Ben-Hur (play) - Spectacle

Spectacle

The key spectacle of the 1899 show was the live chariot race using real horses and chariots. The Era's drama critic detailed how it was achieved by "four great cradles, 20 ft (6.1 m) in length and 14 ft (4.3 m) wide, which are movable back and front on railways". The horses galloped full-pelt towards the audience, secured by invisible steel cable traces and running on treadmills. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels. A vast cyclorama backdrop revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of massive speed, and fans created clouds of dust. The critic for The Illustrated London News described it as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else". The Sketch's critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up".

There have been many stage adaptations since the initial production, including the 2009 London production staged at the O2 arena featuring the live chariot race. The book was also adapted for film in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and as an American television mini-series in 2010. The 1959 film adaptation of Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston and featuring the key chariot race, won a record eleven Academy Awards and was the top grossing film of 1960.