Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live at King’s Cross Theatre London Review
Dinosaur Zoo Live
King’s Cross Theatre, London
18 July to 30 August 2015
Reviewed by David Savage
Yesterday we were invited to visit the King’s Cross Theatre in London to see Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live! Dinosaur Zoo is an interactive theatre show about our fascinating friends; Dinosaurs and is a family show and suitable for children aged 3 years +. I went with 2 children aged 9 and 12.
I have never visited King’s Cross Theatre before but on entering loved it. The box office is outside and ticket collection was fast and efficient. All the staff we encountered were very friendly. Once inside the theatre it looks like an old railway station with seating is each side of the stage, we were sitting centre stage on Platform 1 so had a great view!
Dinosaur Zoo is an interactive show featuring puppets dinosaurs controlled by actors while the host gives all the information about the dinosaur on stage in a fun and friendly manner and occasionally bringing children on to the stage to pet or feed the dinosaurs.
The show features baby dinosaurs all the way up to the giant and ferocious, and probably everybody favourite, T-rex and even the world’s largest dinosaur.
Dinosaur Zoo is a great family show, while aimed at young children aged 3 years children (and dinosaur loving adults) of all ages will love the show. The actor introducing the dinosaurs in easy going and fun but delivering the facts about each dinosaur. He brings groups of children on to the stage for them to interact with the dinosaurs (although some do get scared and run off while others overcome their fears). Humour is mixed with information throughout the show and manages to put the children at ease, but still delivering each scares for the younger audience members.
The puppets themselves are very realistic and the actors do a great job of controlling and keeping the attention on the puppet rather that the actor. T-Rex is an actor in a very large T-rex puppet costume but it is done in such a way that you forget that there is an actor’s legs there and just see the magnificent T-Rex.
There is plenty of audience participation, on and off stage, with children and adults getting involved. The performance we show it was the children brought up on stage who provided a lot of comic moments especially one little boy who was asked to feed T-Rex but kept running off, and although clearly afraid the host encouraged him and put him at ease.
This is a great show for the school holidays. It’s fun but also educational as you get to see what these magnificent creatures would have looked like combined with plenty of information about them, all without overloading the youngest members of the audience.
I and my two young guests, one who is afraid of dinosaurs, loved the show.
The show lasts approx. 45 minutes, but may run slightly longer depending on how the children react on stage. This is a good length for the show, especially for the younger audience.
After the show you also get to meet some of the actors along with their puppets, we met one of the baby dinosaurs and the enormous T-Rex.
I can highly recommend this show for dinosaur loving children and adults.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £15.50 to £25.50 (no transaction fee).
Dinosaur Zoo Live is at the King’s Cross Theatre in London until 30 August 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3039.
King’s Cross Theatre, Good’s Way, King’s Cross, London, N1C | 0844 871 3039
