The Lowry theatre has confirmed its big show for the festive period this year will be a West End exclusive - with the first touring production of hugely-acclaimed drama The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The show heads to Salford for a six week run over Christmas, direct from the West End before heading on a national tour.
Billed as a thrilling adventure of fantasy, myth and friendship, it is the first major stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel and is said to be "unlike anything else you'll ever see at the theatre". It blends magic with memory in what is billed as a "tour de force of storytelling that takes audiences on an epic journey to a childhood once forgotten and the darkness that lurks at the very edge of it."
It will play at The Lowry in Salford from Monday December 12 2022 through to Sunday January 8, 2023. The show is directed by Katy Rudd (Camp Siegfried) and adapted by Joel Horwood (Skins, I Want My Hat Back) and aims to appeal to a "Netflix generation" of new theatre fans as well as wowing those returning audiences.
Read more : Britain's Got Talent stars Diversity shine at Opera House show
The story follows a man returning to his childhood home, and standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He's then transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie claimed it wasn't a pond, but an ocean – a place where everything is possible.
Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them. While it is a family show, the dark themes mean it is recommended for age 12 and above.
After Salford, the production will tour for a total of 40 weeks, the largest tour mounted by the National Theatre since before the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a celebrated six-month run of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End, which opened in November 2021 after the production received its world premiere in the Dorfman Theatre in late 2019.
Writer Neil Gaiman said: “The Ocean at the End of the Lane is about memory, magic, family. It’s about who you were and who you are. It’s not like anything else I’ve ever been involved in.
"It’s not like anything else you’ll ever see at the theatre. The Ocean at the End of the Lane has its own theatrical magic.
"It's why happy people tell you that they cried while watching it, it's why it becomes a dreamlike experience in memory, it gets bigger the further inside you follow it. Like a duck pond that contains an ocean that holds the universe…”
Director Katy Rudd said: “When Neil Gaiman gave the National Theatre his blessing to stage his novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane we knew that this book was treasured across the world by Neil Gaiman’s legions of fans. The writer, Joel Horwood and I wanted to be faithful to the novel and at the same time create a big, bold, visual show with more than just a little bit of magic.
"Thanks to our amazing creative team we found ways to fit an ocean into a bucket, and bring huge mythical creatures like the Hunger Birds to life on stage….But at its heart, Ocean is a human story about a family and a young boy growing up, experiencing real emotion and real pain, and finding a way to get through it with the help of his friends.
"We hope we have created something that is both profound and visually exciting that will appeal, not only to regular theatre audiences, but also to younger people from the ‘Netflix generation’ who might not have been to the theatre before. It is a beautiful, rich, multi-faceted story and as this production goes on tour we are still adapting and evolving it and finding new meaning in its depths.
"That is the magic of live theatre and we can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”
Neil Gaiman is known for his graphic novels, including The Sandman series (with a major new Netflix series scheduled for release in 2022); his novels for adults and children including Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book; and multiple film and television projects including Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was the winner of the Book of the Year at the 2013 National Book Awards and has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.
Tickets are on sale now, and Steve Cowton, The Lowry’s Head of Theatre Operations, said: "I’m incredibly proud that The Lowry was the first venue outside of London to present two of the biggest shows in the history of The NT. War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-time both opened with us at Christmas – and both enjoyed truly phenomenal runs.
"The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the best new play I’ve seen in the last three years – I saw it originally in the Dorfman Theatre pre-lockdown and then again in the West End where it has enjoyed huge critical and commercial success. The NT already had a tour planned but I absolutely jumped at the chance to open the show with us and changed all of their plans to make sure they could be with us at Christmas 2022.
"It’s not an obvious choice for over Christmas – it's dark and mysterious – think of it like the Dr Who Christmas special and you’ll have an idea of what to expect. I hope audiences enjoy it as much as I did – I can promise them something very special that they won’t forget in a hurry.”
Get the latest What's On news - from food and drink to music and nightlife - straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter .
