Review: Dinosaur World Live for a prehistoric experience for little dino-fans

‘Can we go to the dinosaur show again today?’

Three-year-old Big Boy seemed to think it was a great idea to make an outing to Regent’s Park to see Dinosaur World Live a regular agenda item for our London staycation days. He had been fixed to the seat when we went to review the show the day before and was still talking about a big scary T-Rex called Titus.

We had all been impressed when we arrived at the charming summer venue, and I had been chatting away about us needing to go there more often. I had found parking only a short walk away, and the pretty outdoor theatre seemed like the perfect place to be on a warm London August day.

The show itself reminded me of a unique and interesting zoo presentation of never-before-seen animals. An explorer talked about how her family had gone to an island where dinosaurs still live and she then presented the dinosaurs one by one, including interesting facts like when they lived, their size and what they are.

There were also several opportunities for volunteers from the audience to get involved, with one little boy helping to wake up a Triceratops baby and another helping to take the T-Rex baby for a walk.

The dinosaurs were impressive puppets, which looked life-like to the children and included feathers or fur depending on the species they were meant to represent. The highlight was the big T-Rex, which was operated by a team of four, and barged onto the stage with smoke bellowing out behind. We learnt that the T-Rex was sensitive to movement and could get confused if we moved our arms and roared, so we did just that.

Soon after an egg that had been on the side of the stage and caused lots of excitement throughout the show hatched, and the Giraffatitan mum who was too big to come out fully on stage peeked her neck through the stage door.

A sweet ending to an educational and interactive show that introduces children to five different types of dinosaurs and makes for a unique day out for London families with dino-fans.

Dinosaur World Live is on at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 9 September. The running time is around one hour, and there were opportunities to meet some of the dinosaur puppets after the show.

Tags: Aladdin, Disney, Lion King, London, Mamma Mia, Matilda, Musicals, West End, Wicked