Showing between Friday 3rd and Sunday 19th April 2009 @ Bristol Old Vic

The Bristol Old Vic has been hibernating for sometime, or so we’ve thought until The Lost World came to the Studio! Following some explorers in the search of the lost Bristol City Council workers and other characters, this inventive, thrilling and adventurous tale seemed all the more plausible because it was weaved into reality. Large crates, fog, mud and people are lost in time and space inside the theatre, and it was our mission to discover the truth!

The Lost World is a fantastic, interactive show, resembling a murder mystery tour but with dinosaurs, cave people and Arthur Conan Doyle himself. The children watching couriered letters, fed Maltesers to cave women and speculated on all the truly fantastic sites to behold. After a squeal or two from myself, I realise that this was not only for the kids but the big kid’s too. Through the eyes of a child, things are far more exhilarating and for once I felt my imagination coming alive. I can’t remember a time when I have been so excited during a show!

The explorer’s interaction with the audience was extraordinary; sparking off the children’s imaginations, speculating and thrilling without being too scary. Like magnets under a piece of paper, children drew to them as if they were iron filings. A siren marked the end of the exploration but not the end of the tale, and children buzzed home retelling their exciting journey. A brilliant Easter treat for little bunnies and adults too. Bring a torch, stay within the yellow tape and watch out for the dinosaurs set to hatch and get loose in the Bristol Old Vic!

www.bristololdvic.org.uk

Freya Morris