My Neighbour Totoro extends West End run and releases new photos

The multi-award-winning My Neighbour Totoro has released photos of the West End production in celebration of a new extension.

Returning to London, the play explores the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, following one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei.

Adapted by Tom Morton-Smith and directed by Improbable’s Phelim McDermott, the piece broke the Barbican’s box office record for most tickets sold in a single day when it was first announced and received critical acclaim in 2022. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, winning five WhatsOnStage Awards and six Olivier Awards, and returning to the Barbican for a second sell-out run in 2023.

For the West End run, Victoria Chen has joined the company to play the role of Mei. Returning to their roles are Ami Okumura Jones as Mei’s older sister Satsuki, Dai Tabuchi as Tatsuo, Jacqueline Tate as Granny, and Ai Ninomiya as the Singer.

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The show’s Kazego puppetry ensemble will once again include Matthew Leonhart, Heather Lai, Shaofan Wilson (Miss Hara) and Anna Kato, who will be joined by new members, Rachel Clare Chan, Sally Cheng, Sabrina Pui Yee Chin, Victor Itang, Gabriel S Janoras, Ronnie Lee, Kumiko Mendl (Nurse Emiko), Annakanako Mohri, Richard Peralta, Lucy Park and Chloe Ragrag.

The swing puppeteers are Boaz Chad, Wenshin Lee, Amber Lin, Sera Maehara and Nathaniel Tan.

Phyllis Ho (Yasuko), Steven Nguyen (Kanta), Jamie Zubairi (Hiroshi) and Deanna Myers (Tsukiko) complete the cast.

The play will now run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until 29 March 2026. An official opening night is set for Thursday 20 March 2025. Over 20,000 tickets are available priced at £25 or less.

My Neighbour Totoro has production design by Tom Pye, costume design by Kimie Nakano, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, movement by You-Ri Yamanaka and puppetry design and direction is by Basil Twist.

The production features music from Hisaishi’s iconic score in a new orchestration by Will Stuart, performed live with sound design by Tony Gayle. Video design is by Finn Ross and Andrea Scott.

Artwork for the stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro includes a hand-drawn title by Toshio Suzuki, producer for Studio Ghibli.

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