Ben-Hur rides again as breathtaking gladiator fights are performed for live audiences

By Ryan Kisiel for the Daily Mail

Updated: 02:54 EST, 16 September 2009

Chariots race around a huge arena at break-neck speed... a vast Roman army wields swords and spears... two gladiators fight to the death.

Yet this is no scene from ancient Rome but a version of the Ben-Hur story, taking place in the very modern setting of London's O2 Arena.

The 90-minute performance is the most ambitious telling of the story since the Oscar-winning 1959 movie of the same name, which starred Charlton Heston.

Enlarge   Perfomers take part in a press preview of the chariot race

Roman invasion: A scene from Ben-Hur Live at the O2 Arena

Enlarge   Ben-Hur

Epic: The show runs for just five performances and is on until Saturday

There is even a naval battle between two ships, 12 pirate boats and hundreds of soldiers.

Ben-Hur Live has a cast of 400, including seven leading actors, five charioteers, 74 dancers and 66 Roman guards, who each night join a mass of animals on stage for the five-performance show.

The stage of the O2 had to be covered with ten inches of sand to enable the horses to run in rings during the race. Enlarge   Chariot race: The cast of 400 includes seven charioteers who have trained for months for their role

Chariot race: The cast of 400 includes seven charioteers who have trained for months for their role

Enlarge   AT THE BEN HUR LIVE

Force: Roman soldiers stand armed and ready for battle

Enlarge   AT THE BEN HUR LIVE

Fight to the death: Two gladiators do battle in sand brought in to cover the floor of the London arena

Like the film, it tells the tale of Judah Ben-Hur, a prince in the Hebrew House of Hur who was born in the time of Christ, and his bitter rivalry with his childhood friend Messala, a Roman centurion.

The producers claim the show has 'the speed of a musical, the depth of great theatre, the power of a rock concert and the visual opulence of a Hollywood blockbuster'.

Musician Stewart Copeland of The Police composed the soundtrack and narrates the show, which runs at the O2 until Saturday.

Enlarge   Spectacular: The naval battle between two ships is one of the highlights of the show

Spectacular: The naval battle between two ships is one of the highlights of the show

Enlarge   Ben Hur