My Neighbour Totoro - Barbican / Coliseum / Gillian Lynne

[oxfordsimon]

That is why they need a new, strong commercial hit.

They haven't had a truly successful commercial production since Matilda opened.

Hopefully the new leadership will make this a priority

[Jon]

Oct 28, 2022 7:23:22 GMT mrbarnaby said:

This was made to tour the world , so it’s highly likely they will take it to New York, Toronto or Australia next.

In regards to Broadway, there are plenty of theatres it could go to like the soon to vacant Majestic Theatre or the Marquis. 

[jek]

I had an RSC email tonight which said that they are thinking about whether they will be able to share the production with more people. The accompanying survey was all about whether I would take up membership of the RSC if this would give me priority booking.

[Being Alive]

Had expected the front row to appear for today's matinee at 10am but so far nothing...maybe I won't get to see it today after all 🤪

[inthenose]

Keep trying for returns, if you’re willing to pay full price - they do pop up. Good luck!

[Being Alive]

Oh I'm definitely not paying full price 🤣 I'm sure it's good but I've not paid full price for a looooooong time

[Mark]

Oct 29, 2022 9:14:54 GMT Being Alive said:

Had expected the front row to appear for today's matinee at 10am but so far nothing...maybe I won't get to see it today after all 🤪

They did appear, just before 10, but as mentioned earlier up thread had the link directly to the seating plan for that performance.

[inthenose]

Oct 29, 2022 9:23:10 GMT Being Alive said:

Oh I'm definitely not paying full price 🤣 I'm sure it's good but I've not paid full price for a looooooong time

Use the tip above as Mark says - otherwise you’re stuck as the entire run is sold out.

[Dr Tom]

Work out what the URL for the show you want to see will be in advance, then refresh from about 9:57am onwards until the tickets show. The calendar page takes longer to update.

You won't be able to select the date and view the URL if it's sold out. You can either find the URL at another time when premium tickets are available and save it, or you can find any date when tickets are available then edit the URL directly for the show you want (the system is not sophisticated if you're tech savvy, but this does require some trial and error).

[Being Alive]

This is truly the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my whole theatre going life - they should just be releasing them through todaytix like they did with Anything Goes!

Thanks for the tip though will try it next weekend

[mrbarnaby]

Oct 29, 2022 9:23:10 GMT Being Alive said:

Oh I'm definitely not paying full price 🤣 I'm sure it's good but I've not paid full price for a looooooong time

Yeah good luck seeing the show , which is entirely sold out, if you don’t want to pay full price!

[Being Alive]

There's always a way!

[inthenose]

From an RSC email:

Limited ticket release today
We're releasing a very limited number of extra tickets today at midday for My Neighbour Totoro performances on 17 and 24 November. Don't miss your chance to book your tickets for this sold-out show; head to the Barbican website.

If you miss out this time, we also still have a limited number of Day Seats available to buy online everyday via the Barbican website from 10am at £25.

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

I tested out the day seats today and was able to get one for the evening performance in my basket pretty easily (I did the URL trick mentioned earlier in the thread but it seemed like that wasn't necessary as I had the regular booking page opened in another tab and was able to get in that way too) but I'm not able find any of the matinees by changing the URL and neither did it become available to book at 10am when the evening performance did. Do they just not do day seats for the matinees, did they just sell so quickly that it never displayed as anything but sold out, or have I missed that somewhere it says day seats for matinee performances are released at a different time?

[fossil]

Nov 12, 2022 10:08:50 GMT juicy_but_terribly_drab said:

I tested out the day seats today and was able to get one for the evening performance in my basket pretty easily (I did the URL trick mentioned earlier in the thread but it seemed like that wasn't necessary as I had the regular booking page opened in another tab and was able to get in that way too) but I'm not able find any of the matinees by changing the URL and neither did it become available to book at 10am when the evening performance did. Do they just not do day seats for the matinees, did they just sell so quickly that it never displayed as anything but sold out, or have I missed that somewhere it says day seats for matinee performances are released at a different time?

Day seats for matinees are definitely released at 10.00am on the day. I managed to get one for the matinee a couple of days ago. They do sell extremely quickly though. Before 10.00am I did notice the link to the page becoming active a few times when (presumably) returns went on sale at £140 so that is one way to capture the URL before 10.00am. I do have the link for the matinee on the 24th November.



tickets.barbican.org.uk/choose-seats/865006



The front row is not ideal for this production as I felt you are too close to take in the best of all the terrific visual effects. Also they have raised the stage slightly. I am 5'2" and wished I had brought my cushion as it was difficult to see some of the stage level stuff. But don't let me put you off. I still found it a wonderful production.

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

Nov 12, 2022 17:28:57 GMT fossil said:

Nov 12, 2022 10:08:50 GMT juicy_but_terribly_drab said:

I tested out the day seats today and was able to get one for the evening performance in my basket pretty easily (I did the URL trick mentioned earlier in the thread but it seemed like that wasn't necessary as I had the regular booking page opened in another tab and was able to get in that way too) but I'm not able find any of the matinees by changing the URL and neither did it become available to book at 10am when the evening performance did. Do they just not do day seats for the matinees, did they just sell so quickly that it never displayed as anything but sold out, or have I missed that somewhere it says day seats for matinee performances are released at a different time?

Day seats for matinees are definitely released at 10.00am on the day. I managed to get one for the matinee a couple of days ago. They do sell extremely quickly though. Before 10.00am I did notice the link to the page becoming active a few times when (presumably) returns went on sale at £140 so that is one way to capture the URL before 10.00am. I do have the link for the matinee on the 24th November.



tickets.barbican.org.uk/choose-seats/865006



The front row is not ideal for this production as I felt you are too close to take in the best of all the terrific visual effects. Also they have raised the stage slightly. I am 5'2" and wished I had brought my cushion as it was difficult to see some of the stage level stuff. But don't let me put you off. I still found it a wonderful production.

Thanks for the link! I know I probably won't have the ideal view at the front but it's better than nothing. Today's matinee must have just gone very quickly I guess, presumably a Saturday matinee is more popular with families than the evening. Perhaps I'll have more luck with a weekday matinee.

[Jon]

Just came back from tonight and it was magical, the puppetry is just incredible and being in the front row, I could see how it was being operated but weirdly I thought it added more to be able to see these characters come in life.

This is a big show and I think for it to transfer, it needs to go to one of the bigger musical houses but would the RSC and Nippon want to go into one of the big barns? The other option is the Prince of Wales which has a wide stage but The Book of Mormon isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[oedipus]

I saw this last week -- nabbed one of those single tickets that seem to pop up randomly on the website -- and felt that the first act was wildly impressive: amazing puppetry, score, and stagecraft. But oof: the second act really spins its wheels (figuratively and literally), as it draws out to unnecessary length the journey of the youngest child. Would have made a far stronger one-act than its current two-act structure.

[vabbian]

Saw this yesterday, day ticket, 4 stars.

The visual effects are outstanding. The music was outstanding.
It really made me feel like a child again, a kind of bliss and warmness you don't often experience in the theatre.

I always thought that Totoro was let down by the plot (or lack there of) and this applies too to the show, which recounts the film almost identically.

The pacing is a bit strange as the first act covers about three quarters of the film, which leaves not much for the second act.
And so you get a very strong first act, and an okay second act.

One gripe, which is very specific perhaps to me / day seats / sitting in the front row - there is a lot of screaming/shouting in this show lol.
I know they are meant to be children, and I know sitting in the front row you hear things a lot louder than most,
but really I wanted to cover my ears half the time - I didn't cus I thought it would to be rude lol.
If they were my children I would send them to the orphanage like pls can u be quiet what is with all the screaming

[mikey]

Saw this yesterday and thought the puppetry was so magical! Really loved this.

[ThereWillBeSun]

Impulse bought a ticket a few weeks ago; and so excited to check out the puppetry.

[bobbievanhusen]

I just bought a ticket for tonight (mid stalls) and there is still a single seat available in the circle (£82.50)

Knowing very little about it, i'm intrigued!

[pochard]

I managed to get a dayseat for this last week and loved it too - even the fangirl beside me who hummed along & kept quietly chanting "totoro" at key moments of the play didn't spoil it (too much) for me.

It's not one to go to for the plot, but it was so beautifully staged, and I felt really caught moments of the singularity of childhood imagination, along with that particular melancholy too. But, and this is key, it truly cheered me up for a few hours amidst all the doom and gloom I'm finding everywhere else!

[craig]

We took this in on Saturday night. I'd bought tickets for my fiancé back in the summer for his birthday as he likes Ghibli. We watched the film together a while ago to give me some context and I was very intrigued to see how they brought it to life on stage. Ultimately, I thought it was absolutely magical and after this and Ocean At The End Of The Lane, I'm having to really question my natural indisposition towards puppetry.

As mentioned, this isn't exactly a show that's heavy on plot, but it's certainly not light on emotion. The film captures so beautifully the wonder and imagination of being young, and the escape, protection and relief from trauma that your imagination can provide. I thought the show conveyed this incredibly successfully.

From the exquisite "opening title" sequence to the wonderful set, to the frankly unbelievable puppetry, this was just such an impressive show. The two central performances from Mei Mac and Ami Okumura Jones were fantastic and the orchestra and singing from Ai Ninomiya just beautiful.

The only letdown for me, given the mind boggling scale and ambition of the Totoro puppets was the cat bus, which felt a little bit obvious and just slightly less impressive than the rest of the show.

I have a feeling this is more likely to transfer internationally than to the West End as it requires such a huge stage but I'm sure it would be possible with a few tweaks. Either way, this is a huge big hit for the RSC again after a significant drought period.

[Figaro]

So this won’t be going to the Gillian Lynne then!