Preparations for the spectacle «Ben Hur» at Zurich's Hallenstadion

Report for Newsnetz/Tagesanzeiger.ch GLADIATORS DIE AT THE HALLENSTADION Pompous and opulent: «Ben Hur Live» is an inspiring mass spectacle featuring 400 actors. Today, the show including its chariot race comes to Zurich for three days. We saw it in London. Even if you know the epic 1959 film, you will not be disappointed by the big chariot race in «Ben Hur Live». The decisive battle for glory and honour is staged so brilliantly that you take the collisions and broken axles for genuine disasters until the accident victims get back up and clear their wrecked chariots out of the way of the other horse teams. Only then can you breathe a sigh of relief. Mass choreography with 400 performers The showdown between the Jewish prince Judah Ben Hur (Sebastian Thrun) and his Roman archenemy Messala (Michael Knese) is by no means the only scene in «Ben Hur Live» that leaves your mouth agape in amazement. During the first half of the show, the giant mobile set by British designers Mark Fisher and Ray Winkler elegantly transforms from a district of ancient Jerusalem into galleys and pirate ships. Around 400 lavishly costumed actors, dancers and acrobats tumble on and inside it as if feasting, fighting and dying. A mass choreography of truly monumental proportions. The story is secondary As at an Olympic opening ceremony, «Ben Hur Live» is applauded mainly for the sheer effort mounted by humans, animals and technicians. By contrast, the story of friendship, betrayal and forgiveness at the time of Jesus Christ seems secondary, and there was no room for nuances anyway, admits American director Philip Wm. McKinley. 'So that the performers aren't lost in the large arenas, we had to teach them to act in a completely exaggerated way.' Witty wordplay and eloquent power were excluded for other reasons: depending on the scene, «Ben Hur Live» is spoken in Latin or Aramaic. Ben Becker as narrator So that the audience can still follow the intricate plot, Ben Becker guides through the show as narrator. 'With the Latin-Aramaic script, we avoided our dialogue sounding as stilted as in a sword-and-sandal movie,' explains McKinley. 'This gives the show extra authenticity and helps the audience understand the plot.' Because of the historical inconsistencies of the book source, authenticity is not particularly high anyway, but there is more than enough action: Jerusalem under Roman rule is depicted as a political powder keg; once in Rome, Ben Hur takes part in a grand orgiastic party reminiscent of Club Méditerranée, and of course there are gladiatorial combats as well. Things never get boring even when the lead actors are on the other side of the arena, director McKinley and choreographer Liam Steel have made sure of that. What is refreshing about «Ben Hur Live» is that the bombastic undertaking is virtually handmade and manages largely without high-tech gimmickry. Nevertheless, it is a spectacle that genuinely deserves the name. And one shouldn't expect more than that from this entertaining battle of materials. (13.11.2009) http://www.zueritipp.ch/buehne/buehne/Im-Hallenstadion-sterben-Gladiatoren/story/12841864/