About the Play:

Ben Hur is a full-length comedy adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow from General "Lew" Wallace's never-out-of-print, epic novel of the same name. What happens when an amateur theatre troupe tries to perform the epic story of Ben Hur? As the struggling actors rehearse the grand tale of the fictional Jewish prince and merchant, offstage rivalries and romances interfere with their chariot races and sea battles.

Ben Hur is based on one of the timeless stories of one of the best-selling books of the nineteenth century, and this stage adaptation condenses the epic tale so that it can be told by just four actors. The story follows an amateur theatre troupe as they produce the massive tale of the fictional Jewish prince and merchant Judah Ben-Hur. He falls to galley slave and rises to champion charioteer within Jerusalem during the life of Jesus Christ, while the actors struggle along through the piece as rivalries form and offstage romances interfere. Complete with chariot race, sea battle, and stage combat, Patrick Barlow weaves his compressed style popularized by The 39 Steps into one of the largest stories ever told.

Ben Hur premiered in 2012 at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, UK garnering critical acclaim. Since then the play had regional premieres at professional theatres across the UK and has been mounted by high schools, colleges, and community theatres.

Cast: 1 female, 3 male (or it can be expanded for a cast of up to twenty-six)

What people say:

"...more quick changes and tomfoolery than an entire run of Monty Python." — The Guardian

"Patrick Barlow's small-scale take on this epic tale is a palpable hit." — Evening Standard

About the Playwright:

Patrick Barlow is an English playwright. The author of over twenty produced plays, he is best known for his hit stage version of The 39 Steps, which started as a book that inspired an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. He also known in his native England as an actor and comedian.