There are few things that get kids (and in this case an adult) as excited as Dinosaurs, these giant mysterious beasts that ruled the earth millions and millions of years ago remain as thrilling as ever and thanks to advancements in both science and technology never have we been able to get nearer to seeing the real thing.
Sadly a true to life Jurassic Park is looking increasingly unlikely, although considering how that film pans out that may be no bad thing – saying that who wouldn’t like to see a few lawyers fall into the jaws of the odd T-Rex every now and then, and so we turn to the world of entertainment for our fix of dinosaurs and in this instance it was the stage adaptation of the hit BBC show Walking with Dinosaurs which has stopped off at Nottingham’s Capital FM Arena.
I’ll be honest and say I’d been looking forward to this show since it was announced and was probably more excited than the kids as we took our seats in a surprisingly sparse Arena, though there was a sense of trepidation over how they were going to bring these dinosaurs to life on stage without them looking like some kind of 70’s TV show.
The way the show is delivered is done extremely well with paleontologist Huxley – the only human actor in the show, leading us through the three periods of the dinosaur, the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. As the show moves on the scenery changes to match the changing climate from barren wastelands to the arrival of plants and flowers and ranging fires which all goes to add to the sense that you are travelling through time.
Of course as great as the scenery is it’s all about the dinosaurs and I am happy to say they do not disappoint, the puppets are well controlled by discreet teams and move with surprising grace and are far more realistic than you might expect and we’re treated to clashes and tender moments throughout as the dinosaurs come and go from the great plundering Brachiosaurus to the swift, aggressive Raptors.
Of course there is one dinosaur everybody wants to see and that is the Tyrannosaurus Rex and when she arrives she is certainly worth the wait pounding around the arena and bellowing out roars that had my two covering their ears. What’s more there was a baby to boot and as great as it was to see the mighty carnivore roar and chase off the Torosaur it was just as great when we were treated to a tender moment between the mother and her baby.
Of course the end of the show had to come and with it the huge comet that bought about the end of the dinosaur age which crashed to “earth” amid the roars of the T-Rex in an explosive and powerful finale.
All in all Walking with Dinosaurs was a fun show for adults and kids alike and for an hour and a half, sat in the Nottingham Arena, for me at least, it felt like the Dinosaurs finally had come back to life.
Walking with Dinosaurs is running at the Capital FM Arena until Sunday 19 May 2013 for more information and tickets click here
