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Review: Dinosaur World Live at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford

Dinosaur World Live is a must-see for any young dino fans.

The interactive family show features amazing puppets which look and sound incredibly realistic (I imagine – I’ve never actually met a real dinosaur).

The audience is introduced to a series of different pre-historic creatures with the help of explorer Miranda who has grown up in Dinosaur World with her parents who are palaeontologists. The puppets, designed by Max Humphries, include a Triceratops, a baby T-Rex, a Giraffatitan and a Segnosaurus.

The Triceratops is introduced on stage
The Triceratops is introduced on stage

My three year old won't have taken in all the facts and figures but he was enthralled by the puppets and the sounds coming from the stage. He was literally sat on the edge of his seat from the very beginning and, in his words, ‘wasn’t scared at all’.

You soon forgot the dinosaurs were being operated by human hands and I'm sure some young visitors didn't even notice.

My son was on the edge of his seat
My son was on the edge of his seat

The show, written and directed by Derek Bond, includes lots of audience interaction, with children being invited on stage to help feed and look after the dinosaurs.

The whole audience got to help keep an eye on a soon-to-be hatched dinosaur egg, calling Miranda whenever they saw it wobble, and at the end of the show helped frighten away the adult T-Rex by roaring as loud as they could (probably my noisy son’s favourite bit).

The T-Rex was a big hit with the young audience
The T-Rex was a big hit with the young audience

Judging by the atmosphere in the theatre, other youngsters (and mums and dads too) enjoyed the show as much as my son. You could hear the gasps and squeals of delight as each dinosaur was introduced on stage.

The show is 50 minutes long – just the right length for little theatre-goers and afterwards there was a short meet and greet, when children could get up close to the dinosaurs.

Dinosaur World Live is suitable for children aged three plus and is at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford until Wednesday – the perfect outing for the family on a rainy day.

Call 01322 220000 or visit orchardtheatre.co.uk/ to book.

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