First Direct Arena, Leeds – 23 August 2018
Reviewed by Hayley Thompson
4****
Me and my son visited The First Direct Arena in Leeds on the 23rd August, 3pm show of Walking with Dinosaurs and I can say what a brilliant visual show!
My four year old son (soon to be five) watched the full show when the dinosaurs came on stage. I must admit he was a little bit fidgeting when the actor spoke about the world and the dinosaurs but as an adult I found it quite interesting.
The dinosaurs were not only the fantastic aspect to see, but the affects such as the volcano rocks, trees, flowers and lighting were very clever. This production made sure the story was very colourful especially when it came to the “scary” parts. I found the dinosaurs very convincing but my clever child did keep reminding me that they were robots or costume! One thing he was disappointed in was that there was no pterodactyl – only on screen. However this did not spoil the show.
It was lovely to see the art work of the dinosaurs and the physical theatre that was included. Even though I could see some grey legs, I can still appreciate their performance. Especially the baby T-Rex’s comedy. The show seemed quite simple but very effective to put together! For example using lights to signify flowers and insects and also using the screen to give us a better view of the dinosaurs and even some footage of scenery.
Overall a wonderful show and a brilliant one to take the children to, to educate.
On tour around the UK – details at www.dinosaurlive.com