The Nativity - Characters

God	The Master Builder, complete with hard hat. Must be reasonably agile and not afraid of heights, as God is raised high above the action in His heaven – in our case, a scaffolding tower or similar – for the duration. There are one or two long speeches, but God often intervenes in the action only briefly.
Angel Lucifer (Satan)	Begins in heaven, so the above comments about agility and heights apply. Lucifer could be played in many different ways, from Anne Robinson to Vincent Price.
Angel Gabriel	Comments about agility and heights apply. Could range from the compliant and obedient servant to a slightly stronger character who secretly enjoys giving Lucifer his/her come-uppance. With both angels played by women, this scene acquires a sub-text which is a thinly veiled cat fight! Gabriel doesn't sing, but has a theme played and sung by the band.
Adam	Nudity not required, but needs to look the part.
Eve	Nudity not required, but needs to look the part.
Boy	A ploughboy, a short walk-on part to set the farming scene for Cain and Abel.
Cain and Abel	Pure pantomime. Think of the Chuckle Brothers. There is the option for Cain and Abel to sing the song at the end of their scene. For this, both actors need to be strong singers, capable of holding their own part, with similar vocal ranges. Alternatively, the song could be performed by the Band.
Noah	Single minded, if not obsessed. Think Fred Dibnah. Has head-on arguments with his wife, who is equally dogmatic. There's a lot of sit-com type humour between the two.
Noah's Wife	Shrew, but once convinced supportive of Noah. Think Sybil Fawlty.
Abraham	Old man, dedicated to God. The bible story is told straight.
Isaac	Young boy, son of Abraham. The bible story is told straight.
Butchers	Six identically dressed butchers, who perform a short rapper sword dance after God has intervened in the sacrifice of Isaac. Must be reasonably agile, have a good sense of rhythm, and know left from right!
Joseph	As you'd expect.
Mary	As you'd expect.
Herod	All powerful but paranoid. Needs to be physically intimidating, as the dialog has him as the "brawn" of the brains and brawn team with his son.
Herod's Son	Academic, providing learning and logic to balance his father. Geeky would be acceptable. Must be able to read out Latin prophecies when he's advising his father.
Kings	As you'd expect, but beware the medieval French required when they are quoting from their mystical prophecies to Herod.
Messenger	Herod's Messenger who learns of the Kings' arrival, and informs Herod.
Shepherds	Much more than just the three shepherds in the biblical story, the Shepherds, Mak and Mak's wife have a short pantomime within the play, acting out the old folk tale of a stolen sheep being hidden away, disguised as a baby. Mak is the wide boy who steals the sheep, and his wife has the idea of how to hide it from the Shepherds. Think of Red Riding Hood, and expect shouts of "Behind you!" The shepherds have a song together.
Mak	The Shepherds, Mak and Mak’s wife have a short pantomime within the play, acting out the old folk tale of a stolen sheep being hidden away, disguised as a baby. Mak is the wide boy who steals the sheep and his wife has the idea of how to hide it from the Shepherds. Think of Red Riding Hood, and expect shouts of "Behind you!"
Mak's Wife	The Shepherds, Mak and Mak’s wife have a short pantomime within the play, acting out the old folk tale of a stolen sheep being hidden away, disguised as a baby. Mak is the wide boy who steals the sheep, and his wife has the idea of how to hide it from the Shepherds. Think of Red Riding Hood, and expect shouts of "Behind you!"
Angel	Announces the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds.
Soldiers	About six soldiers, with a few lines between them, who preside over the slaying of the infants.
Women	About six women, who are the mothers of the slain infants.
Knight	Tells Herod when his order to kill the infants has been carried out.
Herald	Calls Herod and his Soldiers to their celebration feast.
Death	Kills Herod and the Soldiers. Not a silent part – there are some lines.
The Company	The entire company are called upon to greet the audience as they come in and join the action at various stages. Most of those with named parts will also take part as general members of the company. There are opportunities for dancing, singing, or simply to be one of the crowd. The particularly anthemic chorus numbers such as Lay Me Low and Shepherd Arise will need a good sprinkling of part singers as well as people singing the melody.