A few photos & videos from Ben Hur Live, uh, live

[RIk]

Wow! Sounds great. I can't wait to see pix and video!

[luddite lady]

Thanks for the pictures and the reviews. It looks like Ben Hur Live will be a hit. It's too bad about the sound problems, and I do hope that they are able to do the necessary tweaking so that it is all audible. If the various voices and the music are all competing with each other, it seems like such a wasted effort to have the actors learn scripts in Aramaic and Latin as well as have written, practiced and even recorded narration in all the host countries' languages. On the other hand, I'm really amused by the fact that Stewart was drowned out by...well, Stewart.
I'm so glad you all seemed to have had a splendid time. Those helmets are cheese-a-licious.

ETA: A besuited Mr. Copeland, huh? Oh well, a white toga after Labour Day would have been a big fashion faux pas anyway.

[bella]

I soooo wish I could see/experience this. It sounds over-the-top amazing.

[English-lion]

Thanks for the pic and reviews To think he was doing it on a horse

[Maud138]

ETA: A besuited Mr. Copeland, huh? Oh well, a white toga after Labour Day would have been a big fashion faux pas anyway.

Well, I must say, the jacket Stewart was wearing made him look very sexy. But you just have to wait until tomorrow when I'm home and can upload the photo's (I'm sitting now behind Dafttarts computer). I have some really nice video-footage of Stewart on horse!!

The show was........crazy. I believe that's the best word to describe it. I too had some problems to hear/understand the narrating part. I thought it was mostly because I'm no native english speaker, but now it seems it was a problem for others as well. There were some people (not our bunch!) in the audience who didn't like the fact that "narrator was american"......
The music was great, the chariotrace was very impressive. There was sometimes so much action on the field that you didn't know where too look. I had some trouble with the roman soldiers, who (at least some of them) looked like me as people wearing roman soldiers outfits, instead of real roman soldiers...
We saw Jordan in the first row and Sonja Christina and some other young people I didn't recognize.
The evening was very entertaining. The whole day was fabulous. Thanks to the sweet, sweet, sweet Dafttart who let me sleep in her house and was such a good company. It was great seeying Conroy, Dietmar and Kate again. Really nice meeing Dive, Andy, Smax and mrsSmax. I love nutters. It feels like we all share a long long history together.
So now a few hours London and then it's off to the airport.

[conroy]

Only have a few minutes left on my internet. it was over the top ridiculously insane. I think Stewart's narration was the perfect cheese topping to all of that, giving it an almost tongue and cheek quality to it that a posh British narrator would not have given it. I'm definitely glad I bought the CD as there were a lot of nuances in the score that were hard to hear over the speaking and all the pyrotechnics, especially in the pirate scene.

Definitely a must see and hearing the score !

[Madgrad]

Pirates in Ben Hur? Don't remember that. . .

Anyhow, sounds like a blast! Looking forward to more pictures and reports. . .

[HalcyonLisa]

[quote="Madgrad"]Pirates in Ben Hur? Don't remember that. . .

[/quote]

its when he is a galley slave and I loved the bit about he had been a slave for 3 long years and wasn't about to die at the hands of some nasty pirate - (or something like that....)

the pirates arrived on Mad Max type dune buggy's....

I must admit I had no problems with the sound it was all nicely balanced where we were sat. I do think that sometimes some venues have horrible spots for sound, where I was sat at U2 the sound was awful and almost ruined the gig for me, but my friends two blocks along said the sound was amazing, I think sometimes you can get noise bouncing off certain parts of certain arena's, lets face it the O2 was never built for this purpose, but they have managed to adapt it well.

My friend and I had several Life of Brian moments during the evening and shared quotes about cheese and peoples front of judea a few times

[smax]

SPOILER WARNING:

[quote="HalcyonLisa"]
My friend and I had several Life of Brian moments during the evening and shared quotes about cheese and peoples front of judea a few times [/quote]

There was a little cry of "it's Brian" when he first appeared, ho ho.

The show started with stewart firing a "star" into the centre of the arena initiating some pyro's...
"It began with a star..."

I have some video clips which i'll get onto you tube tonight; including SC on a horse! which he did for about 30 seconds in the first half.

I have nothing to add to the other appraisals of this fine show.. if you're looking for Uncle Vanya: this ain't it... but if you're looking for an epic with crowd scenes, togas, romans, horses, and a lashing of stew-sized theatrics then this is the right place.. oh, and as previously mentioned pirates on dune buggies!

And strangely enough I couldn't help think i was watching "Every Stare's" 'cos of Stewart's narration! if 70's london was ancient Judea and gordo wore nothing but toga's......

[smax]

"It was all set to a stirring score by Stewart Copeland, formerly drummer in the Police, who also carried out narrator duties, a necessity since the actors all speak Latin or Aramaic throughout.

Ever the rock star, Copeland coolly wanders around the arena floor like a black clad ghost, slightly out of place in his modern gear among the dazzling costumes, designed by Ann Hoult."

from here:
http://www.wharf.co.uk/2009/09/review-b ... he-o2.html

and another review here: but no mention of SC
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 89517.html

a meh review :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/se ... billington
"The dialogue is performed in Latin and Aramaic, with the Police's Stewart Copeland, who also did the music, wandering through the action providing an on-stage narration like a faintly de trop sports commentator."

and a round up of several reviews;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainmen ... 262536.stm

[DirtyMartini]

We saw Jordan in the first row

That's a brave man right there.


While we wait for the promised photo and video evidence, Dive gave me the okay to move the photos she posted on Facebook over here as well. So three more shots, including (Dive's words) "our humble narrator":

http://dirtymartiniii.smugmug.com/Other ... S8dx4-O-LB

http://dirtymartiniii.smugmug.com/Other ... 6Cku8-O-LB

http://dirtymartiniii.smugmug.com/Other ... 4iDT7-O-LB


ETA: Oh, wait: I forgot I can include photos now, so here are the best two:

[njperry]

Thanks for the reports and photos. All very exciting. Can't wait for the video.

I do have a question based on the comments here: was the music at the show from a live orchestra or was it recorded?

[TheEqualizer]

[quote="DirtyMartini"]

ETA: Oh, wait: I forgot I can include photos now, [/quote]

Uh, <embarrassed at own ignorance>> how do you embed photos here? I think I was absent the day we were taught how to do that.

[policefan]

Thanks for sharing!

Sounds redonkulously awesome. I wish I could have been there myself!

Now, I can't wait for the video.

[smudge]

[quote="njperry"]
I do have a question based on the comments here: was the music at the show from a live orchestra or was it recorded?[/quote]

It was recorded, as was a goodly chunk of the narration I think.

Re. DM's remark about the bravery of the front row: I don't think they were ever in imminent danger of being hit by spare chariot wheels, but the 'Romans' clearing the track of (deliberate) debris while the horses were still pounding around the arena deserved danger money. Guess they didn't have a safety car back in the day.

This is a bit self-indulgent, but can't resist retelling it. Sorry. Rather splendidly I had a chatty cab driver on the way home, who had seen a piece about the show on the local TV news earlier in the day. When I told him where I'd been, his first remark was, "That bloke from The Police is in it, isn't he? Um whassisname? Bit before your time*. The drummer, I think." He didn't get a recitation of 'that bloke's' full resume, but I still fear there's a cabbie in outer London who knows more than he needs or wants to about Ben Hur Live! and post-rock-god career opportunities.

*This earned him a generous tip.