Date: 2022 November 13 14:04
Posted by Joe
When The Royal Shakespeare Company announced that they were doing a live action stage play of My Neighbour Totoro, we got very excited. It had all the hallmarks of something great! It was done in collaboration with The Royal Shakespeare Company, Improbable and Nippon TV. Joe Hisaishi, composer and long term Studio Ghibli collaborator, is the executive producer tasked by Totoro director Hayao Miyazaki to bring his much loved and highly influential film to the stage. If this wasn't enough, Jim Henson's Creature Shop was brought in to create all the puppets for this production!
Full Story
The play is currently showing at London's Barbican on a limited run from October 2022 until January 2023. It was the fastest selling show the RSC has created, even selling out faster than Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet.
Photo by Manuel Harlan © RSC with Nippon TV
The key question is everyone is asking is how did they do the fantastical creatures? How did they do the Totoros? What about the soot sprites (aka dust bunnies)? How did they do Catbus? There are no press photos of any of the completed puppets. This is very deliberate. Before the show starts you're reminded to put your phones away and not photograph any of the performance as they want the appearance of the magical cast to be just that. So keeping in Otaku News Tradition, we won't spoil it. That's for you to discover.
The show is a beautiful adaption of Hayao Miyazaki's much loved film. The sets are just right for the context and cleverly arranged to give the variety of settings from the original movie. The key scenes and moments are given the care and attention they deserve. It honours the original movie and adapts it just as it should be. The attention to detail is amazing. The set design, the costumes, the lighting and effects all come together to make something that understands, respects and honours the original source material.
Photo by Manuel Harlan © RSC with Nippon TV
The casting is sublime. Mei Mac captures everyone's favourite 4 year old Mei. She is animated and lively and nails the clumsy and exaggerated movements of a small child. Ami Okumura Jones is perfect as Satsuki, giving off big sister vibes. Nino Furuhata portrays the awkward Kanta exactly how he should be. I could enumerate the whole cast here, but they all understand their characters, they nail it.
Singing is in both English and in Japanese, along with occasional phrases such Itadakimasu before eating remaining rather than saying "Thanks for the food" (or similar phrase). This makes it feel immersive; you're watching something set in the Japanese countryside so Japanese phrases should be used.
Photo by Manuel Harlan © RSC with Nippon TV
The live "tree band" add to the effect all of Joe Hisaishi's scores for Totoro are there.
It's not just the puppets, but the skill of the puppeteers in bringing the beloved characters to life (we won't say any more, as that'll give the game away).
Photo by Manuel Harlan © RSC with Nippon TV
This isn't just a play, it's an event. At end of the performance we took part in a standing ovation with the rest of the audience. I've said it once, and I'll it again. It's just the perfect adaptation of Totoro, in every way. It's as it should be.
Although tickets for the stage play of My Neighbour Totoro are sold out, they are still releasing some in waves, generally at 10 am (UK time) each morning, along with the occasional return. So it's worth checking the official website to see if you can grab a ticket. It's set to run until Saturday 21st January 2023 at the Barbican in London. Tickets are priced from £25 to £140.