Bect Christmas Pageant Ever Article

Get Into The Holiday Spirit with ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’
By
Janine Leffler

Get ready for a hilarious holiday show as Milford Area Players and Riverbend Youth Company present their annual Holiday Production “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” The play is based on the popular children’s book of the same name by Barbara Robinson which tells the story of
how the troublemaking Herdman children get involved in the annual church
Christmas pageant. The townspeople, knowing the Herdman clan, brace for a disastrous
play, but in the end they find the true meaning of Christmas. According to her
website biography, Robinson’s book was inspired by her small town community of
Portsmouth, Ohio. Her family and the people in her town, including children,
school teachers and local heroes all helped spurred her imagination for the
story.
Michelle Emmond, who plays Grace Bradley, got to
know her character through reading the book annually to her fourth grade class
at Wilkins School. “There are so many fun and funny lines, and the interactions with the young actors are a hoot!” Emmond went on to describe her character “Mrs. Grace Bradley is a mother, and you get the sense that she helps out in
the community, but not in that leadership way that Helen Armstrong does; she's
more of a behind-the-scenes helper. When the pageant gets foisted upon her, Grace really steps up to the plate. And, even though the Christmas pageant doesn't come together in the way that Grace, or the community, expected, it ends up being better because of her open-mindedness in allowing the Herdmans to have parts, and in allowing for some alternative interpretations within the pageant.” Emmond looks forward to the performances especially since in 2008 the amount of performances was shortened \due to the ice storm.
The rambunctious Herdman clan is made up of six kids
played by students from Amherst and Milford. Eleven year old Ben Erdody who
plays Charlie Bradley says the most exciting thing about playing his character
is that he gets to play a classic kid brother character, “it's really fun to be
that person!” He went on to say that he looks forward to the upcoming play. “I'm
very excited about the show because it's always fun to do Riverbend shows, and
they're always really good. My mom is in this one with me and it's a great
thing to do together!”
Sonya Walcott of Hudson makes her Milford Area Players debut in ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ and couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity. “What I have enjoyed about this experience is being chosen to become part of the cast and having the opportunity to be back on stage.” When describing her character, Walcott says, “My character is part of a group of
ladies that share the same beliefs and are much similar to one another in
character. They think it's scandalous that Grace is allowing the Herdman children to act in the Christmas pageant, and they gossip and share their displeasure about it over the phone.”
Director Robin Lacroix also looks forward to the
performances. “It’s such a sweet show and a joy to work on- it reminds us all of the true meaning of Christmas.”
‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ will be performed
at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts located at 56 Mt Vernon Street in
Milford, NH on December 9-11th. Evening shows will be at 7:30pm and the matinee
is at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8.00 for
students.