Sad-sack widower Terry Parks (Frode Gjerløw) and his children – sullen Jade (Maria Askew) and overeager Noah (Simon Maeder) – cordially invite you to a memorial service for their dearly departed ex-wife and mother. In lieu of prayers and flowers, be prepared to witness an impromptu re-creation of her favorite film, the Steven Spielberg classic Jurassic Park, as their VHS tape has just gone missing.

I went into Jurassic Parks expecting a goofy spoof, similar to Triassic Parq or DinoWorld from Fringe 2016, and the Superbolt Theatre trio do deliver dead-on DIY parodies of all the film’s iconic moments, from the helicopter flight (done onstage with a drone) to Jeff Goldbum’s signature stutter, with an umbrella and knapsack imaginatively incarnating the Dilophosaurus and T-rex. Even if you don’t remember the movie well enough to understand every reference, it’s a joy watching these talented Lecoq-trained physical comics clomp around onstage as extinct herbivores.

But even more importantly, I grew to care for this fractured family, whose underplayed dramatic arc toward reconciliation is genuinely touching. Jurassic Parks jumps past mere mockery to make a subtle statement about processing grief, which doesn’t get in the way of gut-busting laughs. Clever girl (and guys), indeed.

The Jurassic Parks
Superbolt Theatre – London, U.K.
7 & Up
65 Minutes
Yellow Venue
Thursday, May 17th 7:00pm
Saturday, May 19th 12:45pm
Sunday, May 20th 2:15pm
Wednesday, May 23rd 6:30pm
Friday, May 25th 5:30pm
Saturday, May 26th 3:15pm
Sunday, May 27th 3:00pm

Check out ALL of our Fringe 2018 reviews at orlandoweekly.com/fringe2018

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This article appears in May 16-22, 2018.