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Jurassic show is din-o-mite
Photo by JOAN MARCUS
Some kids squirmed in the seats but most were awestruck when the dinosaurs appeared on stage.
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Published: October 15, 2009
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TAMPA - There is an "ahh" moment in "Walking with Dinosaurs" when a 40-foot-tall long-necked brachiosaurus tenderly cuddles its 1-ton offspring after the two of them chase off a nasty pointy-toothed carnivore.
Was it an Allosaurus or a Liliensternus? Sometimes it's hard to tell unless you are sitting next to a 10-year-old kid who is into dinosaurs.
There were plenty of young dinosaur fans in the audience at the opening of the $20 million arena show based on the educational BBC series of the same name.
Some squirmed in their seats. Some covered their ears. Some hid their eyes. But most were where awestruck over the impressive appearance of these life-like creatures.
Just as the popular TV series brings dinosaurs to life via computer animation, the arena show brings them to life via robotics, animatronics and puppetry.
"Walking with Dinosaurs" is theater in the round with 15 reptilian creations bellowing and growling their way through a quick trip back about 165 million years.
There's not a bad seat in the house for this loud, thunderous production that runs about 100 minutes (including a 20-minute intermission).
The star of the show, the Tyrannosaurus rex, sends chills when it lets out a body-shaking roar.
Mama T-Rex arrives in the final act to protect her young from being tag-teamed by a tail-swinging armor-plated Ankylosaurus and a thick-skulled Torosaurus.
The show is narrated by an Indiana Jones-like actor identified as Dr. Huxley. This paleontologist guides the audience through time from the dawn of the dinosaurs to their sudden extinction.
It's a rapid journey through the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods where one meets big lugs such as the Plateosaurus and a trio of chattering Utahraptors, the Larry, Curly and Moe of the dinosaur world.
"Walking with Dinosaurs" continues at 7 tonight and Friday; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday at St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. Call (813) 301-2500. Admission is $17 to $62.
Today's birthdays
Former auto executive Lee Iacocca is 85. Actress-director Penny Marshall is 67. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer is 64. Singer Tito Jackson is 56. Britain's Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, is 50. Chef Emeril Lagasse is Actress Vanessa Marcil is 41. Actor Dominic West is 40. Singer Eric Benet is 39. R&B singer Ginuwine is 39. R&B singer Keyshia Cole is 28. Tennis player Elena Dementieva is 28.
Source: The Associated Press
Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.
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