- In |
- On May 16, 2024
The stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved same-named 1988 animated film, My Neighbour Totoro has just announced a West End transfer!
The play will run for 34 weeks at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from 8 March to 2 November 2025 with opening night on 20 March. It is set to be the theatrical event of the year!
My Neighbour Totoro is set in 1950s Japan and follows the story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who move to the countryside to be with their ill mother. Their new house, in which they
live with their professor father, Tatsuo, is haunted by soot spirits, and there they encounter Totoro, a “forest spirit who looks like the result of an experimental breeding programme involving a chinchilla, a barn owl and a bean-bag sofa”. Totoro, the protector of the forest and a whole host of spirits, who takes the girls into a realm of comfort, magic, and wonder.
The award-winning film premiered in 1988, with a score by Joe Hisaishi, who also scores the stage adaptation. My Neighbour Totoro is brought to life on stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi.
My Neighbour Totoro is adapted by Tom Morton-Smith and it first premiered at the Barbican Centre in spring 2022. On 19 May 2022, the production broke the Barbican’s box-office record for ticket sales in one day. This record was previously held by the 2015 production of Hamlet, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch.
My Neighbour Totoro played at the Barbican from 8 October 2022 to 21 January 2023. This production went on to win a huge six Olivier Awards at the ceremony in 2023, including Best Entertainment or Comedy Play and Best Director. It also picked up the awards for Best Costume Design, Lighting Design, Set Design and Sound Design. The show then went on to play another season at the Barbican from 21 November 2023 to 23 March 2024.
The creative team includes production designer Tom Pye, costume designer Kimie Nakano, lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, orchestrator Will Stuart, sound designer Tony Gayle, and video designers Finn Ross and Andrea Scott. Movement is by You-Ri Yamanaka, and puppetry design and direction are by Basil Twist.
My Neighbour Totoro is an enchanting coming-of-age story exploring the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination. My Neighbour Totoro is set
to play a 34-week run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Casting is yet to be announced.
