Something miraculous is happening. The sun is shining and the kids in the crowd are buzzing on sugar yet, somehow, they’re still glued to their seats. One of the few times the children do move is to leap on stage and get stuck in with the action: they look spellbound, hooked on the story and utterly invested in the adventure unfolding around them.
Dragons and Mythical Beasts has been created by the Dinosaur World Live team, including writer Derek Bond, but this latest puppet-led extravaganza is decidedly more heartfelt. There are dazzling puppets but there’s also a childlike passion and a hopefulness that light up the show from within.
Our narrator for the day is hero trainer Dave, who resembles an extra from Harry Potter and is played with wide-eyed earnestness and enthusiasm by Ben Galpin. Dave is here to turn us into heroes – if only we’ll help him tame the herd of beasts that growl and prowl beyond the theatre walls.
The production is slick and funny – with a few clever jokes about hand sanitiser and social distancing thrown in. It’s also carefully calibrated, so that we begin with Max Humphries’ gentler puppets and build gradually to the bigger and scarier creations, which have been drawn from a range of sources, fears and fantasies. Co-director Laura Cubitt teases nuanced movement from the beasts (controlled by up to three puppeteers each), but it’s the animals’ personalities that impress. George the dragon is a bundle of puppy-like enthusiasm and the screeching tooth fairy is eye-poppingly, ear-piercingly odd. As for the mysterious Unicorn – well, that’s a little burst of magic you’ll just have to discover for yourself.
At Regent’s Park Open Air theatre, London, until 5 September. Then touring.
