I really wanted to like The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. And there was a lot that that I did like. The staging was excellent, with some impressive set pieces and puppetry. Sound design and music, love it. The cast did well too, given… well. I mean, the script was awful. I’ve never particularly enjoyed Neil Gaiman, and it’s frustrating that the stuff he does is nominally, on the surface, the kind of thing I should like. An allegorical fairy tale about dealing with broken hearts and friendships and handling change? Right there. As indeed I was. But it’s ham fisted, lazy, and thinks far too highly of itself. The dialogue is atrocious, full of that sub Pratchett “British twee” nonsense about cups of tea and all that. And ultimately the show can never get beyond that, despite fair attempts to. Just not for me. Alasdair I think enjoyed it more than I did, and I have no problem with that. I like the last minute picking up cheap circle tickets for touring shows at the Hippodrome, and if getting the occasional Ocean is the price I pay for the more frequent Avenue Q or Matilda, then so be it.