Dinosaur World Live at Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Amy Peacey
My daughter is 3 and absolutely loves dinosaurs so we jumped at the chance to see Dinosaur World Live at the Poole Lighthouse. I had never taken my daughter to the theatre so it was a new experience for both of us.
Dinosaur World Live is stage show suitable for children over the age of 3 years old. The show takes the audience on a thrilling adventure to an island inhabited by living, breathing dinosaurs. The dinosaur puppets are incredibly realistic, with detailed designs and movements that make them seem almost lifelike.
The dinosaurs are controlled by puppeteers. The puppeteers were all dressed in black so even though you can see them, they do not distract you from the incredible dinosaurs.
The main character, Miranda was great, very enthusiastic and she kept the audience entertained with both the adult and child appropriate humour. The show consisted of various dinosaur facts and lots of audience participation. There were various points in the show where children were chosen to come up on the stage and meet the dinosaurs. I was surprised by my daughter’s hand shot up enthusiastically, every time. The children chosen, did seem to be a little older. Throughout the show they were told to keep an eye on an egg to see if it would hatch. There was lots of screaming and shouting when the egg started to move but I won’t spoil it and tell you if it did hatch.
The show lasts for 50 minutes, followed by a meet and greet session. Although the meet and greet was well organised, it did take some time and 3 years olds are not known for their patience. I was a little disappointed as the dinosaur missed my daughter first time round. You are told to line up in front of the stage and the dino walks along to say hi. I would recommend if you have small children to pick them up so they get to see the dino and are not missed.
The show is designed to engage young children, and it succeeds in doing so through its interactive elements and adorable dinosaur characters. It is dark at times, with flashing lights and smoke. The big t-rex was a little scary when he came on. My daughter just put her hands over her ears when it was very loud.
My favourite part was the gentle triceratops. My daughter told her daddy when we got home that mummy loved the big dinosaurs, and she loved the baby ones.
There was a little stall selling dinosaur world live goodies but this was not “in your face” so you could easier swerve the children away from it, if necessary.
The show started at 2 pm, which was a great time for children as it was just after lunch but not too late that tiredness would be setting in. The show did start a little late which would be ok in normal circumstances but when you have excited children it is difficult to explain when the dinosaurs would wake up to play.
The Lighthouse is located at 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG, and it’s easily accessible by car, train, or bus. The venue has a handy car park just across the road and is within walking distance of Poole train and bus station. We took advantage of the Beacon Café and Bar before the show, enjoying a pre-show drink and taking in the atmosphere.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets for the show are available from £16.95. The show is at the Poole Lighthouse until Sunday 31st August. There are two performances each day over the weekend at 11am and 2pm.
You can buy tickets here: www.lighthousepoole.co.uk