Walking With Dinosaurs – The Live Experience
Last night we went to see Walking With Dinosaurs – The Live Experience which is a BBC-produced dinosaur show currently on tour. The performance took place in the Tacoma Dome, with the dinosaurs on the floor and the audience seated in the typical bleacher configuration. I was impressed with the fluid locomotion and very convincing body movements of the dinos. Naturally, the stars of the show are those which are biggest and most toothsome, with the T. Rex saved for the grand finale.
Easily 30% of the audience was children under the age of 12. As a dino geek, I was delighted to hear so many children correctly identifying the dinosaurs by name and pronouncing the names correctly. Also amusing was hearing the dialog behind me, in which a father said “…look, there’s a brontosaurus!” and his daughter said “…no dad, that’s a brachiosaur”. She even knew that the creature once known as a brontosaur was merely a misidentified brachiosaur fossil. Hooray for young dino geeks!
I think most people have seen some of the modern CGI representations of dinosaurs, which provides good context and some sense of scale. But seeing them “live” with a human guide walking among them, it’s easier to understand how immensely large some of the dinosaurs were. When the T. Rex made its final circuit of the floor, it paused at each of the main seating areas to rear up to full height and roar menacingly. I have to admit it was thrilling. Overall I’d say it’s worth seeing.