Program Overview

A humorous combination of music, storytelling and very unusual visuals, Symphonasaurus is a dinosaur symphony, a new show that takes kids of all ages on a trip back in time to learn about these prehistoric creatures. In the guise of a variety of singing dancing dinosaurs is fantastic costumes, tour guide Slim Goodbody cavorts on stage and produces a roaring good time for all.

John Burstein has created a series of composition's that use humor, audience participation and the familiar sounds of popular music to help the audience "explode" some myths about dinosaurs. The Show opens with one of several traditional symphonic works on the program, Aaron Copland's "Preamble for Solemn Occasion." the heavy percussion and the predominantly low instrumentation provides an appropriate backdrop to the ominous narration which sets the scene for a 100 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Burstein uses the orchestra to clever advantage to make certain points about dinosaurs. In the rhumba-influenced "Dinosaur Days," the names of the various dinosaurs were dissected and represented with different instrument sounds, such as the brontosaurus ("bronto" meaning "thunder" and represented by the timpani, with "saurus," or "lizard," being portrayed by the double bass.)

In the centerpiece, "Symphonasaurus," various instrumental sounds are used to portray different elements of the dinosaur's world. These include the "Oboesquito" (meaning Mosquito), the "claridactyl," and the "tubasaurus."

Another of Burstein's techniques is the audience participation number. The song "Herbivore, Carnivore" illustrates the difference between the flat-toothed and sharp-toothed cousins by having the audience divide up and play the two roles by responding with appropriate gesture.

"March of the Bronto Babies" incorporates several children from the audience, who play the babies to Burstein's mother brontosaurus. The lyrics in this number are sparkling and instructive, depicting the "bronto babies" as they hatch and venture out into their strange new world to learn which animals to eat and which they might be eaten by.

Equally entertaining are "The Stego," which features Burstein as the stegosaurus, and "Terrible Tyrone." Burstein portrays the stego as "Mr. Defense," the marital arts master with much strutting about the stage and very angular dance movements. For Tyrone, he sports a full dinosaur costume that befits tyrannosaurus, the "king" of dinosaurs.