding moment for her and I too since we
have some inside jokes and stories that the rest of our family hasn’t been a part of.

What is your favorite part of the Christmas season overall?
I’m a sucker for classic nostalgia. I love driving around town looking at lights and
decorations, watching ALL the holiday movie favorites (including Die Hard), singing carols,
spending time with family; just all the traditions of the season!

Banner
Related Posts

Alumni banquet to be held

October 25, 2021

October 25, 2021

The 2021 SJO Alumni banquet will be held Nov. 13 at the Royal Community Building. The event starts at noon...

CU Feed the Need to distribute food this week

August 26, 2020

August 26, 2020

CU Feed the need has even more food to distribute this week thanks to the St. Joseph Food Pantry. The...

Weekend Family Fun Guide Feb. 15-17

February 15, 2019

February 15, 2019

Feb. 15. Do you wish it was warmer? There is a School’s Out Swim Day at the Urbana Indoor Aquatic...

Weekend Family Fun Guide

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

This post is sponsored by Island Travel Group and Events On Saturday, St. Joseph plays host to hundreds of runners...

Weekend Family Fun Guide

June 14, 2019

June 14, 2019

Every weekend we pick at least three events that we think are can’t miss for families in this area. This...

Voges urges St. Joseph residents to celebrate America

July 3, 2020

July 3, 2020

World War II veteran Bruce Voges loves America. When he told his kids he wanted to have a Fourth of...

‘This role has been an amazing one to take on’

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

Wyatt Loghry has loved the Addams Family since he was little. And now, he is playing the patriarch, Gomez Addams....

Ogden festival committee to meet tonight

March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019

The Ogden Festival will be bigger and better this year if organizer Kelly Cooper has anything to say about it....

Holly Jolly Kids Christmas to take place Saturday

December 7, 2023

December 7, 2023

Santa Claus is coming to town.  The St. Joseph Stanton-Fire Family is putting on Holly Jolly Kids Christmas on Saturday....

Around Town April 30-May 4

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

April 30-May 23 Spring Used Book Sale St Joseph Township Library, 201 N 3rd St, St Joseph, IL 61873 The...

Around Town: Feb. 25-March 2

February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019

If you want your event included please email us at stjosephrecord@gmail.com Feb. 25Senior Citizen Bingo 2 p.m. St Joseph Township...

Employees help co-worker during time of need

February 8, 2021

February 8, 2021

The staff at the St. Joseph Subway wanted to help April Patton. Manager Adam Porter said his co-worker said she...

Ogden Harvest Festival to take place this weekend

October 25, 2019

October 25, 2019

A town tradition is taking place Saturday. The Village of Ogden will hold its Harvest Festival from 2 p.m. to...

Short hopes to light up St. Joseph

December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020

Audrey Short wants to light up St. Joseph for Christmas. Short is urging the community to take part in a...

St. Joseph resident Lewis to star in ‘Frozen Jr.’

September 21, 2019

September 21, 2019

Hayden Lewis loves to act. The St. Joseph Middle School student is participating in the The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company...

Comments
Leave a Reply