About the Show

The stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best-selling adventure novel returns to the West End.

An unnamed middle-aged man returns to his childhood home, which reminds him of a life-changing event from his past. As a young boy, he befriends a remarkable girl named Lettie Hempstock, who lives on a farm at the end of the lane. Together, they encounter supernatural forces and embark on a perilous journey to protect their world from a malevolent entity that threatens their lives and memories.

'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' returns to the West End after a run in late 2021 and its world premiere at the National Theatre in 2019.

This production is recommended for ages 12+.

Critic Reviews (11)

"The whole production can be seen as an astute study of the psychological defence mechanisms children employ to escape possible abuse and definite grief and loneliness."
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“It’s no wonder The Ocean at the End of The Lane has been such a success, and this brief return to the West End is one final chance to see a production that is breathtakingly magical, in more ways than one.”
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"This is a show in which illusions and magical tricks – cups appearing out of nowhere - sit side by side with powerful appeals to the imagination."
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Alongside them, the entire cast is just remarkable. The way Trevor Fox (Dad) goes through the motions and how Finty Williams (Old Mrs Hempstock) carefully balances grandmotherly warmth and ancient powerful being left me speechless at times. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is probably the most well rounded production I have seen in a while - wholesome and healing.
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For a previous production

It’s a coming-of-age tale that will appeal to all ages, fascinatingly muddying our sense of time, blurring the boundaries between memory and imagination – if it feels true, it is true – and showing how stories can make sense of our reality.
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For a previous production

If anything, the diverse disciplines of theatre work even more closely together here to weave a spell than they did at the National. We all thought this transfer wouldn’t happen, even Gaiman. I’m glad we were wrong.
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For a previous production

The bottom line is, shows like this don’t come along very often. Maybe it’s changed, maybe I’ve changed, but second time out ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ felt bigger, stranger, sadder and more beautiful – I wish I could swim in its twilight waters for longer.
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For a previous production

Capturing the darkness and dreamlike strangeness of Neil Gaiman’s bestselling 2013 novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a pacy fantasy thriller occasionally overloaded by its own ambitious exuberance.
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