12-year-old boy was supposed to play the biblical Joseph, got confused and dressed up like Joseph Stalin instead

Dec 29, 2014 12:35 GMT  ·  By
Joseph Stalin stars alongside Mary and baby Jesus in Nativity play in Russia
   Joseph Stalin stars alongside Mary and baby Jesus in Nativity play in Russia

Nativity plays are a big hit among those more religious of the bunch, especially around the holiday season. The thing is that, seeing how they are based on the Bible, such plays all feature the same characters and have the same plot line.

Well, almost all Nativity plays are very much alike. There are some that break the pattern, and one that was performed in Russia just in time for this year's Christmas celebration pretty much takes the cake when it comes to rewriting the story about the birth of Jesus.

This one play, staged at a school in the city of St. Petersburg, starred Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as baby Jesus' adoptive father. That's right, Joseph Stalin, the former leader of the Soviet Union, made an appearance as one of the good guys in a Nativity play.

How Joseph Stalin was included in the play

By the looks of it, the Soviet dictator got to entertain the public alongside Virgin Mary, the three Magi, and baby Jesus, after a 12-year-old school boy cast in the play got him confused with the biblical Joseph and put on a military outfit instead of a robe or something of the sorts.

After his teacher told him that we was to play the part of Joseph, the boy ran home to his parents and told them that he got cast as the Soviet dictator. Since the lines to the play were in German and nobody in his family is familiar with this language, nobody questioned the 12-year-old's announcement.

In fact, his family did their best to design and put together the best Joseph Stalin outfit there ever was. They sewed stripes to his pants, gave him a pair of military boots to wear, drew a mustache on his face and even handed him a folder with a big star to hold while saying his lines.

It appears that it was only on the day of the play that the boy and his family figured out that the 12-year-old was not supposed to play Joseph Stalin but the biblical Joseph. By then, it was too late to find another outfit and the boy made an appearance on stage dressed as the Soviet dictator.

“Yesterday, my 12-year-old son participated in a school play. He told us ahead of time that he got the role of Joseph Stalin who is talking to some woman,” his father explained. “It wasn’t a big surprise to us, as he has played parts in school plays before, and once he was even a watermelon,” he added.

Things turned out alright in the end

Not at all surprisingly, the Nativity play starring the 12-year-old boy dressed like Joseph Stalin turned out to be quite a success. Thus, word has it that the audience loved and adored the boy's performance and especially his military outfit, and some even burst out laughing when they set eyes on him.

True, there were some parents who were quite shocked to see Joseph Stalin standing next to baby Jesus, his mother, and the three Magi, but at least nobody can complain that they got bored watching this very special Nativity play staged in the city of St. Petersburg in Russia.