Since presenters first displayed their fossils at Britain’s Great Exhibition of 1851, dinosaurs have captivated human minds for centuries, according to the American Scientist. Scientists know enough for people to envision dinosaurs on the big screen, but so much is still unknown, leaving room for people’s imagination to fill in the gaps.
“Dinosaur World Live” performed March 8, at Smothers Theatre.
Knowing her daughter loved dinosaurs, GSEP Alumna Kimberly Shediak (’14) said she brought her family out to “Dinosaur World Live” after seeing an advertisement for it on Instagram.
“They loved it — it was very realistic for them,” Shediak said. “It was the right amount of time, just being an hour.”
Shediak said she personally enjoyed the show. She was impressed with the artistry of the dinosaur puppets.
“That was a really nice offering to have here on campus,” Shediak said. “It’s a good way to bring alumni back with their kids.”
The lead actress, Selin Balcioglu, told the story of a dinosaur researcher named Miranda, who was stationed on an island full of dinosaurs. As Miranda introduced each of the dinosaurs, she also shared some facts about their species.
Miranda first introduced Juliet the Segnosaurus. Two puppeteers brought Juliet to life by reenacting the movements and sounds the species made.
Miranda shared that Segnosauruses were herbivores that enjoyed leaves.
Every time Miranda invited an audience member to interact with a dinosaur, the auditorium was filled with voices shouting “Me, me!” The children all wanted to be up close to the dinosaurs.
The youngest dinosaur of the night was a baby Triceratops, who was swaddled in the arms of a cast member. To wake the baby, the audience began stomping their feet to resemble a horde of incoming Triceratops.
One of the largest puppets of the night, Bridget the adult Triceratops, came on stage next. As Miranda explained more Triceratops facts, the dinosaur egg propped nearby shook.
“Miranda!” the children screamed, pointing at the egg. Miranda rushed over and everyone waited in anticipation for the egg to hatch, but to no avail.
An adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex named Tomorrow was the next star of the show. Tomorrow had an elusive and sassy personality that Miranda struggled to control. She could sit on command, do tricks with a ball and run after squeaky toys.
As part of the show, Miranda admitted to the audience that she did not want to bring Titus, the adult T-Rex, out because of a past “incident.” When the entire audience began chanting for the T-Rex to be brought out, she had no choice but to introduce Titus.
Titus, the giant T-Rex, was the true showstopper of the night. He stood as tall as Smothers Theatre and commanded a sense of authority with his size.
Titus let out a deafening roar that rattled the audience in their seats. Miranda enlisted the help of the audience to quell Titus’ thirst for blood by having everyone roar back.
After Titus stomped off, the egg finally began hatching. Out from the egg came a Giraffatitan baby. In a touching scene that invoked several “aw’s,” Gertrude, the mother Giraffatitan, poked her head onstage to greet her newborn.
The show concluded with everyone wishing a farewell to Gertrude. Afterward, audience members lined up to pet Tomorrow.
“Dinosaur World Live” brought the audience to a reality where dinosaurs coexisted with humans.
The puppeteers breathed life into dinosaurs. Each of the dinosaurs had movements and mannerisms that mimicked realistic animal behavior. The audience could observe dinosaur body language for themselves.
Rebecca Carson, the managing director for the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts, has worked at Pepperdine for 16 years, and she said she selects and oversees live performances like “Dinosaur World Live.”
“I’ve always felt passionate about connecting performing arts to audiences,” Carson said.
Carson said she chose “Dinosaur World Live” with families in mind. With dinosaurs being so popular among kids, she wanted to provide a show that faculty and staff could bring their children to.
“I was really impressed by this company and the artistry of the puppets they created,” Carson said, “So, while it works on an accessible level for people into dinosaurs, it also works on an artistic level because the puppets are so beautifully crafted and the way they handle them is really well done.”
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Contact Sophia Luo via email: sophialuo.luo@pepperdine.edu
