This may be one of the most charming things you’ll ever seen, and perhaps the most unlikely show to sell out a thirteen week season before it opened. Based on a 1988 cult Japanese animation by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli, which I haven’t seen, in the hands of theatrical magician Improbable’s Phelim McDermott and his design team, Tom Morton-Smith’s stage adaptation takes us on an adventure to rural Japan and immerses us in the spirit world.
A university professor relocates from the city to a small village with his two young daughters so that they can be nearer to the hospital where his wife / their mother is being treated for a long-term illness. They are welcomed into the community, who look out for and look after the girls when dad is back at work. They both encounter the susuwatari house spirits but it is the youngest, and most adventurous daughter, four-year-old Mei, who discovers and befriends the mysterious wood spirit Toturo, though her elder sister Satsuki does so later. When Mei disappears, on an adventure to visit her mother, the whole community starts a hunt for her and Satsuki seeks the help of Totoro.
Tom Pye’s design allows the action to move organically within and around their house and from here to the woodland, the hospital and other settings, with the musicians high up in tree houses. The puppets and puppetry of Basil Twist are brilliant, bringing to life small insect-like spirits, a goat, small wood spirits, the huge spirit Toturo and a giant bus! Joe Hisaishi’s music and songs provide a sympathetic soundscape. In a fine cast, the actors playing the sisters – Ami Okumua Jones and Mei Mac – are the chief delight.
It proves perfect for children but by exploring themes of animism, the Shinto religion and the environment, adults too. It is full of positivity, with neighbourliness, friendship and love, and proves to be a delightful concoction which leaves you with a warm glow. Lovely.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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