The West End stage production of My Neighbor Totoro is in full swing, and on Thursday the first official artwork was released publicly. It recreates the classic scene where Mei and Satsuki meet Totoro together, putting the adorableness of the puppet Totoro on full display. While the girls are taking cover from rain underneath an umbrella, Totoro, wearing a blank expression, adorns his iconic leaf.
The My Neighbor Totoro stage adaptation premiered in 2022 at London’s Barbican Centre for a three-month run. It returned in late 2023 for a limited engagement, and currently can be seen at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End, where it’ll run until March 2026.
Playwright Tom Morton-Smith adapted the film for the stage. He’s known for Oppenheimer — the 2015 play, not the Christopher Nolan film. Victoria Chen and Ami Okumura star as sisters Mei and Satsuki, respectively, while many, many puppeteers help bring Totoro to life on stage as well as all the other puppets needed for the production.
My Neighbor Totoro isn’t the only Studio Ghibli film to receive a stage adaptation. Spirited Away first appeared on stage in 2022, full of transcendent puppets that beautifully translated the film to the stage. “I think [Hayao Miyazaki] knew that the film obviously spoke for itself. I think the assumption was that I would be respectful with the material — which of course, I had no choice but to be respectful. It’s one of the best movies ever made,” director John Caird told Polygon in 2023 about adapting the film for live theater.
As mentioned, My Neighbor Totoro will be in London until March of next year. You can head to its official website to snag seats, and check out the official images below.
