Meet the kids who got cast in A Christmas Story

Five Chicago kids made the cut for the tour of A Christmas Story, the Musical. Here is a bit of info on each of them

Age: 11

Hometown: River Forest

Role: Bully-toadie Grover Dill

Parents: Thomas and Heidi

School: Fifth-grader at Roosevelt Middle
School

Where you may have seen him: As Tiny Tim in “A
Christmas Carol” at Goodman Theatre

Favorite numbers: “Ralphie to the Rescue,” a
yee-haw number where the kids gallop on stick horses, and “When
You’re a Wimp.” As Grover Dill, “I do a bullying routine and throw
snowballs. We throw a paper towel wrapped in tape in
rehearsals.”

John Francis Babbo


Age: 11

Hometown: Wrigleyville, Chicago

Role: Ralphie’s classmate, Damsel in Distress
in “Ralphie to the Rescue”

Parents: Victor and Maria

School: Fifth-grader at Queen of Angels

Where you’ll see her: In the upcoming films
“One Small Hitch” (2011) and “Man of Steel” (2013)

On whether the kids steal the show in “ChristmasStory”: “We do a really good job. But the adults are
great.”

Sally Elting


Age: 11

Hometown: Naperville

Role: Ralphie’s classmate

Parents: Jim and Lilah

School: Sixth-grader at Covenant Classical

Where you may have seen him: As Winthrop in
“The Music Man” at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire

Favorite number: “When You’re a Wimp.” The
bullies “beat us up and everything, and we sing about how hard it
is to be a wimp. They’d better watch their backs when the wimps
attack!”

Johnny Rabe


Age: 11

Hometown: Frankfort

Role: Swing-“I have to learn all the girl
parts.”

Parents: Evan and Lynette

School: Fifth-grader at Chelsea Intermediate
School

Where you may have seen her: In a community
production of “Annie” at Lincoln-Way East High School

First impressions of the movie: “I wasn’t too
crazy about it. I didn’t understand it, get what it was about. Now
I know it’s about a kid who wants a BB gun and he has a huge
imagination.”

Kalya Rea


Age: 11

Hometown: Batavia

Role: Swing

Parents: Daron and Stacey

School: Fifth-grader at Grace McWayne
School

Where you may have seen him: As Charlie Bucket
in “Willy Wonka Jr.” at Steel Beam Children’s Theatre in St.
Charles

Has he ever pulled a Flick and licked aflagpole? “I’ve been dared but never did it.”

J.D. Rodriguez


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