The Ocean at the End of the Lane - The Lowry

Astonishing - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

NEVER judge a book by its cover, so the old saying goes.

How apt then, when Ursula breezes into the lives of a motherless brother and sister, being raised by a dad whose culinary skills don’t seem to reach beyond burnt toast.

Ursula offers them a change from their tired old routine - and makes them burgers.

The National Theatre’s production of Neil Gaiman’s award winning novel will stay with me for a long, long time.

As you would expect from the NT, this production is acting taken to the next level and is also a major triumph for the design team, who serve up a sumptuous feast of eye popping, sometimes genuinely scary, visual treats.

The piece begins with a man returning home to attend a funeral in a remarkable piece that explores everything from the importance of memories and they way they shape us to what determines our identity, as well as the notion of an alternative reality beneath our feet by posing the simple question, what if?

This may all sound terribly deep but Gaiman deals with these ideas in a way that’s interesting and engaging for audience members of all ages.

I don’t want to give anything away for this is undoubtedly one of the most breathtakingly original pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen.

However, this production has had a suitable for the over 12s age restriction placed on it and with good reason. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is definitely not for the little ones.

Former Eastenders star Charlie Brooks is outstanding as Ursula, flitting effortlessly from the motherly to the malevolent and the same is also true of Keir Ogilvy as Boy and Millie Hikasa as his friend and ally Lettie Hempstock.

Enigmatic and unkempt, the Hempstock family are a real treat, living on a farm untouched by time. But are they all they seem?

Growing up may mean I lost my receptivity to magic when it came to entertainment but several scenes in this left me spellbound.

You simply must see and experience this. The superlatives we critics are so fond of fall short here, when it comes to capturing what is a truly astonishing theatrical experience.

Until January 8. Tickets are available from 0843 208 6000 or www.thelowry.com.

Star rating - *****