Danica Davidson
April 24, 2024 
More than 290,000 audience members have witnessed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s My Neighbour Totoro stage play during its two seasons at the Barbican in London. Both seasons were sold out, and ticket sales broke new records. Next the play is going to be performed at London’s West End between March 8 and November 2 of next year. And there’s talk about where it might go after that.
Deadline published an article titled “‘My Neighbour Totoro’, Smash Stage Adaptation Of Studio Ghibli Classic, Transfers To West End, With Broadway Next,” though the article does not outright verify that Totoro is heading toward Broadway. Instead, it’s a lot of wink-wink stuff, like quoting the play’s executive producer Griselda Yorke saying, “[My Neighbor Totoro] will definitely have a life beyond the West End,” and “there’s a lot of interest.” She also said, “With our Japanese partners we want to focus on nailing that West End transfer before we cast our eye further afield.”
Phelim McDermott, the play’s director, stressed the importance of quality. “[S]ometimes a show that works really well and you go to the next stage … you’ve got to keep the pot that is happening in just the right size for the process to keep the soup good. . . you start thinking ‘we’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that,’ too soon, then you take your eye off keeping the soup good.”
GKIDS licensed the original My Neighbor Totoro movie from Hayao Miyazaki and gave this description for it:
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family.
When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in early roles.
Source: Deadline
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
