My Neighbour Totoro London Reviews and Tickets

91%

(54 Reviews)

Positive

96%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Enchanting, Delightful, Clever, Great staging, Entertaining

About the Show

The world premiere of the RSC's stage adaptation of the hit fantasy movie.

In post-war Japan, sisters Satsuki & Mei move to a new home in the country in order to be closer to their mother, who is a patient at a nearby hospital. One fateful day, Mei discovers two spirits called soot sprites residing in their home. She befriends a larger spirit she mistakenly calls Totoro, beginning the adventure of a lifetime.

Exploring the wonder of childhood and the power of imagination, 'My Neighbour Totoro' follows one extraordinary summer as the sisters are transported to a forgotten fantasy world.

This theatrical production is based on the beloved 1988 Japanese animated feature film of the same name, created by Hayao Miyazaki ('Spirited Away'). The movie explores environmentalism, Shinto and animism, and has amassed a worldwide cult following.

Theatre & opera director Phelim McDermott helms this ambitious production that contains music by Joe Hisaishi and puppets created by The Jim Henson Company.

This production is recommended for ages 6+.

Member Reviews (54)

Too many bells and whistles, Great staging, Entertaining, Ambitious, Clever

See it if you like stories of children discovering the world.Staging is very clever,interesting use of puppets.Very high tech.

Don't see it if you prefer a more straightforward story telling.There are a lot of bells & whistles.My performance was stopped b/c of tech issues.

100

Must see, Masterful, Great staging, Enchanting

See it if you can.

Don't see it if no reason not to. Read more

Romantic, Great staging, Ambitious, Enchanting

See it if you want to see an incredible example of staging and puppetry, which tells a charming- if incredibly slow- story.

Don't see it if you’ve never seen the film.The slower moments only feel bearable with the knowledge of what’s to come and the iconic scenes don’t disappoint Read more

Great staging, Entertaining, Enchanting, Ambitious, Clever

See it if You like a big spectacle production with great effects.

Don't see it if You don't like seeing adults playing kids, or dislike puppetry

Great staging, Delightful, Entertaining, Clever

See it if you enjoyed the movie. It's pretty much the movie scene for scene with some clever stage work to make the characters comet to life.

Don't see it if you didn't enjoy the movie or if you're looking for an improvement on the movie. It doesn't really divert from the movie too much.

Great puppetry, Funny, Entertaining, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if you love the original film, you are a fan of puppetry, you don't mind slow pace as long as the visuals are spectacular

Don't see it if shrieking and/or constantly talking children throughout the performance are going to drive you up the wall Read more

Funny, Fluffy, Delightful

See it if you LOVE puppetry and a LOT of set

Don't see it if you want to spend a LONG time waiting to get through some torturous writing. Read more

Heart warming, Entertaining, Great staging, Enchanting, Delightful

See it if You like to see how theatre-makers transform ideas into reality with brilliance and creativity

Don't see it if You’re not interested in a ‘kids’ show.’ What the show has to say is relevant to adults but is in a child-friendly form

Critic Reviews (11)

"The puppets – designed by Basil Twist, assembled by Jim Hendon’s Creature Workshop – are fucking spectacular...you’d enjoy it if you hadn’t seen the film, but nonetheless, there is no question that its purpose is to put the film on stage."
Read more

"For all the ravishing imagery and the collective endeavour involved, this show isn’t quirky or adult-friendly enough for that."
Read more

" 'Totoro’ is magnificently humongous with a mighty, reverberating growl, wicked smile, lumbering walk and bouncy castle of a fluffy tum.
Read more

"The puppetry by Basil Twist creates much of the magic...It is not nearly as high-powered in its special effects as a Disney adaptation but just as dazzling in its magic realism."
Read more

"If you’re an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli movies, you’re almost certain to feel the same about Tom Morton-Smith’s puppet-driven adaptation, which adds flesh to a pastoral storyline that is so slender it could be described as Teletubbies go zen."
Read more

"The show itself takes great delight in each creative solution to telling this wild and wonderful fairy tale. The black-clad ensemble of skilful puppeteers brings the soot sprites to life by dancing them around on wires, until they fly up into the sky on what looks like a nursery mobile."
Read more

"... the cast perfectly marry playfulness and truthful emotional simplicity to extraordinary technical sophistication. It’s unadulterated joy: a huge, healing hug of a show, generous and utterly beguiling."
Read more

"The elongated curtain call is among the most joyous and creative finales you will see, and leaves you floating out afterwards feeling like you've just spent two and a half hours in a kind of all-over spa for the soul."
Read more

Trailer

Creative team

Royal Shakespeare Company