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★★★★ “Poignant, exquisitely performed theatre” – Telegraph

Dear Octopus, Dodie Smith’s heartbreaking and joyful comedy drama comes to the National Theatre in February 2024 starring Tony and Olivier Award-winner Lindsay Duncan (Sherwood, His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches).

Directed by Emily Burns (Jack Absolute Flies Again) in its first revival since the 1960s, written by Dodie Smith (The Hundred and One Dalmatians, I Capture the Castle). 

Dear Octopus is a timeless classic, set on the eve of World War Two, that explores the bonds of family, love and loyalty, and the challenges of growing old and letting go, and is a moving dissection of family and what it means to grow up and return home.

Starring Lindsay Duncan as Dora Randolph, the matriarch of a large and eccentric family, this play will make you laugh and cry as you witness the joys and sorrows of three generations of the Randolph clan.

Join them as they celebrate their golden wedding anniversary and discover the secrets, scandals and surprises that lurk beneath the surface of their seemingly perfect lives.

Dear Octopus is playing at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre from 7 February to 27 March 2024.

Set on the eve of WWII, Dear Octopus sees the Randolph family reunited for a 50th wedding anniversary. As the weekend’s celebrations unfold, the family walks a tightrope between intimacy and estrangement, camaraderie and rivalry, love and hate.

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Stars and Creatives

Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Duncan

Who is in the cast of Dear Octopus?

Starring Lindsay Duncan as Dora Randolph, Billy Howle as Nicholas, and Bessie Carter as Fenny.

Also stars Amaia Naima Aguinaga, Alice Bounsall, Pandora Colin, Miriam Cooper, Bethan Cullinane, Kate Fahy, Tom Glenister, Jo Herbert, Ethan Hughes, Deven Modha, Syakira Moeladi, Amy Morgan, Celia Nelson, Dharmesh Patel, Malcolm Sinclair, Natalie Thomas and John Vernon.

Nine children will also perform the roles of Kathleen (Scrap), Bill and Guinevere (Flouncy) over the course of the season: Kalyani D’Ambra, Ariella Elkins-Green, Serena Guo, Isla Ithier, Molly Jin, Felix Tandon, Ashwin Sakthivel, Tarun Sivakanesh and Asha Sthanakiya.

Who are the creative team of Dear Octopus?

Written by Dodie Smith.

Directed by Emily Burns; set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, sound designer Tingying Dong, composer Nico Mulhy, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor, company voice work by Shereen Ibrahim and Liz Flint and staff director Júlia Levai.

Important Notes

Access Performances:

Captioned Performances: Wednesday 6 March 2024 – 7.30pm, Wednesday 27 March 2024, 2pm; BSL Interpreted: Saturday 16 March 2024 – 7.30pm; Audio described: Saturday 2 March 2024 – 2pm, Friday 22 March 2024 – 7.30pm; Chilled performance Tuesday 27 February 2024 – 7.30pm

Venue Information

National Theatre - Lyttelton Theatre , Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PX

Nearest Tube or Train: Waterloo (Jubilee line, Northern line, Bakerloo line)

Nearest Buses: 1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 243, 341, 521, X68, RV1

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Critics' reviews of Dear Octopus

★★★★ "An extraordinary evening of domestic time travel" - The Observer

★★★★ "This glorious revival" - The Guardian

★★★★ "A superb performance from Lindsay Duncan" - The Independent

★★★★ "A touching celebration of enduring love, family and forgiveness" - The Stage

★★★★ "This is poignant, exquisitely performed theatre" - The Telegraph

★★★★ "Lindsay Duncan is a joy in Dear Octopus" - Financial Times

Also see: Dear Octopus Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

Dear Octopus is playing at the National Theatre - Lyttelton Theatre in London
The running time of Dear Octopus is 2 hours and 45 minutes (including interval)
Yes, Dear Octopus has matinee performances on the following days:
No, sorry, Dear Octopus has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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