Ghibli magic is transformed to the Barbican stage with wow-factor in abundance. Ideal for the cultured child, or the nostalgic adult. ★★★★★

The hype around this show amongst the Ghibli fandom was incredible: I booked this show 10 months in advance and it was already selling out fast. I couldn’t quite believe it: most of my theatregoing friends had never heard of My Neighbour Totoro, or Studio Ghibli for that matter.

It turns out you are in one of two camps if you go to see this: you are not entirely sure what’s going on with the soot sprites on sticks and whatnot, but applaud the spectacle; or, you are a solid Totoro fan, amazed at how this show can make you feel like you are seeing Totoro & The Catbus for the very first time again, in a perpetual state of weeping throughout…

I was unashamedly the latter…

Which was a relief as we had turned the theatre trip as an excuse to celebrate a family birthday in London, with an overnight stay. A delayed train and a rogue black-cabbie (who informed me that he didn’t actually know where the hotel was, once we were 5 minutes passed it in the wrong direction) meant our travel up was fraught with frustration.

Coupled with a 25-minute wait at the ironically named ‘express check-in’ desk at he hotel, with a bizarre receptionist named Juan who kept popping out the back whilst swathes of other guests were being checked-in beside us; a complaint to a more sensible member of staff, followed by a room change to a room with an external window… I couldn’t help but muttering to myself, This show better be worth it …

And it absolutely was !

Entertainment ★★★★★

A pure spectacle of puppetry and wonder, faithfully aesthetic to the original Ghibli film. My sister and I were teary eyed at how they represented Mei’s fall into the sacred tree to meet Totoro – a giant furry inflatable puppet rotated on its back towards the end of Act 1 – and the illuminated Catbus frolicking around the stage with piercing eyes for headlights.

My Mum, dragged into the Ghibli world by me, commented that the ‘monster’ [Totoro] didn’t have much personality … but was redeemed by the Catbus looking like the Cheshire Cat…

Something for everyone, then.

Musicality ★★★★☆

Not a musical as-such, but show with the original film score played live by a band and singer alongside the storytelling that adds heart, wonderment and cohesion between the actors and puppetry on-stage. There were many children in the audience, and I will not forget the transfixing power of ‘The Path of the Wind’ instrumental, revealing the spirity-soot sprites desire to lead Mei to Totoro, across the whole auditorium. Otherwise, it would be just ninjas with black pom-poms on sticks ever so slowly waving their wands upstage left. Incredible.

Value ★★★★★

Worth every penny! Tickets were around the £80 mark for the central section of row B for a Saturday evening performance. The design of the Barbican is such that there will always be a good view from the stalls and circle due to the raking, and ample leg room (the bench-style seating does not fold). The concrete jungle does something right -although the ladies facilities during the interval needs a serious rethink. There was a promotion on at the time to get half-price child tickets with adult purchases (working out at £40 for a child’s seat) PLUS a certain number of TikTok £10 tickets for full-time students. If you managed to get yourself one of those, you’ve quite possibly got the deal of the century.