Variety On BEN HUR LIVE's Upcoming 02 Arena Premiere

Variety reports on the upcoming theatrical world premiere of "Ben-Hur Live" which will gallop through the vast 360-degree 02 Arena for just five performances beginning on Sept. 17th and continuing through Sept.20th.

"Ben Hur Live" will celebrate the movie's 50th Anniversary. The show features 400 actors, 46 horses, two donkeys, five falcons, two eagles, two vultures and 120 doves reveals Variety.

German producer Franz Abraham has spent the last 15 years devising the multi-million dollar production and it will finally be seen by audiences when it debuts at the capital's O2 Arena.

Abraham remarked, "I have aimed to create something completely new, with a high level of artistry, that would excite the audience. The show will have the speed of a musical, the depth of great theatre, the power of a rock concert and the visual opulence of a Hollywood blockbuster." To read the entire article click here.

Ben Hur is the story of a rich Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century under the influence of the oppressive Roman Empire. The show will feature special light, sound, water, wind, and pyrotechnic effects. The highlight of the epic promises to be the climatic chariot race as depicted by Charlton Heston in the Oscar winning 1959 film, based on the novel Ben Hur - A Tale of Christ by Lew Wallace. The thoroughbred horses have undergone 12 months of intensive training with a team of trainers and charioteers.

The historical story will be played out with a full symphonic soundtrack created by Hollywood producer Klaus Badelt.

This is not the first time that the Hollywood epic has been recreated live. Three years ago, a French production played to 300,000 people at Paris's Stade de France. Going back even further, we know that scenes from Lew Wallace's book were often performed in theatrical spectacles in the early 20th Century.

After the performances in London, the show will tour Europe.