Review: My Neighbour Totoro, at the Barbican Centre, London

I have been able to see some of the most-loved animated films come alive on stage, most recently Beauty & the Beast. But never have I had the opportunity to see one from the only animation studio that rivals Disney in my respect for its craft: Studio Ghibli. 

It's not completely new, but most of anime to stage productions such as Spirited Away (my favourite film of all time!) and Death Note don't see any life outside of Japan. 

As soon as My Neighbour Totoro had been announced as a stage production, I knew I had to see this. To see the world premiere of a project such as this, in the UK, in collaboration with the RSC, Studio Ghibli themselves...! I had to see this! Thank the Lord for the final bit of voucher money my parents gave me last Christmas! This one has even got my brother jealous of me seeing it - and that is saying something. 

So many Studio Ghibli films have touched my heart over the years. My Neighbour Totoro is definitely one of them 

Set in 1950s rural Japan, it follows sisters Satsuki and Mei, along with their father, who move to the countryside to be closer to their mother, who is in hospital suffering from a mysterious illness. 

While setting into their new home, the girls discover in the forest nearby the mysterious spirit Totoro and his friends. 

First off, fans of the film, rejoice. I cannot believe how true to the source material this is. 

It is quite literally the film come to life

Having composer Joe Hisashi as not just the scores composer, but also an executive producer, means that its paw is firmly in Studio Ghibli's unique magic. 

Fans of Ghibli know that their films often take a couple of seconds just to take in the setting, and My Neighbour Totoro does just the same, often to show us the natural beauty of the forest these girls are living in, and to show moments with the puppetry, often smaller ones like the soot sprites or the hilarious chicken scene. 

Or one of the musical segments with a song straight out of the film, performed by the band in the trees and singer Ai Ninomiya. She performed both in English and Japanese, and I do want to make one point that it wasn't necessary as such to keep switching to English (the only exception to keep in English was Hey Let's Go at the beginning). Keeping them in Japanese wouldn't have meant, in my personal view, that audiences stopped understanding what was going on. In fact, it would have added to the atmosphere and experience more. (I digress)

These reflective scenes are extremely effective to me - sure with them, it does lengthen the first half in particular, but it doesn't feel like a second is wasted. 

It draws back on the main theme of My Neighbour Totoro: looking at the wonders of the natural world through a child's eyes 

Another thing that HAS to be celebrated is My Neighbour Totoro's all Asian cast, many of whom are Japanese or of Japanese descent. 

Interestingly, they chose to cast adult actors as the two leading girls: Ami Okumura Jones as Satsuki, and Mei Mac as Mei. Both did an amazing job, walking that line of sweet and very endearing, without becoming bratty or annoying, which Satsuki and Mei could have easily been in the wrong hands. 

Many of the cast also double up as puppeteers for the various creatures, and they all do an incredible job in that you're not watching them - you're watching the creature being brought to life. And speaking of creatures. 

I know you're all waiting for me to talk about Totoro himself

Well... let me tell you: after seeing the different kinds used for the opening Hey Let's Go, straight out of the film, to the soot sprites, the smaller creatures Mei encounters... the anticipation for a puppet to make their debut as big as the famous scene Totoro lying asleep and Mei climbing on top of him... It can only be matched by waiting for Audrey 2 to talk in Little Shop of Horrors. And said antipation pays off just as much as that very first "Feed Me". 

Totoro is the symbol of Studio Ghibli after all, and puppetry director Basil Twist knew they HAD to get it right. Who else to bring on board and help other than the Jim Henson Company? Oh they got it right. It almost didn't feel like a puppet. 

It was Totoro; right there! 

The whole audience of course, lost it right there, and for anyone who somehow didn't then, they lost it when the Cat Bus came on scene. 

I couldn't help it - I got emotional. Yes, my eyes leaked, just a bit. 

This is such a whimsical and magical show: and a contender for favourite of the whole year 

My Neighbour Totoro is pretty much, if not totally sold out, so if you are going to see it, have an incredible time. If not, then please pester me in persuading the team to give it another run, because more people deserve to see proof that Japanese cinema can make a stunning stage version.