The Stage

Herbie Treehead’s Dinosaur Circus

Published Monday 6 September 2004 at 12:25 by Thom Dibdin

If you cannot have lions and tigers, then dinosaurs are easily the next best thing for any children’s circus. Herbie Treehead and his band of street performers have struck on an excellent way in which to provide the excitement once provided by animals in the circus ring. And these really are rather fine beasts - created by the artists/physicist duo of Mark Rainbow and Mike Wade so that they waddle and lumber on to the stage exactly as a real dinosaur would.

As Stagemaster, Treehead has a line in audience patter which owes its robust nature more to the street than the theatre but still works in the latter. George Fuller takes the naughty clown’s role and demonstrates his skill on the slack rope while dinosaurs poke their heads out from the wings. Constant and inventive live musical accompaniment keeps everything tight, while Natalie and Jon Durham provide expertise in the aerial work.

This is a well conceived and executed show which could, perhaps, be a bit more slick. But, with Richard Geraghty and Pete Dubbin providing strong clowning and trickery in support, it is one which will, hopefully, be around for some time.