REVIEWED: Walking with Dinosaurs- The Arena Spectacular
| 5th August 2018
Ever wondered how you can travel back in time for millions of years? Ever wondered if you could see what the world was like before humans? It’s a lot easier than you think…
On Friday night, all we had to do was walk into the Manchester Arena, take a seat and watch the magic unfold at Walking with Dinosaurs- The Arena Spectacular. Hosted by a palaeontologist named Huxley, played by Michaela Strachan, we are lead through the prehistoric world- starting with Pangea.
Based on the BBC’s hit show, Walking with Dinosaurs, Huxley tells us of the first dinosaurs to walk the earth. Being the only human character in the show, the audience (made up of mostly youngsters) aren’t too fascinated by her spiel initially. But when the first dinosaur emerges, gasps radiate throughout the arena.
The life size dinosaurs are immensely realistic from not only their size, but the sheer attention to detail in their bodies; they have wrinkles, muscle definition and they even blink! It’s definitely the closest that the 21st century audience will get to the real deal.
The show almost feels like a scene out of Jurassic Park at times. The audience scream, gaze in awe and laugh at the dinosaurs and when they approach the crowd, a sea of smartphones lights up the air to capture the moment.
The £15 million show boasts a whopping number of 18 dinosaurs, although it’s easy to lose count whilst fixated in admiration at the magnificent creatures. And whilst the younger crowd might only be interested in seeing the dinosaurs, Strachan’s textbook narration proves both entertaining and educational for the older children and adults of the audience.
The audience learn about clashes between the herbivores and carnivores through the years and their defence mechanisms, but also explains why evolution appeared amongst dinosaurs.
As the show goes on, bigger and more elaborate dinosaurs grace the stage. However, the T-rex has to be the highlight of the show. Not only is it incredibly realistic, but it’s incredibly terrifying and HUGE. Let’s face it, we wouldn’t want to bump into a T-Rex in a dark alley…
The show is completely fascinating and suited to all ages who are interested in coming face to face with dinosaurs. For tickets for their UK tour, visit https://www.dinosaurlive.com/tickets