The Ocean at the End of the Lane (West End)
Opens Oct 11 2h 35m
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (West End)
85

The Ocean at the End of the Lane (West End) London Reviews and Tickets

85%
(65 Reviews)
Positive
89%
Mixed
11%
Negative
0%
Members say
Absorbing, Great staging, Enchanting, Clever, Ambitious

About the Show

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

Read more Show less

Member Reviews (65)

Sort by:
  • Default
  • Standing in our community
  • Highest first
  • Lowest first
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Only positive
  • Only negative
  • Only mixed
159 Reviews | 25 Followers
98
Masterful, Absorbing, Great writing, Great staging, Captivating

See it if you enjoy Gaiman’s original novel or if you simply want to see theatre at its dark, fantastical, captivating best. A masterpiece.

Don't see it if you don’t like dark, fantasy plays or you find it hard to follow slightly complicated stories.

63 Reviews | 5 Followers
93
Exquisite, Great acting, Masterful, Intense, Great staging

See it if want to see a terrific tale wonderfully staged

Don't see it if you are easily scared

940 Reviews | 1038 Followers
92
Dark and fun!, Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Entertaining

See it if You enjoy stories with supernatural or fantasy elements and want to go on a theatrical adventure. Dark and fun! ‘Stranger Things’-Esque!

Don't see it if You dislike fantasy or the supernatural. Although this show does explore deeper themes.

965 Reviews | 935 Followers
91
Darkly delightful, Great acting, Great staging, Great writing

See it if Fast paced entertaining. Greatly told story. Great movement. Darkly delightful. Grabbing.

Don't see it if You don’t like darkly fairytale-like stories.

423 Reviews | 78 Followers
90
Great acting, Great staging

See it if you can.

Don't see it if no reason not to. Read more

59 Reviews | 1 Follower
82
Must see, Great staging, Epic, Enchanting, Absorbing

See it if You appreciate fantastic staging, are looking for a different and magical story with an intriguing storyline, great acting.

Don't see it if You're easily creeped out, are looking for a conventionally family friendly story or are looking for a fluffy and fun story.

51 Reviews | 2 Followers
82
Ambitious, Dizzying, Confusing, Enchanting, Clever

See it if You like drama that is offbeat, mysticism and fantasy

Don't see it if You like a clear, linear story, as this was somewhat confusing and murky

51 Reviews | 2 Followers
80
Entertaining, Enchanting, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if Good staging

Don't see it if N/A

Critic Reviews (7)

The London Evening Standard
November 5th, 2021
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.
Read more

Time Out London
November 5th, 2021
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.
Read more

London Theatre
November 5th, 2021
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.
Read more

The Stage (UK)
November 5th, 2021
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.
Read more

The Independent (UK)
November 6th, 2021
For a previous production

[Neil Gaiman's] story is brought to life in Joel Horwood’s thunderous adaptation, which finds wonder even in the most unremarkable of moments.
Read more

The Arts Desk
November 6th, 2021
For a previous production

No other production I’ve seen has captured the experience of childhood, the terror and the beauty – not what actually happened, but what it felt like (which is also what adaptation is about).
Read more

The Guardian (UK)
November 5th, 2021
For a previous production

Though the sentimental ending goes on a bit, this is a genuine rarity – a show that enthrals all generations without patronising any.
Read more