National Theatre's The Ocean at the End of the Lane play to transfer to the West End in autumn 2020! (Photo Gallery)

Posted on (Updated on 21 Feb 2020)

The National Theatre adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best-selling novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane will transfer to London's West End this autumn, it has been confirmed. The hit play enjoyed a sell-out run after opening last December and is set to make its way to the Duke of York's Theatre come Halloween this year. Tickets for The Ocean at the End of the Lane are scheduled to go on sale next month.

PicturedSamuel BlenkinMarli Siu, and more in the National Theatre production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Images shot by © Manuel Harlan.


The Ocean at the End of the Lane is coming to London's Duke of York's Theatre!

The news was officially announced today in a tweet by Neil Gaiman himself, who urged fans to book early to avoid sorrow and disappointment. The Ocean at the End of the Lane tickets for the West End transfer are expected to go on sale sometime soon in March. The show will run at the Duke of York's Theatre from 31 October 2020 until 6 February 2021.

The play's plot remains true to the original source material and follows a boy becoming friends with a coven of witches, which soon yields disastrous consequences.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane cast and creative team

The popular fantasy book was adapted for the London theatre stage by Joel Horwood in a production directed by Katy Rudd. The Duke of York's Theatre cast of The Ocean at the End of the Lane will be announced in due time.

The original London cast of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National Theatre starred Samuel Blenkin as Boy, Marli Siu as Lettie Hempstock, Fred Davis as Ensemble, Ginnie Hempstock as Carlyss Peer, Jade Croot as Sis/Ensemble, Jeffrey Sangalang as Lodger/Ensemble, Jess Williams as Policewoman/Ensemble, Josie Walker as Old Mrs Hempstock, Justin Salinger as Dad, Owain Gwynn as Policeman/Ensemble, and Pippa Nixon as Ursula/Skarthach.

The creative team includes composer Jherek Bischoff, costume and puppetry designer Samuel Wyver, designer Fly Davis, lighting designer Paule Constable, magic and illusions director and designer Jamie Harrison, movement director Stephen Hoggett, puppetry director Finn Caldwell, and sound designer Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

Neil Gaiman is a best-selling children's author perhaps best known for his book Coraline: a dark and twisted children's story that focuses on Sigmund Freud's notion of The Uncanny and later spawned an animated feature-length film. Other works of his include The Sandman comic book series, Stardust, and most recently, Norse Mythology, which is a retelling of such stories as the theft of Thor's hammer among many others.

Tickets for The Ocean at the End of the Lane on sale soon!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane tickets are expected to become available next month, so be sure to keep checking back on our news pages for all the latest details!

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By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.