‘Dinosaur’: Clumsy but Likable

“Kid Dinosaur,” at the Rose Theatre in Venice, is a high-spirited musical fantasy that plays like a rough draft.

Director/writer Jim Houle uses three comic dinosaur characters to get young audiences to tune in to two messages--believe in yourself and protect the environment.

Queen Tyranna (Pat Loeb) is under the spell of evil pterodactyl Tyrell (Earl Groom Jr.), who has polluted the dinosaur kingdom for the sake of industrial progress. Enter Kid Dinosaur (Monica McMurtry) and Max (R.J. Wagner), a supposed member of the audience, to thwart Tyrell’s schemes and clean up the kingdom.

The music, by Amy Wooley and Adam Wilner, is often catchy, and the clever costumes, with foam construction by Cleve Hall, are impressive. The cast provides engaging moments: Groom does a vivid comic turn as the meanie and delivers rap lyrics with panache, while McMurtry bounces around with appealing, youthful zest.

But neither Houle’s plot nor his direction plays smoothly. He requires the somewhat unpolished cast to address the audience throughout, and that’s tricky business. Nothing is more awkward in children’s theater than actors who are uncomfortable talking to children and lose their timing doing so.

Some judicious rethinking could turn “Kid Dinosaur’s” likable moments into a likable play.

At 318 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, Saturdays at 1 p.m., indefinitely. $5; (213) 392-6963.