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Nick Curtis's rating
, Ben Hur is as camp as a row of pink centurions
By
Nick Curtis
18 Sep 2009
Ooh, get Hur! Although this cod-biblical stadium show has spectacular moments, it’s also massively camp, woefully ill-conceived, and laden with bathos.
The climactic chariot race that is the main selling point of Ben Hur Live is undeniably impressive, thrilling even. But that’s two minutes out of two-plus hours.
The rest is a thin parable of faith and forgiveness, fleshed out with mediocre showmanship purely designed to fill a big space. Most of it is hilarious, and all of it is as camp as a row of stamping pink centurions.
More pictures: Ben Hur Live at the O2
The story may be familiar from William Wyler’s Oscar-winning 1959 film, if not from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel. Betrayed by his Roman friend Messala, Jewish prince Judah Ben Hur loses his mother, sister and lover but rises from shipboard slavery to high office and beats his old foe on the race track.
It’s not so much rags to riches as galleon to stallion. Ben Hur’s exact contemporary Jesus pops in and out of the story at key moments and ends up converting our hero.
In this version, conceived by concert promoter and producer Franz Abraham, Hur and Messala (Sebastian Thrun and Michael Knese) are identikit, curly-haired hunks whose arm-clasping horseplay is enlivened by real horses.
Unfortunately, they and the other major characters are frequently hidden by the portable scaffolding towers of the set, or swamped by the action around them.
There’s an all-singing, all-dancing evocation of Olde Jerusalem, full of jugglers and tumblers. And a grand scene of galleons under sail which is quite beautiful until pirates on Mad Max quad bikes nonsensically turn up. An orgy and a scene of gladiatorial combat look oddly similar, sharing clinically unthreatening choreography and oiled-up chorus members in gold underwear. The 02’s video screens, which might have shown more detail and emotion, are not used.
The sparse dialogue, by the way, is in Aramaic and Latin. Which is why Stewart Copeland is there as narrator.
The white-haired, black-suited former drummer of The Police wanders anachronistically through the action, intoning platitudes that sound like they were designed to win simple children over to Christianity.
Copeland also wrote the score for the show, pulling in all sorts of influences and experts to produce something utterly bland.
What really startles here is the gulf between the clearly earnest intentions and the frankly laughable execution. A lot of time, money, expertise, energy and commitment — not to mention seven consultant historians — have been lavished on something frankly risible. The only person to emerge with any real credit is horse trainer Nicki Pfeifer, and he’d be justified in having a long face tomorrow.
Last night’s world premiere was relatively full, but a large number of those present preferred watching this idiotic but grandiose spectacle through the tiny screens of their phones. And some of them had come dressed as Romans. Which is a bit like going to The Sound Of Music dressed as a Nazi, if you think about it.
More pictures: Ben Hur Live at the O2
Until Sunday at the 02 Arena: www.the02.co.uk or www.benhurlive.com for tickets.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (17)
Don't bother
- V B, Essex, 01/01/2010 15:41
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Well i wasnt overjoyed by the 02 arena, its ok.
I wish the show had used some huge screens for us to see expressions on faces etc, as the speaches were in alemeraic(?)
I didnt like S Copelands narration, lose it!
the quad bikes were daft....
the music i cant remember..
quit liked the way the Christ was portrayed, and the doves at the end...
the race itself was excellent,
Not many shows are perfect when they start out.... so plenty of things to sort out...
but i might see it again .
- Mike Sman, Cardiff, 06/11/2009 13:02
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My wife and I loved it. We were in the Gods and were able to view story unfold as if truly one of them. Will definitely go again in January given the chance. Yes, there were bits to improve; couldn't always hear narrator who sometimes "over" translated for us; water £2.50 for small bottle.
A play it wasn't or a musical - but entertainment it certainly was. Have been recommending it to every one. Oh, and I am a teacher and, no, my kids couldn't do better than this and they're brilliant!!
- Ted Payne, Felixstowe Suffolk, 23/09/2009 20:23
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What a load of overpriced twaddle! I feel like I've wasted a whole day and over £500 (tickets, parking, overpriced drinks and food for three people) to watch something that the local primary school could have done better. Shame on all involved.
- Paul Stone, Ongar England, 21/09/2009 15:19
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AWESOME is the word! I spent my entire Saturday with Ben Hur Live and honestly if there's one thing standing out over all - how can anybody see everything in one sitting? For the evening performance I sat over the arena entrance so viewing from a different angle than before, and realised how much I had missed from my previous seat! I watched the bird of prey which was closer this time, saw the doves (not only flying around but also returning to their carrier), and generally concentrated on watching more closely different acts. Of course the chariot race is the climax but the ships are also magnificent as is all the scenery. I enjoyed seeing again all the scenery changes carried out with such precision, and sometimes changes took place that I barely noticed until it was done. Sometimes things are not as precise as expected and create humour. These moments make performances individual. Audience reactions are sometimes just as funny. I saw how many people had to hold back very keen horses while the cast took their final bow! Beautiful strong and healthy animals, they just cant wait to join in. I think the music and lighting are amazing, clearly marking the time and place along with the costumes. Everything about it is so vibrant! This is a gigantic work and I appreciate it very much. Roll on January when I can return with a few others to share the experience!
- Carole Tait, Edinburgh, Scotland, 21/09/2009 14:23
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I was at the opening night of Ben Hur Live, & wow, it was AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!
If anyone's considering whether or not to go, don't listen to the cynics who've forgotten how to enjoy life. Just get down to the O2 Arena & ENJOY this vibrant & spectacular show. Franz Abraham has drawn together a HUGE show that's going to captivate audiences all over the world. It's truly amazing if you have the eyes to see it & a heart that's open to something new & different. DON'T MISS IT!!!
- Regina Hanrahan, London, UK, 18/09/2009 16:58
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I agree that it was dissapointing.Every now and again I would say to myself,'thats quite good' or 'thats quite clever'. That falls way short of what is expected at these prices i.e splashing out £150 of my kids inheritance for the pair of us- and the O2 is a complete nightmare to get to from our side of town as well.
- Frank Wood, wycombe. uk, 18/09/2009 16:51
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Difficult to understand the review as everyone around us gave a standing ovation and the cheers went on for ages, pity the writer couldn't have afforded a good seat as he may have enjoyed the show better, then again seeing how he never liked this epic it's understandable!!
- Antony Edwards, London uk, 18/09/2009 16:20
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Car park £25
Burger £8.50
Cola £4
Being stiffed by O2 ... PRICELESS
After buying £55 face value tickets and driving to the arena (shock horror we don't all live in London), car parking, a soft drink and a snack, the evening for the two of us cost me over £200
£25 to park for two hours in a derilict area like the O2 is in is just a total rip though.
- Barry, woking, surrey, UK, 18/09/2009 15:48
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Not as impressive as I expected however the good bits were good but too few and too short. Would go back again but only for around 20-30 minutes of the whole show
- Ed Docker, London, 18/09/2009 14:23
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Utter rubbish.
I was there for the premiere and it was awful. The storytelling was clumsy, sometimes inane and often patronising. I wanted to throttle Copeland by the end of it. There was no connection with the characters - I simply didn't care what happened to them. And the big chariot race? Well, it wasn't that big. Thank God it was a free ticket.
- Leobadger, Whitechapel, London, 18/09/2009 14:19
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I attended last nights premiere of Ben Hur and to say I was dissapointed would be an understatement!!!
From the placement of the mobile scaffolding to the pirates on quad bikes (Yes Quad bikes!!!), the show was a let down of epic proportions so ironically it did live up to its grand billing.
- Paul G, London, UK, 18/09/2009 12:34
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I really enjoyed the show. No, it wasn't a psychological drama but what it was a grand epic and the special effects and way they filled the space was fantastic. The scale of this show was impressive and I had no problem with the pirates - in fact I loved that bit and thought it a clever way of conjuring up that scene. No, it wasn’t realistic, but then this was a stadium with no water, but it captured my imagination and worked extremely well. Fun, enjoyable evening – recommended.
- Stephen, London, 18/09/2009 12:06
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I was very disappointed overall as the two friends that also came with me. I found the full thing very cheesy, the performances were far from being powerful enough and at some point I was dubious about what I went to see? a circus? the charriot race was too short to be impressive after two hours filled with medocrity!
Definately not worth the 75 that i paid for my ticket.
- Marta Menzies, London UK, 18/09/2009 11:59
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fantastic review -was going to go, but at the ticket prices - will just enjoy the pics - and why is it - that everything you go to has to be seen through the lense of a mobile phone camera - the whole point of a live experience is that it is live - otherwise just buy the DVD
- Jc, se1, 18/09/2009 11:23
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I attended this show, and was blown away by the awesome display and drama of the opening premier of Ben Hur. The audience appeared to enjoy the show, and there were many younger audience members displaying their thrill of the occasion (no different from going to a soccer match) of coming in Roman costume.
This show is a groundbreaking adventure, entertaining, creative and full of life, that some critics who are getting long in the tooth from too many "same format" shows may choke on.
The only scene in Ben Hur that may be "camp" is the Roman orgy, which from what I understand from history was a relatively restrained affair.
There is a lot going on in each scene of Ben Hur to keep the mind completely focused and entertained, nobody is going to be bored with this show.
As a history buff I was thrilled to see a "real life" chariot race, Roman soldiers in action and gladiators. I can appreciate how dangerous chariot races are now, and how addictive they were in ancient Rome.
- Alex Jones, Colchester, UK, 18/09/2009 11:05
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Completely disagree with the review. Yes, there are details to look into for future performances such as a better placement of the scaffolding set, maybe more passion from the actors but, in generall, I thought it was a very pleasant show.
- Laura Thackeray, Rayleigh, UK, 18/09/2009 10:58
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