My Neighbour Totoro – “highly recommended for families and big kids at heart”

In May 2022, the Royal Shakespeare Company announced that a stage adaptation of the 1988 Japanese animated film ‘My Neighbour Totoro‘ (one of the most popular characters in Japanese animation) would open at the Barbican Theatre for a three month run.

After major sell-out success, the production returned to the Barbican from November 2023 – March 2024, before transferring in to the West End, opening at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, in March 2025.

Set in 1950s Japan, a university professor (Tatsuo) and his two young daughters (Satsuki and Mei), move out of the city and into an old house in the countryside, close to the hospital where their mother, Yasuko, is recovering from a long-term illness.

As the sisters explore their new surroundings, Mei encounters magical creatures and the ancient protector of the forest “Totoro”.

The children find escapism in their minds from these mythical creatures that serve as a distraction to their sick mother and also when their father is late home from work one night.

When the children receive a telegram from the hospital, they presume their mother is dying and Mei runs away from home to take fresh corn to their mother, to help her get strong, but she gets lost on the way.

Satsuki pleads for Totoro’s help, who summons the Catbus (a giant cat that is also a bus), which carries Satsuki to Mei’s location, and the sisters reunite. Together they head to the hospital to check their mother is ok.

My Neighbour Totoro leans into its sense of wonder. It is gentle, playful, and visually creative, clearly made for younger audiences, while still offering plenty for adults to admire.

I really enjoyed the way the show blended English and Japanese language and cultural influences. Rather than feeling confusing or decorative, it added texture and authenticity.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching puppeteers bring small, everyday creatures to life (like chickens) with such care, and these moments brought real magic to the show. The puppetry is a huge part of the show and the gigantic woodland creatures (also sometimes found waiting at bus stops) take an army of people to bring to life – and it is a sight to be seen.

I found the ending was a little perplexing as the mother was in fact (spoiler alert) not dying and just suffering from a cold, which I found confusing as to why she would be in a hospital so far away, for so long, that the family had to move to be closer by. Perhaps the story is about the way children perceive sickness and hospitals, assuming the worst and seeking comfort where they can – but it wasn’t really clear.

My Neighbour Totoro is undeniably cute, family-friendly, and an absolute joy to watch. It’s hard to leave without feeling joyful and singing along to the cute little songs. Highly recommended for families and big kids at heart.

★★★★

West End Wilma

My Neighbour Totoro Cast

陈玮 Victoria Chen (MEI)

奥村 英衣未 AMI OKUMURA JONES (SATSUKI)

田渕 大 DAI TABUCHI (TATSUO)

二宮 愛 AI NINOMIYA (KAZE NO KOE/SINGER)

KAZEGO PUPPETEERS

• 曾家亲 RACHEL CLARE CHAN
• SALLY CHENG
• 陳貝兒 SABRINA PUI YEE CHIN
• 何施樂 PHYLLIS HO (YASUKO)
• ᜊᜒᜃ᜕ᜆᜓᜍ᜕ ᜁᜆᜅ᜕ VICTOR ITANG
• ᜄᜊ᜕ᜍᜒᜁᜎ᜕ ᜐ᜕᜶ ᜇ᜕ᜌᜈᜓᜍᜐ᜕ GABRIEL S JANORAS
• 加藤 安奈 ANNA KATO
• 黎曉瑩 HEATHER LAI
• 李浩賢 RONNIE LEE
• 布文龍 MATTHEW LEONHART
• KUMIKO MENDL (NURSE EMIKO)
• 毛利アンナ可奈子 ANNAKANAKO MOHRI
• DEANNA MYERS (TSUKIKO)
• STEVEN NGUYEN (KANTA)
• 박지영 LUCY PARK
• ᜍᜒᜆ᜕ᜐᜍ᜕ᜇ᜕ ᜉ᜕᜶ ᜉᜒᜍᜎ᜕ᜆ RICHARD P. PERALTA
• CHLOE RAGRAG
• 藤井 夢華 JACQUELINE TATE (GRANNY OGAKI)
• 金小凡 SHAOFAN WILSON (MISS HARA)
• JAMIE ZUBAIRI (HIROSHI)

SWING KAZEGO PUPPETEER

• 陳政樺 BOAZ CHAD (MOVEMENT CAPTAIN)
• Wenhsin LEE
• 胡洵琳 AMBER LIN
• 前原 星良 Sera Maehara
• NATHANIEL TAN

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