He is currently writing theatre versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles and Dracula. Patrick has also appeared in Absolutely Fabulous, Shakespeare in Love, Notting Hill, Nanny McPhee and Bridget Jones’s Diary. Publications include Shakespeare: The Truth! and The Complete History of the Whole World. Other screenwriting includes Van Gogh (Prix Futura Berlin Film Festival), Revolution!! (Best Comedy Jerusalem Film Festival) and the BAFTA-winning The Young Visiters. Patrick is also celebrated in the UK for his two-man theatre company National Theatre of Brent, whose comedy epics include Wagner’s Ring Cycle, The Charles and Diana Story, The Messiah, The Wonder of Sex, The Arts and How They Was Done, The Black Hole of Calcutta, The Life and Times of the Dalai Lama and Zulu! They have won two Sony Gold Awards, a Premier Ondas Award for Best European Comedy and the New York Festival Gold Award for Best Comedy. Two years is an eternity when one friend is twelve and the other fourteen. Most recently, his rewriting of John Milton’s Comus has played to critical acclaim at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. A man now The distance in their ages had always been important. Just as the original was a faith journey for her great-great-grandfather, rewriting it was a journey into faith for her.Besides his version of Lew Wallace’s Ben Hur, Patrick Barlow’s Olivier-nominated adaptation of A Christmas Carol has played off-Broadway and London’s West End while his 4-person adaptation of The 39 Steps has played in over forty countries worldwide, winning Olivier, Helpmann, Moliere and Tony Awards and making Patrick the most performed playwright in America for 2012/13. So she decided–with the boldness of a good writer–that she’d like to rewrite.Īnd she did, preserving the ever magnificent turn of Lew’s plot, honoring all the Christian themes. Carol was captivated, but she had to admit that the language is pretty stilted, a tough slog for today’s reader. It’s a terrific story, a true page turner. In fact the real climax–if you ask me–comes when Judah Ben-Hur, the hero, witnesses the Crucifixion. It’s about a lot more than a chariot race. Many forget that the full title is Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and indeed in writing his novel of a fictional Jewish prince at the time of Jesus, Lew explored his own faith and how a life could be transformed by Christ.

He was the last male descendant of Lew Wallace and as she looked at some of the old black-and-white photos, Carol thought, “Maybe I should see what the fuss is about.” Not until her dad died a couple of years ago did she consider reading it. Watch a trailer for the upcoming movie, ‘Ben-Hur’

The novel grew in such popularity during Wallace’s lifetime that it was. He did most of his work underneath a beech tree near his residence in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Wallace had been researching and writing the novel for seven years. Carol grew up in a house full of photos of General Lew Wallace–the youngest Union general in the Civil War–and plenty of copies of his famous book. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by General Lew Wallace was published by Harper & Brothers on November 12, 1880.

Ben hur carol wallace