Cast revealed for My Neighbour Totoro

The production opens this spring in London…

The full company has been confirmed for the stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro. The production will run from Saturday 08 March – Sunday 02 November 2025, with an opening night on Thursday, 20th of March at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company in collaboration with Nippon TV and Improbable have this week revealed the stars of the production.

Victoria Chen joins 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.

The show’s unique 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.

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

My Neighbour Totoro Company; photo credit Johan Persson

Adapted by Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer) from Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated 1988 animated feature film, the production is directed by Improbable Co-Founder, Phelim McDermott.

My Neighbour Totoro brings to stage the story of Satsuki and Mei as their mother becomes ill. In order to be closer to her while she recovers in a rural convalescent hospital, their father moves the two sisters from their home in a city to the countryside.

And though the countryside is beautiful and the people friendly, it’s hard not to be scared when the wind rustles the trees at night. As the sisters explore their new surroundings, young Mei encounters  magical creatures and the ancient protector of the forest she calls “Totoro” – and they are to be the girls’ neighbours.

Although Satsuki doesn’t believe her little sister at first, they are soon both swept up in exciting adventures with their new neighbours – transported to a long-forgotten realm of spirits, sprites, and natural wonder.

Winner of six Olivier Awards and five WhatsOnStage Awards, My Neighbour Totoro broke the Barbican’s Box Office record for most tickets sold in a single day in April 2022, ahead of its global premiere in October 2022. Following both critical and audience acclaim, the production returned to the Barbican Centre for a strictly limited run in Autumn 2023. The production closed at the Barbican Centre in March 2024.

My Neighbour Totoro  

Gillian Lynne Theatre, 166 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5PW

Booking details Online or box office: 020 7087 7750