Who knew that Earth was so musical during the Cretaceous Period?
Those dinosaurs were in definite need of some rhythm to keep them from feeling the blues after that giant meteor hit the planet some 65 million years ago.
And so the stage is set in the delightful show “The Dinosaur Musical” in Monroe.
Larry Leggett is the musical director. The music is so upbeat and fun in this Sky Performing Arts production that you really do forget about how bleak the situation is for the dinosaurs. We adults know how it turned out, but the kids in the audience let their imaginations take them on that fantastic bouncy ride, the one that always begins with, “What if …?”
In this case, what if the dinosaurs managed to form a pact that helped them avoid extinction by creating peace between the Carnivores and the Herbivores? Peace did reign for a while and the dinosaurs managed a meager living, but the king of the Tyrannosauruses suddenly dies and his rather slow-witted 13-year-old son, Quincy, takes over.
Quincy, played in nerd-like fashion by Ian Pfeifle, is persuaded by some fresh-meat-loving dinosaurs that it’s time to break the treaty and get to devouring. And so the trouble begins.
In the end, this musical is a winner for parents on several levels. It will make your kids appreciate sunshine and salad. The lessons of accepting differences and getting along also are a given.
The kids score too, with pun-tastic songs, a plot that involves lots of lizards, an active volcano and kid-friendly humor.
Overall, this cast with lots of youthful actors performed solidly with several standouts.
The reliable Michael McFadden championed our support and our laughs by playing the skinniest T-Rex you have ever seen. Sarah Larsen was hilarious as the heroic Armandor. And actress and singer L. Sam Samano showed us that good jazz should never go extinct in the numbers “The Treaty of Meat” and “I Can’t Concentrate.”
Though set in a time long ago, “The Dinosaur Musical” is a relatively young show at just two years old. We’re glad that talented director Cyndi Thomsen gave this new musical a tryout in Monroe.
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