The Olivier Award winning production will return to the Barbican from the 21st November, playing until the 23rd March 2024.
The Royal Shakespeare Company along with Improbable and Nippon TV has announced casting for the upcoming London return of its production based on the film by Tom Morton-Smith and directed for the stage by Improbable’s Phelim McDermott.
My Neighbour Totoro will see Mei Mac reprising her Olivier Award-nominated performance as Mei Kusakabe, while Ami Okumura Jones will return as older sister Satsuki. Dai Tabuchi will once more play Tatsuo, with Jacqueline Tate as Granny. Meanwhile, also returning as the Kazego Puppetry ensemble are Boaz Chad, Jasmine Chiu, Andrew Futaishi (Hiroshi), Matthew Leonhart, Arina Ii (Miss Hara), Yojiro Ichikawa, Si Rawlinson, Mark Takeshi Ota and Shaofan Wilson.
Joining the 2023 company run are Jessie Baek, Jasmine Bayes, Ka Long Kelvin Chan (Kanta), Elizabeth Chu, Anna Kato, Heather Lai, Amanda Maud (Nurse Emiko), Yuki Nitta, Bright Ong, Emily Piggford (Yasuko), Daniel Phung, Gun Suen and Naomi Yang (Tsukiko).
My Neighbour Totoro is an enchanting coming-of-age story exploring the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, as it follows one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei.
This stage adaptation features music from Joe Hisaishi’s iconic score, performed live with sound design by Tony Gayle. Meanwhile, the creative team also includes: puppetry design and direction by Basil Twist, created with puppetry associate Mervyn Millar’s Significant Object and the Jim Henson Creature Shop. Video design is by Finn Ross and Andrea Scott, production design by Tom Pye, costume design by Kimie Nakano, movement by You-Ri Yamanaka, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, and orchestration by Will Stuart. The casting director is Hannah Miller CDG, and the associate director is Ailin Conant.
My Neighbour Totoro will play at the Barbican from the 21st November until the 23rd March 2024. Tickets are available to purchase through London Box Office and London Theatre Direct.