The most impressive ‘puppet’ show we have ever seen! I took my five-year-old son (see his review below) and a friend’s 10-year-old daughter and both were transfixed, as was I.

Loki was worried at first that he would be scared. The short MC intro includes a warning, "Kids, sit right up close, but don’t go over that white line or the dinosaurs might stand on your toes," after which he (Loki) repeatedly asked me whether the dinosaurs would be real ones, and grasped my hands ready to clap them over his eyes if it got too much.

Needless to say, my small dinosaur fanatic was enraptured rather than frightened by these actual-size creatures. Children and supple parents sit right up front on the floor, which is certainly the best vantage point and, as the performance part of the presentation is only about 30 minutes long, I didn’t get too much of a numb backside!

It’s presentations like this that remind me how well science can complement art, and vice versa. Inflatable prehistoric trees unfurl and later slowly deflate, as though growing and then dying; volcanic rocks morph and shift, representing the movement of tectonic plates. The dinosaurs, insects and sea life are, depending on their size, either hand operated puppets or elaborate full body suits manipulated by the actors using nifty levers to move limbs, jaws, wings, even eyes. These amazing creatures are so incredibly detailed, convincingly textured and life like, right down to the primitive plant life and volcanic rock, we are told they were stuck at customs for a week because of the suspicion aroused by their realism!

Bravo to the totally black-clad actors/’puppeteers’, who manipulate the creatures and scenery with such sensitivity it was easy to forget they are there.

A moveable screen at the front illustrates the passing of time and the process of evolution, presenting starscapes, sea scenes and dunes, with a background narration that is both scientifically informative and concisely poetic, such that it doesn’t lose the young ones’ interest and creates a tangible primeval atmosphere. The entire soundscape is impressive, including realistic and sometimes eerily primal animal sounds. The screen provides brief interludes and is moved aside for most of the show, so that we’re face to face with the astonishing creatures whose curiosity occasionally extends to checking out audience members.

What surprised me was that none of the kids ran crying to their mums or wanted to leave – even though I myself had my heart in my mouth on a couple of occasions – such is the universal magnetism that dinosaurs hold for their small intrepid fans, I guess.

The main theatrical part of the presentation is followed by a bit of background about the show and a personal introduction to Basil – resident dinosaur and one of the stars of the show, who interacts with our MC, providing comic relief and an opportunity for a bit of good old audience participation. The whole thing seems quite short, but so much work has obviously gone into effects, preparation and presentation (and it pays off), it seems greedy to want more.
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Loki’s review

I liked it. No, I loved it! I liked the biggest dinosaur. I was excited. It was fun – the dinosaurs were fun. I wish there were dinosaurs in the world. All of them were a bit like my velociraptor at home, except the biggest one, which was so big that it couldn’t fit through the whole room, only its neck. It looked like a brachiosaurus but they didn’t tell us the names of all the dinosaurs.

Basil didn’t want to get his eye drops. Basil was funny and cool – he was the dinosaur that lives at the museum and he’s a plant eater. I liked the fish eating the shellfish. That was funny. The rocks moved a lot. I thought they were alive.

The dinosaur show was brilliant and fun.

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