REVIEW | My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican London
Photos by Manuel Harlan © RSC with Nippon TVWritten by Emmie.
Disclaimer* Gifted tickets in return for a review.
This is one of the best productions you'll ever see in your lifetime.
The RSC delivers a stunning stage adaptation from one of the world's most famous animation studios, Studio Ghibli. The production smashed box office records, selling over 30,000 tickets on its first day of pre-sales back in May 2022. Since its limited season in 2022, the production has gone on to win an incredible amount of awards, and now it heads back to the stage for another limited season until 23 March 2024. My Neighbour Totoro has been reworked for the stage by Tom Morton-Smith with the composer of the original film Joe Hisaishi enabling this show to soar.
For those unfamiliar with the movie, the story follows a family of three, a father and his two daughters, as they move from Tokyo to the quiet of the country so that they can be closer to the hospital where their mother is currently staying due to an unspecified illness. While settling into their new home though, they discover they are not the only ones living there as the house is inhabited by harmless spirits. After a few days the youngest daughter, Mai, playing by herself in the garden while her father works and her sister, Satsuki, is at school, witnesses the spirits of the forest and follows them to their home where she meets the title character Totoro where she decides they are now fast friends. The rest of the story follows Mai and Satsuki's continued interactions with Totoro and the other spirits of the forest while they get used to their new life and struggle with the prospect of their mother not getting better.
The stage performance does a fantastic job of bringing all of these characters to life and is an exceptional adaptation of the original animation, staying true to the story, characters, and beats. Tom Pye's production design is innovative and awe-inspiring stuff. Directed by Phelim McDermott, they used every inch of the expansive Barbican stage to capture the right tone and atmosphere for this story. Entire sets revolve and reveal hidden spaces - never has a set design been so intricately delivered like this.
The puppets used to embody the spirits are truly what stole the show and a lot of that comes down to the talent of the puppeteers, or Kuroko.
A tradition in Japanese Kabuki theatre where the stagehands were often part of the show but when dressed in their all-black attire was to be considered "invisible". Their presence was felt in every scene, from their puppeteering, and the fluid way in which they maneuvered the scenery.
The exceptional puppets in this show have been designed by Basil Twist from The Jim Henson Company. They have their own life and magic as they move about the stage interacting with the cast. Totoro specifically was truly wonderful, it must be seen to be believed how this was executed. Totoro had multiple puppets and each time we meet him, we see him through the eyes of a different member of the cast. The difference in how he is to the young Mai compared to the older Satsuki is utterly breathtaking and it’s no surprise why it snapped up so many awards.
The cast in this show is phenomenal. From Mei Mac's infectious joy exploding onto the stage, she perfectly captures a 4-year-old ‘s sense of wonder in the world around them. Whereas Ami Okumura Jones aligns comfortably with her older sister Satsuki. She demonstrates her protective and responsible older sibling role. They have a natural chemistry together that works so well in this show. Dai Tabuchi and Emily Piggford are excellent as their parents Tatsuo and Yasuko. Ka Long Kelvin Chan brings true joy to audiences as Kanta, the audience absorbs his shy temperament.
This show has something for everyone and will capture your spirit from the first second.
Book your My Neighbour Totoro tickets with London Box Office and experience a jaw-dropping production that exceeds all expectations and seizes every opportunity to deliver magic. My Neighbour Totoro performs at The Barbican until 23 March 2024.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
