Face extinction with distinction! The dinosaurs are coming to advise humans on dealing with an end of species’ worst case scenario in a show called Dancing with Dinosaurs. Beat spoke to Thomas Albert, one of the theatre makers and performers of the trio comprising Cradle Productions, which includes himself, Caitlin Armstrong and Eloise Maree. For MICF this year the three co-devised this comedic musical cabaret just ‘cos they, er, love dinosaurs.
“We’re tapping into a niche market” admits Albert. “The three of us love dinosaurs and we think it’s sad that adults aren’t allowed to love dinosaurs.” Albert is quick to point out that Dancing with Dinosaurs is an adult show and contains the sorts of things you expect, namely good old cabaret themes, rudeness and songs. “We asked the question: what would dinosaurs have to say if they could speak?” continues Albert. “We start off with a song called Super Qualified Giant Lizard as an introduction. We’ve got a gospel song; we’ve got a real bluegrass number taking on the evolution versus creationism question specifically from the dinosaurs’ perspective.”
Yhe show might be about extinction, but it’s comes to a very cheerful conclusion, according to Albert. “Our finale, our final song, is not unlike the last scene of Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” he adds. Albert says researching the show involved a lot of discussion about what might’ve happened to the dinosaurs. What does he think? “There are a few different theories, apart from the bog meteor event,” he says. “There’s the notion of the food web collapsing, there’s climate change, and there’s a theory that the dinosaurs died out ‘cos their brains became smaller and smaller; they were too dumb to live, basically.” But Dancing with Dinosaurs ain’t going with that one. “There’s an inherent drama in the meteor extinction theory,” Albert continues. “The dinosaurs have us beat in terms of an exciting big extinction event. We’re not going to be so lucky. Humans will probably die out slowly.” Does Albert have a favourite dinosaur? “I’m playing Tyrannosaurus Rex, so that’s a personal favourite.”
Albert is enjoying making a second show with the same people who brought Public Toilets, Private Words to last year’s Comedy Festival. “We have that implicit trust now and know how each other works. The ensemble nature of what we’re doing is especially satisfying. We had success last year with Public and are hoping to emulate that this year,” he says, “We’re touring that show this year and we hope to do the same with this one.” What sorts of challenges does a show about dinosaurs bring with it? “The logistics of developing a show in Queensland and bringing it to Melbourne,” says Albert. “We performed in La Mama last year so we know the space. As far as the content goes, it’s always a challenge marrying different forms of comedy and audience expectations. The Comedy Festival brings a certain audience with it, they’re expecting more jokes and ribald humour, so trying to provide that and still make it theatrically interesting is a challenge.”
The show is directed by Daniel Czech. “He’s just done a Masters in Direction at VCA,” says Albert. “He has a fantastic theatrical mind and creates outstanding tableaux.” Cradle Productions want to create a repertoire of shows that are portable. “We’re having a great time and want to take the show on the road,” he adds. Naturally, the trio has Edinburgh in their sights. If anyone deserves a Nessie sighting, it’s them.
BY LIZA DEZFOULI
Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday St Carlton
Dates: Currently being performed until April 12.
Times: 6.30pm (Thursday and Saturday 8.30pm, Sunday 4pm)
Tickets: $15 – $25
