My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican

by JESSICA PRETORIUS

When you search for images of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro, almost nothing comes up. Barring a picture of a car and some puppet chickens, there's nothing to be found, and members of the audience are speci cally asked not to take pictures or share them online so as not to ruin the magic of the production.

e suspense of not knowing certainly paid o , because My Neighbour Totoro is one of the best things I’ve seen at the theatre in a while. Showing at the Barbican for only 15 weeks, this is the play’s global premiere, and I’m sure it’ll be showing across the world herea er. Of course, adapting Studio Ghibli’s 1988 classic to the stage is no easy feat, but the “awws” and delighted applause from the audience was a clear indication that everyone, whether they were 5 or 50, loved the performance.

Alvvays’ third album is a wiser and more self-assured re nement of their signature layered and dreamy indie pop-rock (with hints of punk and folk). Building on their strengths with bold experimentation, Alvvays injects Blue Rev their third album with eclectic buzz and maudlin introspection. It’s an electrifyingly satisfying answer to a ve year hiatus.

Alvvays’ lyrical strength is on full display with their rst two tracks, “Pharmacist” and “Easy on Your Own?”. Lead singer Molly Rankin de ly undercuts the energetic and jangly melodies of the two songs with pensive re ection. Never one to state her feelings outright, Rankin’s lyrics evoke the bittersweet a erglow of relationships past. Bumping into an ex’s sister at a pharmacy brings to surface glimpses of events long gone, culminating with Rankin wistfully wishing she could “wake up on the right side looking back”. But what’s one to do? e sister tells Rankin he has “that new love glow”. In “Easy on Your Own”, Rankin meditates on the “dull knife” of college education and the ennui of “crawling in monochromatic hallways”. University is a time of ux and discovery, yet Rankin wonders: “How do I gauge, whether this is stasis or change?” at isn’t to say Blue Rev is all gloomy recollection. Supported by impressive guitar solos and razor-sharp drumming, “Very Online Guy” and “Pressed” o er explosive and sporadic experiences infused with Rankin’s trademark wit. A stand out in Alvvays’ bubbly and upbeat o ering is “Pomeranian Spinster”. In stark contrast to the stereotype of the ageing single woman, Rankin asserts a erce independence and revelry, declaring that the “glass slipper never t”. Harking back to their hit single “Archie, Marry Me”, “Pomeranian Spinster” delivers another de jab at modern romance with a dash of melancholy lurking underneath its cheery surface.

Moving through the tracklist, Alvvays’ maturity as a band is best re ected in their penultimate song, “Lottery Noises”. e heady joy of winning the lottery is undercut by dejection and grief with the lines:

“Lucky sevens align while I’m riding pine / And I’ll always be looking for ways / To remember the sound of the lottery noises / at I can’t believe rang for me.” e actors themselves are similarly wonderful, and a special mention certainly must go to the production’s eighteen puppeteers, who manage to playfully be a part of the performance instead of just faceless gures on stage. e only critique I would have is that a central character, four-year-old Mei, is played by an adult; I de nitely found it unnerving at rst but the rest of the production made up for it.

One might wish that Alvvays would end on a more cheerful note if it weren't for the utter sincerity found in Rankin’s sonorous delivery. Weaving through emotional highs and lows, past revelries and regrets, Blue Rev is playful yet contemplative, deeply sentimental, and quietly devastating. Alvvays’ third studio album tempers nostalgia with remarkable clarity and tact.

My Neighbour Totoro is one of Studio Ghibli’s (a Japanese animation studio with a cult following) most popular movies. Created by Hayao Miyazaki in 1988, it tells the story of two girls that move to the countryside outside Tokyo while their mother is sick in hospital, where they befriend a huge, furry forest spirit called Totoro. Although Totoro itself is probably the highlight of the story (for me, at least) it also includes many other wonderful oddities like a cat-bus and two cute, smaller forest spirits. e play barely deviates from the movie in terms of plot, which is brilliant if you already love Totoro as much as everyone in the audience seemed to. I’m sure, however, that someone who had not seen the movie beforehand would still be able to appreciate the skill that went into creating this play.

My Neighbour Totoro is worth going to see even if it’s just to marvel at the fantastic use of props and the simple yet e ective set. One of my biggest questions before watching the play, aside from the obvious “How are they going to recreate a massive furry forest spirit?” was whether the play would be able to imitate at least some of the delicate imagery and backgrounds possessed by all Studio Ghibli movies. However, the RSC’s creative team were able to capture this magic in all elements of the play, and I was seriously impressed by the use of the set and props to create di erent environments. e performance is also accompanied by live music from the original composer Joe Hisaishi, which once again adds to the creation of a magical fantasy world.

Speaking as someone who grew up watching Studio Ghibli movies, Totoro really is an excellent production. You de nitely feel like you’re a kid again while watching the play, which is a testament to its success. Everyone le the theatre feeling decidedly happier.