Dragons and Mythical Beasts
This review is from Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2021. Well, let nobody accuse the title of being misleading. This new kids’ show from the team behind 2018’s much-loved ‘Dinosaur World Live’ - currently back in town at the Wonderground FYI - does indeed feature dragons (two) and other mythical beasts (six). Viewed totally joylessly, co-directors Derek Bond and Laura Cubitt’s show is an exercise in packing in as many puppet monstrosities as practically possible into a single hour, tied together with a charming but gossamer-thin plot about reluctant hero Dave (Ben Galpin) gearing up to slaughter his way through a selection of fabled creatures so he can use their bits to summon the fabled Indrik and become the hero his father always wanted him to be. Such a dry description in no way prepares you for how genuinely awesome the puppets are, though. From cute little scamp George the Wyvern, to a lumbering rock troll and a vividly-striped unicorn the size of a bus, they go way beyond what you’d need to impress a crowd of tweens. The craft is astounding, from the actual physical looks of the puppets – many of which are enormous – to the skill of the teams of puppeteers animating them, with a distinct physical – and indeed, vocal – language to each beast. The puppyish George is definitely the one that’ll win the kids over fastest, but each beast has its own ultimately rather loveable personality. Particular credit must surely go to puppet designer Max Humphries, but really almost