Emerson Colonial Theatre Official Blog

The first ever production at the Colonial Theatre was Ben-Hur. The theatre’s construction crew began building in 1899, and they were on a time crunch in order to accommodate Ben-Hur just a year later. The production had 360 actors and eight live horses, who were at full gallop on treadmills on stage. The production opened on December 20, 1900, and played for 139 performances. It cost $91,000 to produce and came from New York on seventeen railroad cars. The production was a success, and it drew attention to the new building’s splendor in its design and architecture.