Review: Shrieks of delight at Steve Irwin-style dinosaur show

Certainly not your average children’s show. I took my three-year-old grandchildren along and have to admit I was glad we were sitting in the back row as an Australian version of a T-rex came roaring onto the stage after ‘escaping’ from its cage.

Worse was to come as we in the audience were told it hadn’t been fed that day!

You hardly noticed the puny human legs sticking out from beneath the hugely realistic-looking scaly frame. Fortunately those in the front two rows had already been warned they were in the ‘buffet seats’.

But before this fearsome Australovenator bursts in, we meet a gigantic early dragonfly - the meganeura. I wasn’t the only person in the audience to scream as giant poles manoeuvered this bug with its 70-centimetre wingspan around the auditorium. Nor did it come alone. Several of its lesser-spotted brothers swarmed round the space leading to a few wails of distress, but mostly shrieks of delight.

Even my twin companions, both devoted dinosaur fans, were impressed. Although they did snuggle a bit closer on the seats.

Host and educator Lindsey Chaplin aims to appeal to all ages.

Personally I felt a bit impatient as she took so long to get going - and then started with the rather underwhelming Leasellynasaurus which was only about the same size as a turkey. But I guess she was doing the educational bit for older kids as well as the banter with the parents.

And when the biggest monster finally arrived - fortunately a herbivore - none of us could have faced seeing the whole body. We were too mesmerised by the size of its never-ending neck.

This is puppeteering at a very advanced level and apparently these southern hemisphere dinosaurs presented by a company called Erth have been thrilling the crowds in Sydney for the past 20 years. And youngsters not in the buffet seats can get up close and personal with the rubber carnivores in the foyer after the show. Perfect half-term fun.

It’s a Steve Irwin-style presentation without any real risks - but don’t say that to the kid who was asked to put his head in the Australovenator’s mouth.

Barbara Goulden