To think my friend is taking the Nativity play a bit too seriously

[justfloatingpast]

She's been on the phone to me for ages complaining that the part of Mary has gone to a girl who only joined the school a few weeks ago and her daughter has asked to be Mary for the last three years (she's 8) and has never been cast and it's really not fair etc etc etc

I presume practically every girl in the class puts their hand up when asked who wants to be Mary this year, and the teacher has to pick one child.

My friend is really annoyed and wondering if she should say something to the teacher. Her daughter isn't a child who's constantly being overlooked. She plays on the school football team and was part of a group who won a prize for a project and were featured in a local newspaper.

AIBU to think she's over reacting and should just let it go?

She is BVU. Nice that the newbie got the gig.

I was always the Angel Gabriel, probably because I could learn my lines quite well. ‘Lo, I bring you tidings of great joy...’ (I’ve still got it!)

My DS1 was cast as the donkey. I was so proud!
DS2 was a villager and DS3 a narrator. They only did one nativity each. I seemed to do one every year at primary school.

She's sounds a right arse.

All Mary does is look demure and hold a baby doll for the duration. It's hardly Shakespeare, is it?

reply with aren't school good for including new girl and helping her to settle.
Suggest she takes her dd to a drama group or performing arts class and then she can watch lots of shows or plays.

The classic "Why isn't my child Mary" syndrome.

My favourite gem from these threads is the boy who was annoyed about being the innkeeper, so he said: "Come in, we have plenty of rooms!"

I was always the narrator but wanted to be Mary. I was a bit too brown to be Mary as everyone knows she had blond hair and blue eyes (1970s). My son progressed from livestock to narrator.

These threads always remind me of a boy in my DD's class. He came out of school crying because he'd been cast as the front end of the camel. His mum assumed he wanted to be Joseph or Angel Gabriel, but told him not everyone could be that. We all laughed when he said "But I really want to be the camel's bum."

In the end I think the teacher swapped the two round so that the distressed child could indeed be at the back

I always wanted to be Mary, was always the bloody narrator.
My dc was a king, I beamed with pride.
Your friend is a nut case, the school sounds great.

sarah You had a live donkey?!

I always wanted to be Mary. I remember being really excited to be an angel once and convincing my mum to sew more tinsel onto my costume. I had massive net curtain wings too and i thought I looked amazing.

I have all boys so none of them have been Mary either. Ds3 was Joseph once. Ds2 was a shepherd and had a fight with the boy playing the donkey. I was glad he didn't have a bigger part that year!

Give her a biscuit OP

My DD was Mary 😊😇

I was always the narrator but wanted to be Mary. Because I fancied Joseph-played by Spencer D. I loved him but no. I was too reliable at speaking and haven’t stopped talking since. Tell your friend to go complain and sit back and enjoy...

I was Mary

Actually it was as boring as fuck but I did get to choose a song to sing after one of the rehearsals - When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney as I remember.

Oh and Joseph nearly got sacked because he was a naughty boy

DS2 is in reception and I am LOLing at all the fuss this year. Loads of mums asking if my DS has a speaking part, I then get the sympathetic head tilt when I say no, he is a snowman and them then flustering over darling Persephone's one line in the play and how thrilled she is

It is marvellous to watch all the parents trying to outdo eachother.

According to my teacher Mum, the role of Mary is usually given to the girls who are well behaved but not that bright, since they have to be on stage a lot but often not say much. If they get the role of Gabriel or narrator it’s a sure sign they’re a bit cleverer and can be trusted with lines. So maybe reassure your mad friend that it could be interpreted as a sign that her daughter isn’t vapid

I was the narrator in my first nativity play, and I wet myself on stage. However I decided that the show must go on, and continued narrating while my poor teacher frantically mopped around me...

That’s not favouritism this is ....

Juniors had to pick a couple of parts they wanted and do auditions.
3 girls auditioned for the part of the snow queen. None of them got it and the part was given to another girl who hadn’t even auditioned!!!

I was often a narrator because I could memorise lines & repeat them clearly. I wanted to be an angel because I was blonde & wanted a white dress with wings and tinsel so I'd get told how pretty I was! I think the worst part I ever had was as a king. Still speaking, just very few lines. That was the year I had a form teacher who (by common consensus) disliked me.

Your friend is being u. IME Mary was often someone gormless but pliant who'd sit still. Who wants that? Tell her that!

If my DD ever kicks off about not being Mary I will point out that she was Jesus at a cathedral crib service attended by 100s of people... early planning to make sure I never care!

@supersop60 in the Middle Ages thousands upon thousands of words were written debating the likely colour of Mary's hair. A strong case was put it to have been red!

I always wanted to be Mary. The same girl was chosen every year in my school. The fury!

Nativity plays aren't a thing where I live (abroad)

But dc2 once played a potato in a performance of The Potato King, for about half an hour he was a little indignant that The Potato King was played by a Girl but admitted he'd have hated to have to say more than his 1 line, and that she was the only child un the class likely to learn the words and speak them clearly.