BEN HUR is a dramatic story set in Biblical times told by majestic costumed actors in a Roman Amphitheatre with a spectacular full-scale chariot race and gladiator battles.

Academy Award winning actor Russell Crowe is the narrator of this lavish production, providing the historical context and character background.

A cast of 200 actors tells the compelling story of one man's fight for freedom against the Roman Empire, while a powerful musical score and stunning light show makes BEN HUR a major event extravaganza.

The monumental $15 million stadium adaptation combines the scale of the Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony with the drama of the slave who dared defy the Roman Empire.

The stadium-scaled show will be the biggest theatrical event ever seen in Australia.

BEN HUR brings to life the legend made famous by the Academy Award winning Hollywood movie 'Ben Hur', starring Charlton Heston.

The 1959 classic won a record 11 Academy Awards, a benchmark for excellence unsurpassed in movie making.

The 2010 stadium adaptation of BEN HUR is crafted by renowned French director Robert Hossein, whose masterpiece was watched by over 300,000 people in its Paris debut.

This major event theatrical presentation follows the life and times of Ben Hur and his friend turned foe, Messala, the son of the Roman prefect who occupies Jerusalem.

Their bitter feud culminates in the famous chariot race, featuring six teams of four horses in a helter skelter dash for supremacy.

Along the way the cast of Roman senators, slaves, gladiators, dancers and villagers creates great pageantry, while the massive staging includes a giant Roman galleon, the Roman Senate and the town of Judea.

BEN HUR comes exclusively to Sydney for two nights only in 2010 - Friday 22 October and Saturday 23 October.