No longer booking
  • Venue Noël Coward Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 25 November 2023
  • Running time 2 hours and 35 mins (including interval)
  • Age guidelines Recommended for 12+ years

The National Theatre’s sell-out production of Neil Gaiman’s classic

Nominated for three 2020 Olivier Awards including Best New Play, the National Theatre’s acclaimed production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane returns to London’s West End this Autumn.

Hailed by the Independent as ‘theatre at its best’ with Time Out declaring â€˜shows like this don’t come along very often’, this five-star show plays a strictly limited seven-week season at the Noel Coward Theatre from 11 October 2023.

Adapted from the best-selling Neil Gaiman novel by Joel Horwood and directed by Katy Rudd, this spectacular and thrilling adventure is a tour de force of imagination and storytelling.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Noel Coward Theatre, London will run from 11 October to 25 November 2023.

Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He’s transported to his 12th birthday when his friend Lettie claimed it wasn’t a pond, but an ocean… Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them.

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Performance Information

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Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Ocean at the End of the Lane?

Charlie Brooks (Ursula), Daniel Cornish (alternate Boy), Trevor Fox (Dad), Emma-Jane Goodwin (understudy), Paolo Guidi (ensemble), Millie Hikasa (Lettie Hempstock), Lewis Howard (understudy), Kemi-Bo Jacobs (Ginnie Hempstock), Jasmeen James (understudy), Ronnie Lee (ensemble), Aimee McGoldrick (ensemble), Laurie Ogden (Sis), Keir Ogilvy (Boy), Domonic Ramsden (ensemble), Joe Rawlinson-Hunt (understudy), Risha Silvera (understudy) and Finty Williams (Old Mrs Hempstock)

Who are the creative team of The Ocean at the End of the Lane?

Adapted by Joel Horwood, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman. Directed by Katy Rudd, with set design by Fly Davis, costume and puppet design by Samuel Wyer, lighting design by Paule Constable, sound design by Ian Dickinson, magic and illusions direction and design by Jamie Harrison and puppetry direction by Finn Caldwell. Movement direction is by Steven Hoggett, and music composition is by Jherek Bischoff.

Important Notes

Note: This production contains strobe lighting. This production contains scenes that some people may find distressing.

Venue Information

Noël Coward Theatre , St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4AA

Nearest Tube or Train: Leicester Square (Northern line, Piccadilly line)

Nearest Buses: 24, 29, 176

Directions

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Critics' reviews of The Ocean at the End of the Lane

★★★★★ "Truly spectacular" - Mail on Sunday

★★★★★ "The National at its very best. Spellbinding" - Daily Telegraph

★★★★★ "A thunderous, sometimes terrifying adaptation" - Independent

★★★★★ "The National Theatre’s adaptation is even better in the West End" - Time Out

★★★★ "Makes you marvel at what theatre can do" - The Stage

★★★★ "Monster-powered adrenalin spectacular" - The Guardian

★★★★ "Magic in the West End" - Evening Standard

Also see: The Ocean at the End of the Lane Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre in London
The running time of The Ocean at the End of the Lane is 2 hours and 35 mins (including interval)
The age recommendations for The Ocean at the End of the Lane are: Recommended for 12+ years
Yes, The Ocean at the End of the Lane has matinee performances on the following days: Thursday, Saturday
No, sorry, The Ocean at the End of the Lane has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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