JADAR

★★★★☆

Olivier award-winning family show Dinosaur World Live stomps its way into the Lowry for a roarsome trip of spectacular dinosaur puppetry and cute interactions perfect for young dinosaur fanatics and families alike.

The show follows Miranda (Lizzie Burder), a charismatic young dinosaur expert, as she teaches us about her dinosaur friends and their unique features. We meet a variety of mischievous and dangerous dinosaurs along the way, from a ticklish Triceratops baby to the ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Despite an interesting premise, the show does lack in the story department, with it acting more as an interactive meet and greet, with a few simple facts about different dinosaurs; their wings, teeth, diets, and personalities.

The show sets up a very brief and hardly recallable backstory for the island, where Miranda tells us how her and her family ended up on the dinosaur-inhabited island, but it is largely irrelevant and remains unmentioned for the rest of the show. Perhaps a more safari-like tale, where the adventurer discovers the dinos in the wild, or some form of conflict arises, would make a more interesting show for adults.

However, the creativity and variety of the show’s puppetry is truly breathtaking. Juliet the Segnosaurus has a puppeteer inside the shell for movement, while another walks outside, arching its neck and making cute whaling noises (similar to Gertrude the Giraffatitan whose neck comes in from off-stage).

The Triceratops (Beatrice) and Giraffatitan babies are well concealed hand puppets, while a silly, dog-like baby T-Rex was controlled by frames attached to the puppeteer as she played hide and seek and fetch and cheekily ate one of the handlers off-stage.

The most impressive puppets of the night had to be the Brutus Triceratops and Titus the mighty T-Rex. Both were huge in comparison to poor Miranda and surprisingly life-like despite elements of the puppeteers being on show. The triceratops, and its slow, slightly dim responses were so endearing, but the T-Rex took the cake as the biggest spectacle of the show.

His arrival on stage cues eerie music, a creepy jungle green lighting, a smoky set, and a mixture of awe and panic in the younger audience, as they enjoy the spectacle and learn about its motion-based vision (a Jurassic Park staple). But be warned, this dino has a temper and may scare younger children, as may little Tamora’s growls.

While Orlando the Microraptor was cute, and its wings and neck were impressively articulate, it could have benefitted from a few alterations so that less puppeteers were needed for one small bird-like creature. Three people around such a small animal slightly undercuts the realism that its movements and shrill calls create.

The show is filled with cute moments where Miranda gets to interact, tickle, and play with the dinosaurs (with the two climaxes being the T-Rex shooing and the finale egg hatch).

Audience members are also asked to participate, making sounds to scare away or attract certain creatures, or being asked on to the stage to help walk or groom them – unforgettable moments for some of those starry-eyed kids.

While not the most interactive show in the world, the panto-like moments with the egg hatch teases, encouraged stomping, and audience participation go along way with making this show memorable for young families, especially in the after-show special meet and greet, despite its slightly unorganised feel.

As an adult (not really the show’s target demographic), I found myself stunned by the marvel of Max Humphries’ puppet designs, endeared by their charming personalities and antics, and impressed with the dedication and patience of Burder as the show’s host.

While the story element was a little lacklustre – and one or two moments felt a little repetitive, as we are continuously introduced to new dinosaurs – the show seemed to fascinate every child in the audience and taught them a thing or two about the now extinct creatures.

Maybe having a couple more dinos on stage at once could have added to the wild atmosphere, or perhaps a less repetitive panto structure, but all in all it’s a great show for young families to enjoy.

Dinosaur World Live runs at The Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until October 20 and tours the UK until August 27 2025.

Photo: Pamela Raith Photography