Jurassic! That is One Big Pile of Musical

Don’t remember the tap-dancing dinosaurs in Jurassic Park?

What do you get when you cross a hi-tech blockbuster Hollywood film with a low budget fringe musical? An affectionate knockabout spoof where everything on stage is the low budget extreme opposite of the sophisticated animatronics and special effects of the film - oh, and lots of hearty laughs.

You embrace this affectionate piss-take of the film, with over-the-top stereotypes, and no attempt to hide the fact that these dinosaurs were costumes and props with people inside them, just like you do in a satirical revue or pantomime. 

Often I was reminded of the kinds of monsters which inhabited B-Grade Japanese horror movies, and I couldn’t help wondering, are the deliciously rudimentary designs also an affectionate nod to that genre? It feels a bit like what might have resulted if 1950s Japanese film-makers had made a musical version of the 1993 Spielberg film.

Because the dinosaurs are such deliberately low-budget animal suits, they utterly charm.

A vibrant ensemble cast, full of great individual talents, display absolute commitment and attack their work with great energy throughout. The performance has that rough and ready feel of satirical revue, which just seems so appropriate.

The acting of the human characters is consistently tongue-in-cheek, but as is so vital, the  performers attack their roles with belief. The sillier the action and mock-heroism becomes, the more the players go for it, playing their roles, the delightful mock-heroics and villainy, and each absurd moment as though it was the absolute truth.

The songs by Leigh Scott and Evan Kerr consistently nail the moment, dovetailing terrifically into the satire of the book, and they’re delivered with assurance and style by the cast and the four-piece band.

I look forward to this creative team further exploring their delightful knack for satirical musical comedy.

Both this unassuming little show, and it’s totally apt production, are totally true to themselves throughout, creating a little theatrical gem which had audiences roaring with the laughter of instant recognition from the outset to end. Little wonder it was the Fringe People’s Choice winner.

Neil Litchfield