World Premiere: How To Train Your Dragon - Arena Spectacular

When my 10 year-old boy and I arrived at Hisense Arena we were late, but to my complete surprise people were still queuing for merchandise. The lack of parking coupled with heavy traffic meant we weren’t the only tardy ones, and the 7pm scheduled start was pushed back to 7.20pm.

After attending the media call the day before, I thought I knew what to expect: the dragons would be the stars of the show. However, I had not counted on the powerful impact projection would wield. Moving and still images beamed not only onto nine interconnected movie screens and the stadium floor, but also on the most intangible of surfaces - smoke.

Projection is used to simulate scene changes, texture, atmosphere, movement, levitation, seasons, and to magnify action that would otherwise be meaningless on a football-field sized stage. Indeed, while much fuss has been made of the impressive dragons, projection is an equal partner in what is a hybrid movie-theatre event. Its contribution is vital to the coercion of a stadium audience.

Last night’s audience had a sports-ground mentality to theatre. It was young-family central, with a smattering of mechanically minded grandpas. In scenes after any of the 25 dragons had left the space, there was a general hubbub - a situation that must be disconcerting to the actors. Any applause was delayed and distant, as most people didn’t even bother clapping. Merchandising made itself felt with neon-lit Viking hats scattered throughout the crowd. Hot chips were the go at interval, for those who hadn’t brought their own from home, and folk wandered the arena at will, many making a quick getaway in the final scene.

I’m guessing most of the audience had seen the Dreamworks animated motion picture of 2010, which is just as well as those unfamiliar with the narrative would have struggled to make sense of it in this atmosphere. The human actors did their darndest to command a presence, however this space that is just too vast for meaningful dialogue. The acrobatics are impressive, yet regrettably only mildly applauded.

But this show is less about story than it is about spectacle. And as a spectacle it does well. Highlights include a scene where Hiccup (Riley Miner), our young hero, is suspended from the rig, and runs atop a projected aerial scene on the back wall. It has computer game written all over it, and is astonishingly effective. After interval the use of light, projection, music and smoke create and underwater scene that is nothing short of magical.

This show is what it says – an arena spectacular. If you decide to take your young’uns along they will dream about dragons for weeks. But please, teach them to clap their little hands – the energy offered by the cast deserves encouragement.

Lucy Graham

Images: Nightmare cooks pancakes for young Vikings; Toothless & Hiccup; The Deadly Nadder pursues Viking and Nightmare & Viking. Photographer: Jeff Busby.