Ben Hur gallops to Vernon theatre stage

John Lomas (from left), Gabriel Newman and Cliff Lattery rehearse a scene from Ben Hur, the latest production of Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre, with shows running in May. (Kelly Winston photo)John Lomas (from left), Gabriel Newman and Cliff Lattery rehearse a scene from Ben Hur, the latest production of Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre, with shows running in May. (Kelly Winston photo)
Gabriel Newman (from left), John Lomas and Cliff Lattery rehearse a scene from Ben Hur, the latest production of Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre, with shows running in May. (Kelly Winston photo)Gabriel Newman (from left), John Lomas and Cliff Lattery rehearse a scene from Ben Hur, the latest production of Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre, with shows running in May. (Kelly Winston photo)
Ali Balloun (left) and Gabriel Newman rehearse a scene for Ben Hur, the latest Powerhouse Theatre production. (Kelly Winston photo)Ali Balloun (left) and Gabriel Newman rehearse a scene for Ben Hur, the latest Powerhouse Theatre production. (Kelly Winston photo)

The epic 1959 biblical film Ben Hur featured 365 speaking parts and 50,000 extras.

Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre is staging Ben Hur with a cast of four.

Directed by Tanya Laing Gahr, technical direction by Rusty Gahr, and featuring Gabriel Newman, Cliff Lattery, John Lomas and Ali Balloun, Ben Hur was originally scheduled to run in 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The cast, crew, and artistic team are thrilled to finally be able to bring this hilarious show to life.

The play is based on one of the timeless stories of one of the best-selling books of the 19th century.

This staging of Ben Hur follows an amateur theatre troupe of four actors as they produce the massive tale of the fictional Jewish prince and merchant Judah Ben Hur, who falls to galley slave and rises to champion charioteer within Jerusalem during the life of Jesus Christ, while the actors struggle along through the play as rivalries form and offstage romances interfere.

Playwright Patrick Barlow (39 Steps) weaves his compressed style into one of the largest stories ever told, complete with chariot race, sea battle and stage combat.

Performances run May 4 – 7 at 7:30 p.m., May 8 at 2 p.m., and May 11-14 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at ticketseller.ca or by calling 250-549-7469.

READ MORE: Vernon theatre production full of raucous laughter

READ MORE: Powerhouse: A theatre for 50 seasons

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