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Tickets are on sale now through the show’s closing on January 10, 2027.
Spoiler-Free Review
If you are a fan of Studio Ghibli’s anime film My Neighbor Totoro — or even if you haven’t seen it — then you should go see the West End production of My Neighbour Totoro. This two-and-a-half hour play features a dizzyingly talented cast of actors and actresses, and it is packed with all the story beats and musical cues you know and love as they tell the story of a university professor and his two young girls who move to an old house where there happen to be spirits nearby.
While there are some emotionally intense scenes throughout the play, it is appropriate for small children to see. In fact, I went during the weekday matinee performance where there were a lot of children, and I heard a lot of children’s laughter throughout the entire performance. Plus, the puppetry is breathtaking — and Totoro is just perfect.
The first act runs roughly an hour and 15 minutes, there is a 20-ish minute intermission, and then the second half runs for about an hour.
Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company, in collaboration with Nippon TV and Improbable, have announced that My Neighbour Totoro is on its last West End extension and the show will close on January 10, 2027. If you are in London, even for a short period of time, you must carve out just a small part of one day to see My Neighbour Totoro because this show is a masterpiece in fun and entertainment.
If you want a deeper-dive review, then check it out after the photo below.
Full Review
The movie My Neighbor Totoro, written by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, is an 86-minute feature length anime film released in 1988 before being dubbed into English — first by Streamline Pictures in 1989 and then by Walt Disney Pictures in 2004 — where it exploded into popularity. The movie tells the story of Tatsuo Kusakabe and his two children, Satsuki and Mei, as they move close to his wife/their mother’s hospital while she is recovering from an illness. There also happens to be spirits around everywhere in the area, and both Satsuki and Mei interact with them as they settle into their new home. These spirits, of course, include Totoro, susuwatari (soot sprites), and many more.
The play My Neighbour Totoro is adapted from that 1988 film, and it is currently playing a West End Production at the Gillian Lynne Theatre since March 8, 2025, and it is running through January 10, 2027, on a final extension. The play was adapted by Tom Morton-Smith in collaboration with Nippon TV and Improbable, and it includes music by the movie’s composer, Joe Hisaishi.
My Neighbour Totoro’s length clocks in at two-and-a-half hours, and that includes roughly a 20-minute intermission after the first hour-and-15 minutes of the performance. This means the play has roughly an additional 40-plus minutes of content not in the original movie. The way My Neighbour Totoro does this is by both letting the world at large breathe in the little moments — whether it be letting Sutsuki and Mei or the spirits play in the world around them — and by developing the conversations between the various characters more than they were in the movie. My Neighbour Totoro’s expanded story content feels completely natural and like it truly belongs within the world of the 1988 film to the point where you are going to have a hard time remembering what is original to the play and what isn’t by the time you leave.
The casting for this show is absolutely perfect. Mei (portrayed by Victoria Chen) and Satsuki (played by Rachel Clare Chan at this performance) absolutely brought the two young girls to life whenever they were on stage, and they did so quite convincingly as they bicker and make up and go on adventures in their new home.
I was surprised to see that My Neighbour Totoro used adult actors to portray children instead of actually casting children in the role. I think that it is ultimately the correct casting decision here, though. At one point during the performance, you’ll see Kanta (Steven Nguyen) and Satsuki interact and it has all the nuance and depth hallmarks of young love (before they know what that really is). Additionally, the relationship between Mei and Satsuki has an incredible depth as they struggle with things that children their age shouldn’t have to deal with while simultaneously trying to grow up some themselves. All of this, I think, is something that really couldn’t be pulled off by age-appropriate children and so the casting decision truly makes sense here.
Outside of Mei and Satsuki, the other characters are just great, too. Tatsuo (played by role-originator Dai Tabuchi since 2022), is the kind but clearly overwhelmed father who you can’t help but feel sorry for as he tries to raise two young daughters while also supporting his ailing wife Yasuko (Phyllis Ho) who is in the hospital. Of course, Granny (Jacqueline Tate), Miss Hara (Shofan Wilson), Nurse Emiko (Kumiko Mendi), Tsukiko (Deanna Myers), and Hiroshi (Jamie Zubairi) round out the cast. All of these actors and actresses hewed fairly closely to how the characters were presented in the movie, and there weren’t any moments that made me go “huh, what? That’s weird and doesn’t fit.”
The music of My Neighbour Totoro had all of the iconic songs and moments that you can think of. The band is integrated just off both sides of the stage, and they performed all of Hisaishi-san’s iconic music. The songs were all performed in English at this performance by Melisa Cambra as Kaze No Koe, and her vocals are strong. Even as there is action happening on the stage, her voice would ring out across the theatre and you couldn’t help but be in awe at the joy and richness of how she really brought the lyrics to life.
Of course, it isn’t My Neighbour Totoro without Totoro, Catbus, soot sprites, and all the other forest spirits. All of these spirits are portrayed using a large cast of human puppeteers instead of just mere mechanical beings, and I cannot stress how amazing they all were on stage. There are signs held up before the show warning the audience to not take pictures of Totoro and his friends, and that is for very good reason: a lot of the joy of this show is being surprised and thrilled at how these spirits are being shown off and portrayed on stage. I have attended a fair amount of live theatre performances in my life, and I am going to go ahead and say that Totoro’s introduction into My Neighbour Totoro is one of the most memorable moments you’re ever going to have with the stage and it is one that you do NOT want spoiled for you. I also love how the puppeteers are given their own moment to shine during the curtain call at the end, because My Neighbour Totoro would not be the same without them. You will buy into Totoro as a living, breathing, forest spirit immediately, and you’re going to be swept away into the majesty of it all instantly.
I had a stall seat in the lower-level center of the Gillian Lynne Theatre, and I was able to see everything perfectly. I do not think there is truly a bad seat in the theatre, but you’ll want to be as centrally located as possible for the show since I think you’ll miss some of the stage-edge effects if you’re on the far wing sides. The merchandise being sold at the show is incredible. The T-shirts are made with great quality, and I loved the cups, pins, and magnets. My only complaint is that two of the T-shirts are only available in extra-large as the largest size instead of having a greater range. I ended up taking a LOT of My Neighbour Totoro merchandise home with me to give out to friends who couldn’t go see the performance with me. There are also a couple cute photo opportunities on both levels of the Gillian Lynne Theatre to take photos at!
So, is My Neighbour Totoro worth seeing before it takes its final bow at West End in January 2027? Yes. My Neighbour Totoro is an honest-to-goodness must-see family-friendly play that everyone will love. If you’re a fan of the movie, or even if you haven’t seen it before, you need to make the time to visit the Gillian Lynne Theatre to see My Neighbour Totoro.
Just don’t be surprised if you have the My Neighbour Totoro’s theme song, Tonari no Totoro, stuck in your head as you leave. I personally hope this show will eventually make its way to Broadway in the United States, as I think there would definitely be an audience for it here to love and enjoy because My Neighbour Totoro is a fun, delightful masterpiece in theatre entertainment.
Tickets are on sale now through the show’s closing on January 10, 2027.
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