Full cast announced for 'My Neighbour Totoro' in the West End

Ami Okumura Jones, Dai Tabuchi, Jacqueline Tate, and Ai Ninomiya will reprise their roles, while Victoria Chen joins the cast as Mei. The show broke Barbican Box Office records in 2022.

The full cast has been announced for the return of the six-time Olivier Award-winning show My Neighbour Totoro, which opens at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on 8 March.

Joining the company is Victoria Chen in 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.

The show’s Kazego Puppetry Ensemble will again include Matthew Leonhart, Heather Lai, Shaofan Wilson (Miss Hara), and Anna Kato. They will be joined by 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.

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

Adapted by Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer) from Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 animated feature film, My Neighbour Totoro follows the story of two sisters, who move to the countryside when their mother is taken ill. As they explore their new home, the sisters come across magical creatures, including an ancient protector of the forest: Totoro.

My Neighbour Totoro broke the Barbican’s Box Office record for most tickets sold in a day in April 2022, before the show opened in October 2022. It returned in autumn 2023, running until March 2024.

In a review for LondonTheatre.co.uk, our critic said: "Tom Morton-Smith’s adaptation strikes a perfect balance of honouring Hayao Miyazaki’s creation and seeking a new theatrical language, brilliantly realised in Phelim McDermott’s exquisite production."

Directed by Phelim McDermott, the show's creative team also includes production design by Tom Pye, puppetry design and direction by Basil Twist, costume design by Kimie Nakano, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound design by Tony Gayle, and movement by You-Ri Yamanaka, with music from Joe Hisaishi’s score in a new orchestration by Will Stuart. Video design is by Finn Ross and Andrea Scott, the dramaturg is Pippa Hill, and sound effects and soundscape design is by Nicola T Chang.

Book My Neighbour Totoro tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: the full company of My Neighbour Totoro. (Photo by Johan Persson)