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Long Beach is home to a vibrant community of people who celebrate culture through art. Their stories deserve a platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he can remember his past amid the fog of slavery and decadence of Roman wealth, Judah pines for his mother Sarah and sister Tirzah, who seem Jewish by way of Brooklyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also family servant Esther back home, who grew up with Judah and loves him. Not to mention Messala, adopted into the Hur household but now a Roman governor and Judah\u2019s chariot-racing rival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making mystical appearances throughout the tale is a certain holy man born in Bethlehem in an early scene, who compassionately slakes Judah\u2019s thirst while he is dragged into slavery, perhaps saving his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s surprising that this entire story comes across at all given that we also get interpersonal romantic dynamics among the actors \u2013 members of the Daniel Veil Theatre Troupe who are ostensibly staging this play for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel (Grant Thackray), who introduces the troupe and plays Judah, loves Crystal (Amara Phelps) \u2013 who plays blonde sister Tirzah and brunette servant Esther, sometimes in the same scene \u2013 and who clearly doesn\u2019t reciprocate Daniel\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Daniel discovers Crystal snuggling behind a prop with Omar (Devin Ricklef) \u2013 who plays Messala in a Roman toga and helmet, and also Jesus in flowing locks and robes \u2013 the line between Judah\u2019s story and the troupe\u2019s begins to blur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carrying us through this potential mayhem is the infectious energy of the actors, all of whom seem to have fun playing their often physically challenging roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thackray draws our sympathy as the somewhat geeky Daniel, invested in staging the epic even with his deluded heart broken. Devin Ricklef as Omar believably overplays Messala with Shakespearean gravitas, while also embodying Jesus\u2019s love-thy-neighbor hippie aura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Playhouse veteran Eric Schiffer completely owns his turns as the Southern-accented Wallace (a.k.a. Col. Sanders), Judah\u2019s stereotypical Jewish mother, one of the three Wise Men riding a prosthetic camel and an effete Roman politician who takes a liking to enslaved Judah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Amara Phelps shines as Crystal (as she has in previous Playhouse productions, such as \u201cThe Revolutionists\u201d), delightfully alternating between Tirzah\u2019s valley-girl inflections and Esther\u2019s thick New Yorkese in rapid succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two stagehands, played by Charlie Rodriguez and Jackie Shearn, jump into other roles as needed, including animals. Shearn manages to steal every scene she\u2019s in, whether as a sheep in the manger, a horse anxious about being patted by Jesus or a cheerleader at the colosseum chariot-race showdown between Judah and Messala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, there is indeed a chariot race, staged how you might imagine creating it with friends in your living room when your parents aren\u2019t home, using boxes and anything with wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also dummies adding bodies when needed, such as on the Roman galley \u2013 where enslaved Judah is an \u201coarsome\u201d oarsman \u2013 which gets attacked by pirates who get tossed into the audience in the ensuing melee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The audience also gets to participate in what the Playhouse describes as \u201chistorically accurate\u201d rowing and dialogue, as led by Daniel and the troupe, adding a lively dimension to the sea battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Background video projection also adds dimension to the stage, with cheesy budget imagery and sudden scenic and musical cuts adding humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As directed by Gregory Cohen, pacing is a bit slow at first, but gets more fluid as the story unfolds. However, time between scenes can feel a beat too long while the small troupe is backstage changing costumes and wigs, often with comical mixed success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goofy and charming, \u201cBen Hur\u201d is a fun romp, perhaps even more so after a wine or beer from the Playhouse\u2019s concessions. It may also be fitting for Easter, though how Jesus \u201crelieves\u201d Judah\u2019s thirst may be too cheeky for some, also how he has to be a puppet sometimes. But with these and other chuckles comes a miraculous message of love and family \u2013 epic indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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