The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced the cast for its new adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed animated movie My Neighbour Totoro, which heads to the Barbican this October.
The cast includes Dai Tabuchi (47 Ronin) playing the father, Tatsuo, and Ami Okumura Jones (Scandaltown, main image, far left) and Mei Mac (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) playing the two sisters, Satsuki and Mei respectively.
My Neighbour Totoro opens at the Barbican on 8 October 2022, running until 23 January 2023.
The show is a new stage adaptation by playwright Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer), directed by Phelim McDermott, and includes Hisaishi’s music from the 1988 film.
The cast also includes Haruka Abe is the mother Yasuko (and puppeteer); plus Nino Furuhata is Kanta (and puppeteer), Susan Momoko Hingley is Miss Hara (and puppeteer), Haruka Kuroda is Nurse Emiko (and puppeteer), Michael Phong Le is Hirosh (and puppeteer), and Jacqueline Tate is Granny (and puppeteer).
Puppeteers are Aki Nakagawa, Kanako Nakano, Marian Lee, Matthew Leonhart, Yojiro Ichikawa, Arina Ii, Andrew Futaishi, Zachary Hing, Li-Leng Au, Boaz Chad, Shaofan Wilson, Tobi Poster-Su, and Si Rawlinson.
The show is co-produced with theatre company Improbable and broadcaster Nippon TV.
The show will feature puppetry by Basil Twist, and Hisaishi’s original score has been given new orchestrations by Will Stuart, which will be performed live. Set design is by Tom Pye, costumes are by Kimie Nakano, lighting is by Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound is by Tony Gale and movement is by You-Ri Yamanaka.
Book tickets to My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Theatre in London
