Opening night of Dinosaur World Live started off with a big bang. Or should we say, a roar!
On March 6, Dinosaur World Live opened its doors at the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis, following tours in the UK and China, to crowds of dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages, but mostly those under 10 years old.
The play follows Miranda (played by Lizzie Burder) as she introduces the audience — frequently inviting a lucky viewer on stage — to her prehistoric compatriots: two Tyrannosaurus Rexes, a Triceratops, a baby and mother Giraffatitan, a Microraptor and a Segnosaurus.
Each of Miranda’s companions, who are voiced and manipulated by a crew of five puppeteers, bears a unique relationship with her. For Burder, bringing Miranda to life around dinosaurs presents a new challenge for her acting, and a new flavor of unpredictability for the audience.
“It’s quite probably the most challenging part I’ve played, because it’s not all happy all the time,” Burder said. “There’s so much nuance to it. Because they’re wild animals, you never quite know what they’re going to do. [Miranda] really wants everyone to enjoy themselves, but she’s also teetering on the edge of everyone potentially being eaten at any moment.”
The largest dinosaur, Titus the Tyrannosaurus Rex, weighs in at a whopping 1400 pounds and is manned by all five puppeteers. Even before Titus steps on stage, Miranda makes his presence known to all in the theater by advising audience members to pretend to be a tree, should they hear the heavy footsteps or shrill call of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Titus’ little sister, Baby Tamora, offers an audience member the opportunity to prove their bravery on stage and assist Miranda in one of her dinosaur-rearing struggles.
Orlando the Microraptor, though one of the smallest dinosaurs, was perhaps the most impressive. Delicately built with piercing eyes, sinewy wings — of which he had four -– and luscious feathers, Orlando was operated by three puppeteers. The production took inspiration from the Japanese art of Bunraku puppeteering, with a different operator manipulating the head, body and feet. This style requires a suspension of disbelief, as all three puppeteers were visible. Still, Bunraku lent an unparalleled dexterity to the raptor’s movement. Orlando’s liveliness and activity went unmatched by its more brutish companions.
Brutus, a lumbering triceratops with an affinity for scratches, might not be the tallest dinosaur, but he provides the heaviest load for individual puppeteers. The puppeteer piloting Brutus’ head carries 145 pounds while performing the dinosaur noises that bring Brutus to life. Unlike other, more diminutive, puppets, Brutus largely conceals puppeteers within his hulking figure.
Juliet the Segnosaurus kicks off the shows with her imposing yet alluring presence. Her form, feathered, furry and scaly, brought the house alive with screams as the audience realized the magnitude of the production. Any expectation that the dinosaurs would be cartoonish or childish was immediately squashed. One of two feathered dinosaurs, Juliet’s coat requires maintenance twice a week.
Juliet is not simply the opening act: she’s also Burder’s favorite.
“I like her because people don’t expect her,” Burder said. “She’s not a t-rex or a triceratops. People haven’t heard of her, and when she comes out, nobody ever guesses what she is … The puppetry is very detailed in her movements. She’s elegant, she’s sassy and she has gorgeous texture.”
This is the first time Dinosaur World Live has had a long term residency. The production typically travels for single night shows, but in Minneapolis they’ll be doing evening and matinee performances, as well as school shows Monday through Thursday.
Those school shows have been a new, rowdier experience for the cast.
“[The school shows] are the craziest ones, because it’s all kids. … And they’re all with their friends, so they’re all really hyped up, and they shout the funniest things. They’re talking to me the whole time.”
That doesn’t mean typical shows lack the improvisational delight of children. As Hayden Camidge, company stage manager, recounted, during one production, a child participant was so excited to have the opportunity to feed Juliet, the Segnosaurus, he let out a bloodcurdling screech and shouted “Crucify me!”
Having previous experience with children’s theater, including two tours on Dinosaur World Live, this sort of audience participation is nothing new to Burder. Her journey in children’s theatre began with a teaspoon. Immediately after finishing her bachelor’s degree from Middlesex University London, Burder took her first professional role in the children’s production “Meet the Teaspoons.” Since then, her affinity for children’s theatre has only grown.
“I love the people in children’s theater,” Burder said. “Obviously, we’re all performers, and we all want to be on stage and have attention, but people are doing it for the love of children and wanting to share the feeling that we all had when we were kids on stage.”
The production is less of a play and more akin to a raptor show, as Miranda brings out each dinosaur in turn and introduces them with interesting factoids. There are still running themes — the uncontrollable nature of the dinosaurs, the egg incubating, audience participation and a level of loneliness.
Though Miranda is happy, often even giddy, she is alone. She references her parents, misses them deeply, but they are inexplicably gone. She is lonely on Dinosaur Island, overwhelmed by the beasts she still loves dearly. When she watches a mother dinosaur, Gertrude, connect with her baby, there is longing in her gaze.
Still, the show aims to inspire and uplift its young audience. Burder hopes the audience leaves with “that magic of something being live in front of you, that childhood suspension of disbelief, of being so amazed that something has just happened right before your eyes.”
The invitation into a dinosaur’s world doesn’t quite end with final bows. Postshow, every audience member has the chance to meet and touch a dinosaur up close. If you do get to meet these dinos, give them a roar for us!
Tickets for Dinosaur World Live start at $25. The show runs from March 3 to April 5. Audience members interested in being picked as volunteers should opt for aisle seats near the front.
