Michele Valeri and Ingrid Crepeau, the singer-songwriter and puppeteering duo behind DinoRock, have been entertaining the DC area for 40 years. Dinosaur Babies, their show at the Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park, will be the last of their final public performances, giving this run a particular air of significance for these masters of their craft.
Valeri and Crepeau are phenomenally talented and subsequently decorated: They are both Grammy-nominated. I was ecstatic to learn while researching this article that Crepeau built the Nationals Park Presidents’ Star Wars Day costumes and spent at least six years maintaining the regular ones, which if you’ve ever been to Nats Park and watched all the presidents collapse in a heap, you know is no small gig. You can see Crepeau’s wide range of puppeteering and costuming skills on display in DinoRock’s Dinosaur Babies. Hand puppets, marionette puppets, and everything in between make an appearance.
The performance is comprised of musical numbers centered on individual baby dinosaurs, all of whom embody various characteristics of a child that are sung about on stage. Structurally, it’s Cats, with a narrator using the characters’ traits for educational, teachable moments: The triceratops has a lot of energy but needs to know how to harness it. The diplodocus interrupts and needs to know how to ask for food and attention nicely. The T-rex thinks he’s big and bad but needs humility and a lesson in manners. The anxious stegosaurus was told she wouldn’t need someone to lead her around and tell her what to do someday. The pterodactyl siblings, from what I remember, are model citizens.
The music utterly captured the kids’ attention: It’s no wonder that Valeri tours nationally and regularly performs at the Smithsonian and Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods in addition to the Puppet Co. When Valeri asked for young volunteers to raise their hands, they skipped that step and went right to flooding the stage in numbers that required the stage manager to rush in and assist. They got to pet and parent the little Dino Babies, and the smiles were visible from anywhere in the theater. The 50-minute runtime seemed perfect, too: There were audible child-pitched “aww!”s in the room when Michele announced that the last song was imminent.
I arrived at the show a little early and got to hear other DinoRock music over the theater speakers in preparation for the show, including one tango (and the lyrics from the voices of two dinosaurs assured me explicitly that it was, indeed, a tango, between two dinosaurs, no less). It was a fantastic beat and I was excited to hear it performed on stage — but it wasn’t part of the night’s repertoire. This piece and a few others played over the loudspeakers were even stronger than some of the pieces involved in the show. I doubt that the children in the audience are pining for diversity of tune and genre, but having some pieces that sound a little different from the others — maybe a jazz number? maybe a rock song? — would make Dinosaur Babies even more of a musical treat. And who knows, maybe the kids would learn they like jazz, rock, and tangos.
The puppets were beautifully made, with both their default visual design and selected places of articulation contributing to their fantastic expressiveness. The triceratops puppet was a particular standout, with big expressive eyes and a neck that allowed for maximum flexibility.
The audience of about 35 kids under 5 that I saw in attendance at DinoRock: Dinosaur Babies were having the time of their lives. If you have kids or love puppetry, you should check out DinoRock’s final show. They’ve clearly given generations of children a fantastic 40 years — and they’re going out with a roar, not to mention a smile and a song.
Running Time: Approximately 50 minutes.
DinoRock: Dinosaur Babies plays through September 8, 2024 (Thursdays and Fridays at 10:30 am, Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 am and 1 pm), at the Puppet Co. Playhouse, 7300 Macarthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD. Purchase tickets ($15 per person, under age 2 no ticket required) by calling 301.634.5380 or order them online.
Recommended for ages 3+. Helpful driving and parking instructions are here.
COVID Safety: Masks are strongly encouraged for all over the age of 2.
DinoRock: Dinosaur Babies
Starring Ingrid Crepeau and Michele Valeri
