My Neighbour Totoro Reviews: What the Critics Say

My Neighbour Totoro opened at the Barbican in October 2022, and the critics gave it fours and fives, with one three. They agreed the puppets and the staging are extraordinary. Where they split was on the pace, and on whether the music is strong enough to carry the evening.

Every review here is from that Barbican opening. It's the same production at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, with the same director, designs and puppets, and the same Totoro. Mei and Satsuki were played by Mei Mac and Ami Okumura Jones in 2022, and are now played by Victoria Chen and Helen Chong. Dai Tabuchi as the girls' father, Jacqueline Tate as Granny and Ai Ninomiya, the singer, are in both companies.

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The Critics' Verdict

The Guardian, the Financial Times, The Stage and BroadwayWorld gave it five stars. The Telegraph, The Times, the Sunday Times, the Observer, WhatsOnStage and Time Out gave it four, and the Evening Standard gave it three. Nobody went lower.

Even the lukewarm reviews loved how it looks. The complaints were about the story, which moves slowly, and the songs, which some found forgettable. In April 2023 it won six Olivier Awards, and audience reviews since have been warmer than the critics were, with the puppets and the live music mentioned most.

What the Reviews Praised

The puppets. The critics wrote about the puppets more than anything else. Arifa Akbar in the Guardian and Susannah Clapp in the Observer both gave the puppeteers as much attention as the actors, and Clapp saw them as the heart of the play. Several reviews describe how the audience reacted the first time Totoro appeared. For Saskia Baron at The Arts Desk it was simply "a dazzling show". Will Stone in the Morning Star noticed how close the Catbus comes to the front row. If that sounds like your idea of a good night, sit near the front of the Stalls. If you're taking a nervous child, sit a little further back.

How it looks. Clive Davis in The Times was blunt about it: "As pure spectacle, the results are overpowering." David Benedict in Variety agreed: "As a feast for the eyes, it's currently matchless." The set, costumes, lighting and sound all went on to win Oliviers. Even the critics who found the story thin praised how it looks. To see the whole picture at once, sit in the middle of the Circle.

A family night out. Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times called it "a tender, remarkably beautiful family show that extols kindness". Matt Wolf, writing for The New York Times, thought it was "family entertainment that adults might like even more than children". Neil Norman in the Daily Express had one condition: "Cynical adults may not be transported by its singular whimsy. Everyone else will be spirited away." For a family booking, the reviews are strongly positive.

Where Reviews Were Mixed

The pace. This was the most common complaint. Fiona Mountford in the i pointed out that the stage version is nearly an hour longer than the film, and thought it could be trimmed. Metro's reviewer felt the same, and so did Hemming, even at five stars. Benedict put it most plainly: "anyone coming new to the material in search of satisfying, well-paced plot is likely to be disappointed." Annabel Nugent in the Independent enjoyed every minute of the two and a half hours. It runs about 2 hours 30 minutes with a 20-minute interval, which is a long sit for a 6-year-old. A matinee is the easier option with younger children.

The music. Joe Hisaishi's score from the film is played live all the way through. Davis found it pleasant and not much more, and Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard found the songs bland. Theo Bosanquet at WhatsOnStage loved it, and picked out the singer, Ai Ninomiya, who is still in the show. Norman thought the songs didn't matter much next to everything else. If you love the film's music, you'll love hearing it live. Don't expect showstoppers.

Grown-ups playing the girls. Adult actors play Satsuki and Mei, and several critics said it takes some getting used to. Akbar thought they win you over. Both parts have been recast since these reviews.

Too gentle, or just right? Curtis wanted more danger, more darkness and more monsters. Quentin Letts in the Sunday Times also noticed there's no real villain, but found it "likeably impassive, lightly surreal", and thought children would love it. Andrzej Lukowski at Time Out found it very faithful to the film. If you know the film well, you'll recognise every scene. If you've never seen it, Metro's advice was to watch it first: "Wanting to know how it can all work is half the fun."

Is My Neighbour Totoro Right for You?

Book it if you love the film, or you've never seen puppetry on this scale. That's the part the critics agreed on.

Book it for a family trip with children aged 6 and up. It's a gentle, kind story.

Book it if you want something that looks like nothing else in the West End. Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph called it "a vital power surge of Anglo-Japanese creative electricity".

Think twice if you want a fast-moving plot or a score full of big songs. It's a play with music, and it takes its time.

Think twice about children under 6. There are loud bangs, pyrotechnics and very large puppets, some scenes are set in a hospital, and it's a long sit. Under-4s aren't admitted.

These reviews are of the 2022 Barbican company. Dai Tabuchi, Jacqueline Tate and Ai Ninomiya are still in it, and the two sisters are played by new actors.

Not sure where to sit? Call us on 020 7193 9050 and we'll help you choose.

Book My Neighbour Totoro Tickets

My Neighbour Totoro is at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on Drury Lane until Sunday 3 January 2027, when it closes. It runs about 2 hours 30 minutes including a 20-minute interval, and it's for ages 6 and up. Tickets start from around £20 and go up to around £180, and around £200 on the busiest dates. All-in pricing, so the price you see is what you pay.

Dates, seats and the full cast are on our My Neighbour Totoro tickets page.

Find tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050

Sources

The Guardian (Arifa Akbar, 5/5) · Financial Times (Sarah Hemming, 5/5) · The Stage (Sam Marlowe, 5/5) · BroadwayWorld (Gary Naylor, 5/5) · The Telegraph (Dominic Cavendish, 4/5) · The Times (Clive Davis, 4/5) · The Sunday Times (Quentin Letts, 4/5) · The Observer (Susannah Clapp, 4/5) · WhatsOnStage (Theo Bosanquet, 4/5) · Time Out (Andrzej Lukowski, 4/5) · Evening Standard (Nick Curtis, 3/5) · The Arts Desk (Saskia Baron) · The Independent (Annabel Nugent) · Daily Express (Neil Norman) · Morning Star (Will Stone) · The i (Fiona Mountford) · Metro · Variety (David Benedict) · The New York Times (Matt Wolf)