Dinosaur World Live
Easy to see why these puppets are a roaring success
Lizzie Burder plays Miranda, our energetic and enthusiastic host, who introduces us to the wonderfully strange world of Dinosaur World Live. Miranda has grown up stranded on an island inhabited by dinosaurs, with only the complete works of Shakespeare to read. This explains why all the dinosaurs have been named after Shakespearean characters, a fun and imaginative detail which gives the production some theatrical framework.
Helping Burder bring this prehistoric world to life is an exceptionally talented team of puppeteers. Nat Speight serves as Puppetry Captain, alongside William Chaplin Stephens, Sebastian Chambers, Georgia Wall and Alice Bravery. While Burder keeps the action moving and maintains an lively rapport with the audience, the puppets and their puppeteers are undoubtedly the stars of the show. The performers not only manipulate these extraordinary creations but also provide their vocal qualities, giving each dinosaur its own distinctive character and personality.
The dinosaurs range dramatically in size, from Orlando the Microraptor, who flies around the stage before landing on a perch, to the enormous Titus the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Titus had the children in the audience screaming, although they were actively encouraged to make as much noise as possible!
Every dinosaur is ingeniously constructed and skilfully operated. Whether it is a pair of blinking eyes, shuffling feet, the twitch of a head or the sweeping movement of a flying creature, the smallest details make the puppets feel remarkably alive. Max Humphries’ puppet designs are truly impressive, complemented by Toby Olié’s work as Puppetry Consultant. Under the direction of writer and co-director Derek Bond and co-director Laura Cubitt, the performers create moments when it is surprisingly easy to forget that we are watching puppets at all. I have definitely not seen anything quite like this before.
The show does not have a particularly substantial storyline, beyond waiting for an egg to hatch, but the production is really about showcasing the dinosaurs. Each one is introduced individually, and Miranda shares a little information about the species as it appears. I did feel that this section could have included more detail. Many of the dinosaurs were new to me, and I would have loved to learn more about them. I appreciate that the production is aimed primarily at younger children and needs to retain their attention, but adding a little more educational content would have helped to give the show greater substance. The dinosaurs are already visually fascinating, so a few more memorable facts could have strengthened the experience without slowing it down.
Once a dinosaur is onstage, there is often an opportunity for one lucky audience member to come forward and help. Spoiler alert: that audience member is always going to be a child. Depending on the dinosaur, the chosen volunteer might feed it, stroke it or even walk it around on a lead. These interactive moments were understandably popular, with plenty of excited hands shooting into the air whenever Miranda asked for assistance.
The involvement of the children also creates some delightfully unpredictable moments, and Burder handles them with warmth, energy and humour. She makes the young volunteers feel comfortable while ensuring that the rest of the audience remains involved in what is happening.
The set and costume design by Good Teeth provides an effective backdrop without competing with the dinosaurs, while John Maddox’s lighting and Tom Mann’s sound design help to create a suitably atmospheric prehistoric environment. However, it is the physical skill of the puppeteers that stays with you. Operating creatures of this size while giving them believable weight, movement and emotion is no small achievement.
Everyone in the audience appeared to absolutely love the experience, including the adults. There is something genuinely magical about seeing these creatures enter the stage and move around the space with such convincing physicality. Although the show is clearly created with children in mind, the craftsmanship involved can be appreciated at any age.
At approximately 50 minutes, Dinosaur World Live is a short and accessible production, followed by an opportunity to take photographs with one of the dinosaurs. There is also a well-stocked dinosaur gift shop, so families may wish to prepare themselves for some enthusiastic requests on the way out.
I would strongly recommend arriving early. Several people arrived as much as 30 minutes into the performance, distracting other audience members as they attempted to reach their seats. With such a short running time, arriving that late also means missing a considerable part of the show.
With spectacular puppets, talented performers and plenty of opportunities for audience participation, Dinosaur World Live offers an exciting introduction to the prehistoric world. A little more educational content would have made it even stronger, but the astonishing craftsmanship of the dinosaurs ensures that this is an experience young audiences are unlikely to forget.
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