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A review of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. Having been invited to see the show, and not knowing much about it, I was glad to have experienced it during their run at the Wales Millennium Centre. It is good to note from the start that the show is rated for audiences age +12.
The run time for the entire show is 2.5 hours with an interval after roughly the first hour or so. The show has visual effects warnings such as high intensity lighting, strobe, haze/smoke, pyrotechnics (a few small candles and flash paper), intense loud sounds, and several blackouts for the duration of the show. (Spoiler Warning) The show does not currently include a trigger warning, but there is one scene during the show that the main character is vividly abused by his father by being nearly drowned in a bathtub. The scene only lasts about 2-3 minutes in total, but can still be an intense experience for the audience viewers.
From the start of the show, you are greeted with a set that puts you in the depths of a mysterious forest. Introducing you further into this cryptic part of the scene, you are greeted with the main character coming across a familiar person from his puzzling past. Suddenly transported to his 12th birthday, the main character starts to remember an esoteric experience, his wonderful friend Lettie, and the ocean, a place where everything is possible…
The audience is taken with the main character and his friend as he battles his childhood myths, folklore, and the darkness at the edges of his own home. The experience is a true testament to what imagination and theatre can do together. Even though I was viewing the show from a more technical understanding of how things both on and off stage were working, there wasn’t a point where the magic of the show was lost.
In fact, despite having the technical knowledge of the inner workings and effort that goes into putting a show on a stage, this allowed me to appreciate so much of this particular show even more. The way The Ocean At The End Of The Lane uses ensemble members to move about the entire performance, having the effect of making the magic feel at work and embodying the magic itself. The performance by every actor during the parts of the show that relied more on their dialogue and general body language were phenomenal and couldn’t have been cast better. There were also parts of the show that were carried by the lighting design, particularly the darker scenes that added a depth of horror, and immersed the audience that would typically in other shows be propelled by the sound design. The music hit all the right notes for captivating the viewers, and dived into the mystifying landscape and emotions from the characters during each scene.
At its heart, the show truly makes you question where the edge between imagination and reality start and end and will be truly adored by fans of Gaiman’s other works.
Also by Drew Janine:
Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive in her work. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020, and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending some time on tour. Drew's favorite by far though, has been the chance to work on Broadways and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry.
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