“Everyone here today is in the danger zone, and the front row is the buffet section,” zoo keeper Shaun Morton told the audience, in anticipation of T-Rex’s appearance.

“I’m used to playing to much bigger and older audiences,” Morton confessed.

Still, his dynamism remained from the moment he bounded on stage exclaiming "G’day”, and sounding like a Jurrassic Crocodile Dundee.

Introducing a variety of dinosaurs from baby Triceratops to giant Tyrannosaurus, this family show from Australian company Erth has just completed a stint in the West End. Children and adults alike were enticed on to the stage to pet and feed the dinosaurs, and get up close with a “Meat and Greet” at the end.

The dinosaur puppets, both big and small, were impressive, intricate and life-like. Skilled puppeteers, often hidden inside gigantic prehistoric figures, made the creatures move realistically from gnashing jaws and rolling eyes to beating tails.

Mighty roaring sound affects added to the realism.

It was very educational - Morton explained the dinosaurs’ behaviours, feeding habits and extinction dates much of which may have been lost on the pre-schoolers, but was interesting to parents.

However, the five-strong team maintained the exhilaration throughout with humour and diversions, including a missing T-Rex with a toothache which made audience members into impromptu dentists.

Four stars