Fire forces evacuation of the West End’s Gillian Lynne Theatre during My Neighbour Totoro matinee [Updated]

A performance of My Neighbour Totoro at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre was halted on Sunday (11 May 2025) after a nearby incident.

A fire broke out in the basement of a car park next to the Gillian Lynne Theatre, prompting a controlled evacuation of approximately 1,000 audience members from the theatre.

London Fire Brigade dispatched six fire engines and around 40 firefighters to the scene on Drury Lane, and the blaze was quickly brought under control with no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Subsequent the play My Neighbour Totoro performances have not been affected, and the fire did not impact the theatre building at all.

A statement from the London Fire Brigade originally said the fire was ” located in the basement of a theatre”, although this has now been revised.

Their revised statement said: “Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters responded to a fire on Drury Lane. The fire was located in an underground car park. A storeroom on the fourth level of the car park was destroyed by the fire. Over 1000 people were evacuated from a nearby building as a precaution as crews responded. There are no reports of any injuries. The Brigade was first called about the incident at 1610, and crews had the fire under control by 1728. Crews from Soho, Paddington, Dowgate and surrounding fire stations attended the scene. The cause of the fire is not yet known.”

LW Theatres, who own the Gillian Lynne Theatre, said in a statement: “During Sunday afternoon’s performance, the London Fire Brigade were called to reports of a fire in the car park next to the Gillian Lynne Theatre. With advice from fire operatives, the afternoon show continued unaffected, after which a controlled evacuation took place. There was no evening performance scheduled on Sunday and the fire did not impact the theatre building in any way. Customers should direct any queries to their point of purchase.”

My Neighbour Totoro, based on the beloved animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, is currently playing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre following a critically acclaimed run at the Barbican. The Royal Shakespeare Company and Joe Hisaishi’s award-winning stage adaptation has received multiple Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards.

The West End production stars Victoria Chen as Mei, Ami Okumura Jones as Satsuki, and Dai Tabuchi as Tatsuo, among a large ensemble that includes the Kazego Puppetry Ensemble and features live music, puppetry, and elaborate stagecraft.

My Neighbour Totoro is playing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on Drury Lane, booking to 29 March 2026.

Book My Neighbour Totoro tickets at the Gillian Lynne Theatre London

UPDATES: First published 12 May 2025 (AM); Updated 12 May (PM) with the London Fire Brigade’s updated statement and a statement from LW Theatres clarifying that the fire was not in the same building as the Gillian Lynne Theatre, but in the basement of the car park next to the Gillian Lynne Theatre.

My Neighbour Totoro

Gillian Lynne Theatre, London

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