What a thrill it was for mums and dads when these nursery children staged the traditional Nativity at their school in London’s multi-cultural East End.
The four-year-olds at Cyril Jackson Primary in Limehouse had spent weeks rehearsing and learning their lines during free play period with their teacher Shainey Wasik and finally sparkled on the stage on Tuesday.
They had gone through their paces for auditions to select a “star cast” out of the 60 youngsters in Reception Year.
Mary was played by oh-so-sweet Saira Khan who Shainey said had “the cute factor” and one of the best singing voices, playing opposite Taher Montaf as Joseph the doting husband, both warming to their characters.
But Maurice the Mule almost stole the show, played by a confident Steed Manjate as the disgruntled animal having to share the manger with the human baby Jesus.
The three Wise Kings were adapted in this age of equality to Two Kings and a Queen, played by Max Kilka, Ishaq Hay and Zarin Ahmed, with the stable girl played by Robiya Zuhurova.
But it was the seven narrators holding the show together with their “amazing level of reading skills and clear voices for four year olds,” according to their teacher. The narrators were Muhsina Begin, Bobby Joyce, Daniel Webster, Ife Gbadamosi, Nuradin Kilwa, Iyaan Rahman and Alice Tucker.
Children from different backgrounds learned their rolls for this secular version of the Nativity, part of the school’s inclusive multi-faith ethos learning about all the world’s religions. The Story of Jesus born in a manger followed earlier celebrations for Eid.
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