By Annabel van Grenen
Mild spoiler warning
Recommended age rating for the play 12+
From the mind-bending set to the atmospheric lighting; from the inspirational yet sinister music to the astonishing costumes and the completely marvellous puppetry. From a hand reaching up through a grimy bathtub to myriads of doors trapping characters; from floating ‘fleas’ to sensational stylised movement sequences - this show was phenomenally frightening from the moment I sat down, yet simultaneously just a play about growing up.
The ocean at the end of the lane, currently playing at the Duke of York’s theatre, is jam packed with excitement and fear from start to finish. This horror filled fantasy play, originally a book written by Neil Gaiman, centres around the narrator, a grown man, recalling his childhood spent with a neighbouring farm girl named Lettie, played by Nia Towle. It follows their dark, twisted and fantastical journey as they attempt to capture a ‘flea’, a being that lives on the ‘edge’, who is trying to break through into our world.
With an engaging and interesting plot, the play opens with a stylised movement sequence with umbrellas that set the scene for a funeral. We then follow one member of the group as he ventures into the nearby woods and meets Old Mrs Hempstock, played by Penny Layden, and we are transported back to when he was a child on his twelfth birthday and it is from his perspective that the play uncovers itself.
Immediately as you take your seats you are greeted with the eerie set of the production, designed by Fly Davis. A contortion of twigs, branches and sticks twist and turn around each other, weaving together to create a huge arch at the back of the stage which appears almost to push forwards into the audience as the wings are also covered with sticks which even crawl into the boxes beyond the stage, truly making this
an immersive experience, gripping you and pulling you into the story even further. One aspect of the set which I found extremely fascinating was the difference between the boy’s house and Hempstock farm. The former of which always has angular shaped sets all of lighter colours predominantly a stark white, which stood out greatly to the black floor and dark atmosphere, looking unnatural. This referenced how the boy’s father is trying so hard to be perfect, to do everything right for his kids yet a certain cold atmosphere still lives in the house. However, the latter is much warmer and cosier with warm coloured table cloths of reds and yellows creating a more friendly atmosphere. It was also extremely interesting as to how the set moved in and out by stage hands, to create the different specific sets as this influenced how I saw the surrounding twigs and branches. For example, when Lettie and the boy are venturing out into the darkness in search of magical creatures the su
rrounding set is daunting and claustrophobic, trapping them in and suffocating them, whereas in the Hempstock farmhouse it is protective and watching over them.
Costumes were another marvellous aspect of the production, particularly that of the hunger birds, which are foreboding bird-like beasts who feast on anything and everything but particularly things that do not belong in their world such as fleas or monsters. They wore black dinosaur skull like masks and moved in such a crooked and creepy way that with the low lighting, at times, they seemed to merge together and out of each other again, making chills run up your spine. Ripped and mangled their torn wings
and screeches accumulated to create a truly chilling experience. The pulsing music and illumination of small white lights among the branches, as well as the incredible puppetry, and movement from the actors during the fight scenes were truly genius and produced incredibly intense and captivating ‘edge of your seat’ moments which made the play increasingly intense and captivating.
Amid these more frightening moments there were light hearted, comedic, wholesome and magical ones too. Such as Lettie and the Boy’s trip into the ocean; a world of infinite knowledge of not just how things appear but what they actually exist as on the inside. During this scene the uplifting music, designed by Ian Dickinson, and use of puppetry transports you to a world of bliss where you too believe in this universe of all knowing happiness. So though ostensibly this play could just be classified as a dark fantasy and horror play it includes many warm moments amid the more frightening scenes. At its heart I believe the play includes an abundance of elements such as a complicated relationship between a father and son; loneliness and losing others; new friendship; your own identity and the collision between the childhood world and the adult one. How every adult is really still a child who's just been forced into taking responsibility and no one knows what they’re doing. No one knows what they’re doing, everyone is just doing their best. As we see the boy as a child and an adult and he still seems to be questioning the same things, though his life has moved on, his heart has remained in the same place and I believe that this play captures the essence of growing up beautifully.
So, to conclude, this play is an absolute wonder with tears, tenderness and terror at every turn - it is truly a play not to be missed.
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