The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced that its stage production of Hayao Miyazaki animated classic My Neighbor Totoro (totoroshow.com) will be returning to London’s West End. This engagement at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from March 8-November 2 will feature a brand-new lead performer, as well as the returning stars.
Victoria Chen (in her RSC debut) takes on the lead role of Mei, an impish and curious little girl who discovers the hidden world of forest spirits when she moves into an old country house with her father and older sister, to be closer to their mother in her convalescent hospital.
Returning stars are Ami Okumura Jones as older sister Satsuki, Dai Tabuchi as father Tatsuo and a puppeteer for the “Kazego” (wind spirits), Ai Ninomiya as The Singer (Kaze no Koe) and Matthew Leonheart as the lead Kazego ensemble puppeteer.
Featuring the music of film composer Joe Hisaishi as adapted by Will Stuart, My Neighbor Totoro is adapted to the stage by Tom Morton-Smith and directed by Phelim McDermott. Tom Pye is production designer and Basil Twist is the lead puppetry designer/director. The show is produced in collaboration with Nippon TV and Improbable.
My Neighbor Totoro returns to the stage after two sell-out productions at the Barbican (including a record-shattering single day of ticket sales in 2022). The show has been awarded six Olivier Awards and five WhatsOnStageAwards.
Fans of Naoko Takeuchi’s iconic shoujo creation will be dusting offing their seifuku this year to catch the North America tour of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live (sailormoonsuperlive.com), which will kick off an 18-city tour in Pittsburgh on March 12, following the show’s U.K. run in February.
Tickets (priced $30-$120) and VIP packages for the tour go on sale to the public on January 31, following an exclusive presale window from members of the Official Fan Group.
The show is described as a “groundbreaking 2.5D musical” based on the beloved manga and anime which “transports audiences into a dazzling world of magic, friendship and justice with its electrifying performances, unforgettable choreography and show-stopping music.”
Kaori Miura is the writer, director and lyricist for this production, which features music by Go Sakabe and KYOHEI and choreography by Toma Satomi.
Following sold-out performances in New York City and Washington D.C., Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live will tour the following stops through Spring 2025:
- March 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theatre
- March 15 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
- March 18 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
- March 19 – Sugarland, TX – Smart Financial Centre
- March 25 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
- March 27 – Spokane, WA – First Interstate Center
- March 29 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium
- April 1 – Dallas, TX – Winspear Opera House
- April 3 – Midland, TX – Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
- April 6 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
- April 8 – St. Louis, MO – The Fabulous Fox
- April 11 – Dayton, OH – Schuster Center
- April 13 – Louisville, KY – The Kentucky Center
- April 15 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
- April 16 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
- April 18 – Newark, NJ – NJPAC
- April 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Miller Theater
- April 25-26 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
[Sources: Crunchyroll, Variety]
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