At the weekend we went to the new theatre in Chester, The Story House, to watch Dinosaur World Live. I wasn’t to sure what to expect from the show but my eldest had informed me that
“when the meteor hit the earth 5 dinosaur eggs were saved and it’s probably about time they hatched so maybe this is them putting on a show using those real dinosaurs.”
Hmmm, I wasn’t to sure how to respond to this nugget of information. Obviously I didn’t want to lie and tell him they were real when they weren’t because that’s just cruel, having said that, that is exactly what we do with Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny so who am I to stop the magic? In the end I just did what all good parents do and, well, changed the subject (awful I know).
When we arrived it was pretty busy so we took our seats and got settled in. The tiddler was super excited as he is a huge dinosaur fan and the big’un was super unsure, at 8 he is at that stage when he has to act cool and not show too much enthusiasm about things unless he knows his mates would approve and he was clearly still trying to figure this one out.
Our review of the Dinosaur World Live show
The show starts with a rather energetic intrepid explorer named Miranda, who captures the imagination of the children (and most adults) immediately, with tales of how she grew up with the dinosaurs and has now brought them back to England, getting everyone to participate with an enthusiasm for dinosaurs that is simply contagious.
As the show progresses the dinosaurs start to appear on stage and they are much more impressive than I was expecting. They are really big with intricate detailing and wonderful colours. Of course they are controlled by puppeteers which the big’un noticed straight away and explained to me that these can’t actually be the real ones that survived the meteor after all but never the less he still couldn’t take his eyes of them. The tiddler didn’t even seem to notice the people on stage he was absolutely transfixed by the whole show and I have no idea if he thought they were real or not. I do know that he literally sat on the edge of his seat throughout the whole thing though and really enjoyed it.
There are parts during the production when the children are asked to call Miranda if an egg starts to move and then to help her calm a dinosaur by roaring back at it on stage, the tiddler was getting so involved he looked fit to burst, which was wonderful to see.
Everything you need to know about Dinosaur World Live
The show is suitable for ages 3 and over and I would say it is best for children aged 3-6, however the older ones will still enjoy it.
The lights are left on and unlike some shows there wasn’t a need to be quiet, it was very relaxed. So if you have children who haven’t been to a show before this would be a brilliant starter.
It can get really loud, not from the dinosaurs but from the audience participation so if you do have a child sensitive to noise just be mindful of that.
Surprisingly, camera use is allowed throughout the show which makes a nice change, so remember to take yours so you can capture some snaps.
The show itself only lasts 50 minutes which is the perfect amount of time for the younger children.
You also get the chance to meet the dinosaurs at the end. For us it meant queuing at the front of the stage to meet one of the larger dinosaurs and then meeting some of the other ones out in the foyer which the tiddler really enjoyed, especially when he got to stroke the baby one. Each theatre might be set out differently so just listen for the instructions as it would be a shame to miss out on getting a closer look.
Dinosaur World Live is currently on tour with a number of locations and dates still available so if you have dino mad children like my little one then be sure to check where your nearest showing is.
Lots of children were also in dinosaur costumers and some were dressed as explorers so be sure let your kids dress up if they want too.
(The tickets were provided in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own).