Dragon set to invade Montreal for pre-historic visit

By Mike Cohen, August 15th, 2012

The critically acclaimed Montreal premiere of Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular hits Montreal on Thursday, August 16, with two English presentations and four in French. 
Twenty-three fire-breathing dragons will swoop and soar directly over the audience.  It takes 30 tractor trailers and over 150 crew members to move 10,000 cases of gear and lay down a massive magnetic floor, along with hundreds of thousands of feet of cable to have the show ready for opening night.
Based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the story centers on Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn't fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers.  Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. The book was also turned into an animated movie, with Montrealer Jay Baruchel doing the voice of Hiccup.
Young Hollywood actor Riley Miner, 18, an accomplished dancer and musical theater performer, plays the lead role of Hiccup. At this point, having been on tour for nine months, he says the dragons seem almost real to him. “It's like working with your own pet dragon,” he told The Suburban in a telephone interview from Toronto. For me it's like having a dog or cat, except he's 10 times the size and flies. Whether you are sitting up close or in the rear of the arena, you will have a hard time believing these are not real.”
Miner also likes the overall theme of the show. “It sends a general message of just being decent, and that fighting is not the answer," he said. "It's a great message to send, especially to kids in the audience."
The other main characters are Hiccup's father, Stoick (Robert Morgan), the Viking leader who is reluctant to let his son, who is slighter than others and not as coordinated, learn how to train and slay dragons; and, Astrid (Sarah McCreanor and Gemma Nguyen), Hiccup's love interest.
English performances are on Saturday (11 a.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.). For more information go to www.evenko.can