With no program available to linger over a glass of wine with before the show, one is not quite sure what to expect of JURASSIC! THAT IS ONE BIG PILE OF MUSICAL.  But there is truth in the titling.  Dinosaurs? Yep.  All sorts too.  Raptors, T Rex and a sweet, sad Triceratops who manages to steal her scene. “There won’t be any babies because I only made ladies” sings the scientist but nature finds a way.  And in the tradition of the Cambridge Footlights, this show is a breeding ground for both dinosaurs and young talent.

This confection retells the movie with a distinct “Come on kids, let’s put on a show!” feel.  There is a large cast, a live 4 piece band playing original music and a full house cheering them on.  They reproduce most scenes but with a clear wink to Brecht, they tell the audience to use their imagination when they “couldn’t possibly recreate that scene”. Have I really just mentioned one of the greats of drama theory? This isn’t the literature of the theatre but you do have to hang up your hangups in the cloak room with your hat as Brecht suggested.

There are lots of double entrendres.  Who knew that lawyers were so obsessed with sex?  That theme settles after he gets eaten off the toilet by a T Rex in a silly but hilarious stunt.  There is other undergrad humour and charmingly homemade dinosaur costumes and 4 dinoskin flats on wheels.  There’s OTT acting, physical comedy and a big pile of poo.  The gynophobia and boy/man love are not on and need to be eaten by the T Rex as well but the rest of the comedy is pretty accessible. Except some weird random guy who just appears to tell you they’ve nicked a line from the movie.  Everyone except me seems to know and get him.

There is also a disturbingly competent tap dance trio.  And really, there is such a bedrock of professionalism here but it’s skilfully hidden in the fun.  The cast of 16 never miss a beat.  There are no lines lost, no entrances missed, no in-jokes or lapses of character.  Every character is clear in both the costume, physicality and voice chosen by actor. A strong indicator of this was the side play of the T Rex with the pianist.  There are 20 odd scene changes where the flats are moved and objects and signs are hung on them while props come in.  Each of those changes is very close to perfect.

The music isn’t derivative of the movie music, it has its own flavour.  There is a toe-tapping quality performed with strong voices and good choral work.  The song “Alan Grant” provides character motivation and songs like “Survival of the Fittest” drive the narrative.  My personal favourite was “Let’s Eat These Kids”.  The show might need a new something for the finale so you leave humming something from the score.  Bit flat there at the end.

There is only one more performance of this show at the New Theatre, today at 5pm, but I really look forward to this company putting something new together for next year’s Fringe.  I hope it will be just as vibrant and youthful as JURASSIC.