Not to be missed! If you are in London and have a pile of money to burn on theater tickets, that is. A few days ago a theatrical version of Ben Hur opened, including a live chariot race on stage. The Ben Hur saga is an immensely entertaining story of adventure, conversion, the Roman Empire, sea battles, and, of course, chariot racing. Its origin is an 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, but most of us have experienced Ben Hur through the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston. (An earlier silent version had starred Francis X. Bushman, who was not only from Baltimore but built himself a Hollywood-style villa here that still stands.) Even more thrilling for us Classicists, the play is in Latin and Aramaic (that is, the language that Jesus most likely spoke)! For the weak of heart and tongue, though, the plot is narrated in English…are there no standards left? Did I mention chariot-racing? Reviews have been mixed, alas (a sample is on the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8262536.st). For more information on the play, take a look at the BBC’s web article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8232208.stm. So, who’s paying for the flight to London?