My Neighbour Totoro - Barbican / Coliseum / Gillian Lynne

So excited. Tell me about the catbus! This is selling out so fast, tempted to book a second visit before I even see it, as I think I’m going to adore it. And how do they depict the soot sprites?

So many questions!

Will be interesting to see if any of the theatre owners are interested in taking Totoro to the West End should the run sell out completely. It's quite tricky as the Barbican is fairly big stage wise but I could envision this at either the Gillian Lynne or the Shaftesbury.

I’m a massive fan of the movie and I really wanted to love the stage adaptation, but came away feeling really disappointed.
To my mind, it’s not really an adaptation for the theatre, but more of an attempt to replicate the film on stage.

It has some nice moments, but it’s way too long (2.5 hrs at the first preview) and is painfully slow at times. Where the film has the luxury of a relaxed pace because there’s always something beautiful on the screen to look at, this principle doesn’t apply to dead air in the theatre, especially when the reason for it are actors pushing unwieldy props on and off from the sides of the stage.

Speaking of the cast, the standard was a bit variable ( first preview nerves perhaps?) but the two actresses playing the sisters at the centre of the story were excellent, as was the actor playing their neighbour’s son.

The puppetry wasn’t as inventive as I’d hoped, but I think I may be in the minority with this opinion as the rest of the audience broke into applause every time a new character appeared.

I hope the Director will make some judicious cuts across the board because I didn’t expect to be looking at my watch throughput most of the second half and wishing it would end.

The only comparison I can think of a successful TV animation to a stage adaptation is Tina Landau’s Broadway production of The SpongeBob Musical ( as opposed to the tour). Landau totally got the spirit of SB and the other residents of Bikini Bottom, tore up the rule book from the original cartoon rule and re-invented the world in a really genius way without losing all that was great about in the original TV show. The theatre had also been decorated with found objects from the bottom of the sea which really set the scene perfectly the minute you stepped into the auditorium.

Something like that could have been placed around the auditorium to have the feel of the Sisters new world/ Totoro’s home. I think it would have been a great start to the show with something less static than the cartoon/puppetry flat with the title of the show on it with moving letters.

I feel MNT could have benefitted with a fresh, innovative take on the original but perhaps Studio Ghibli wouldn’t have countenanced that

In my opinion, it just didn’t have the magic that the film has, nor did I feel moved by it at all, whereas the film has some very poignant moments.

I think it could be very well received by the critics given it’s good thing to see the RSC collaboration with a company as majestic as Studio Ghibli and maybe audiences less invested in the movie will love it. It’s definitely a well intentioned try, but a wasted opportunity to my mind.

Had a peek this morning and seems the online rush through Barbican is front row for £25. If anyone is going and can assess the stage height would be appreciated!

Well I checked on the Barbican website this morning at around 10:15 and there was a lonely seat in row A of the stalls available. They are released 10am

Do they just show up then on the regular seating plan at 10am?

First production photos

http://instagram.com/p/CjpeiIQNVqd

Large Totoro had a malfunction during his second appearance tonight, and was declared "unwell," precipitating a production stop.

Some spoilers follow. . .

Luckily, Medium Totoro was available at the last minute, as a stand-in lol

It's a shame, as Large Totoro is a big part of the magic of the production, being impossibly large (about 2 and a half adults tall), which renders Mei, played by an adult, as looking like a tiny girl (per the film) in comparison.

Medium Totoro is about 1 and a half adults tall, and it is easier to imagine how he can be operated lol. It was nice to see both of them, though the bigger one will always be better if he works. What he failed to do today was jump, so I imagine that's quite technically hard to accomplish for such a big thing.

It's the interval now, and the production itself, overall, is quite magical. Much more so than most shows, in my opinion.

Would you mind sharing any tips for getting the day seats? I’ve tried a couple of times this week but been unsuccessful. When I click on ‘check dates & book’ on the Barbican website the date has still shown as ‘sold out’ for a good few minutes after 10am (even with constant refreshing of the page) then eventually it turns into a clickable button but by the time I get in at about 10:06 there’s no day seats available, and even checking back regularly over the next 10 minutes they don’t show up. What time did the seats show up for you today? Am I doing something wrong? Or are they just selling out instantly? Thanks!

That is incredibly cute

What a two show day I just had.

Started off with the bands visit where I was thinking theatre doesn't get better than that. That gave me the character based story I was wanting, afterwards I was craving spectacle and boy did this deliver.

This is magnificent. Pure spectacle. Every time any sort of puppet was on stage the audience were in a complete trance. The cutest show on the west end currently.

The extended cat bus sequence was actually one of my highlights.

The orchestrations are stunning and the singing, Oh my! What a voice!

It did take a little bit for me to get used to the adult actors acting as children. Mostly the shouting, but that was quickly forgotten about as I was so engrossed in this world and the both the girls are incredible, especially during the second act.

The set is also just gorgeous. Subtle projections but no overuse! Take notes disney!

The first act was long but it did fly by for me, so I can't complain much.

I was also front row and the view was perfect. I could see every single thing that went on and only had to stretch my neck a few times to see the floor.

I don't think I'll get to visit this again living outside of London. I hope it does have a future life! Spirited Away transfer next?