Dinosaur Zoo

St George’s Hall

It’s not every day you come up close to a dinosaur with toothache.

The creature in question ended up clamping his jaws around a child’s head, to the delight of the young audience at Dinosaur Zoo.

The family-friendly show, by Australian theatre company Erth, presented an array of prehistoric creatures, from insects the size of cats to the Aussie version of the T-Rex.

Thanks to impressive designs and skilled puppeteers, it seemed as if we were watching real dinosaurs prowl around in front of us. Thanks to the cheery ‘zoo-keeper’ presenter, the tone was informative but fun, with youngsters invited onto the stage to meet and feed the creatures.

There were baby dinos, Meganeura – huge dragonfly-like beasts, the largest insects ever – buzzing around the audience, and the mighty Titanosaur emerging, in Jurassic Park-style drama, from behind trees. Great fun.

Emma Clayton