YOU’LL probably be blown away by the thrilling combination of storytelling, staging, lighting, puppetry, movement, magic and illusion special effects in the Theatre Royal’s latest production. I know I was.

Shapeshifting creatures command the stage in director Katy Rudd’s new stage production of Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel Ocean at the End of the Lane, evoking the scary terror of nightmares.

Doors multiply menacingly, windows open to enchanted forests, and a pool of spotlight in the centre of the stage becomes a small but impregnable safe space where Boy is safe from demons as long as he doesn’t step outside it.

Blending magic and illusion with memory in a tour-de-force of storytelling, the acclaimed drama takes audiences on an epic journey to a childhood once forgotten and the darkness of family trauma that lurks at the very edge of it.

Directed by Katy Rudd and adapted by Joel Horwood, the first major stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel is a thrilling adventure of fantasy, myth and friendship.
Returning to his childhood home for a family funeral, a man (Trevor Fox) finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play.

He's transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie Hempstock (Millie Hikasa) claimed it wasn't a pond, but an ocean – a place where everything is possible. 

The youngster is played by Keir Ogilvy, who alternates with Daniel Cornish in the role of Boy, and received a rapturous and well-deserved applause at Tuesday’s curtain call.

Plunged into a magical world of fantasy and illusion, the survival of Boy and Lettie depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them. 

Ursula is played by Charlie Brooks, who commands the stage in an-only-too-brief performance as the lodger whose monstrous behaviour slowly dominates Dad’s (Trevor Fox again) household.

Together, these actors head a 17-strong ensemble cast, that also includes Finty Williams in the role of Old Mrs Hempstock, Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Ginnie Hempstock and Laurie Ogden as Sis.

The puppetry and movement of the cast are absolutely amazing and like nothing I have ever seen before. They are mesmerising and literally keep you transfixed to your seat.

Go see it before it moves on from Bath on March 18. You won’t regret it.

Tickets are on sale at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk