Last autumn London’s Barbican Theatre hosted a sell-out run of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli basic My Neighbour Totoro. This previous weekend, following the announcement that the manufacturing will return for a restricted run in autumn 2023, the manufacturing received six prestigious Olivier Awards.
The six Olivier wins embody Best Entertainment or Comedy, Best Director for Phelim McDermott, and all of the Design awards: Costume (Kimie Nakano), Sound (Tony Gayle), Set (Tom Pye), and Lighting (Jessica Hung Han Yun). It was additionally nominated in three different classes – for Theatre Choreagraphy (Basil Twist), Original Score/New Orchestrations (Joe Hisaishi and Will Stuart), and Best Actress (Mei Mac). The six Olivier wins come only some months after the present scored 5 WhatsOnStage Awards, voted on by the general public, in February.
We couldn’t be happier to have received SIX #OlivierAwards 🤩 ⁰⁰Congratulations to the complete My Neighbour Totoro workforce 💚👏✨ ⁰⁰#FindYourSpirit pic.twitter.com/gfZamGVzc3
— My Neighbour Totoro (@totoro_show) April 2, 2023
The playwright for My Neighbour Totoro, Tom Morton-Smith, devoted the present’s award to his stillborn daughter.
According to the BBC:
“In a heartfelt speech, he said he wrote Totoro with the joy and expectation of being a new parent but, after his daughter’s death, he wanted to keep her memory alive when people watched the play.”
The Laurence Olivier Awards – extra broadly often known as the Olivier Awards – reward excellence on the London stage. The awards have been in existence since 1976, and are offered by the Society of London Theatre. In phrases of clout, the Olivier Awards are the British equal of the Tony Awards – very similar to the Tonys have a good time New York’s Broadway Theatre and are thought-about a pinnacle of feat in US theatre.
My Neighbour Totoro (1988) is an anime basic from the famed Studio Ghibli animation studio famend for producing hit, award-winning motion pictures – 5 of the studio’s movies have been nominated for Academy Awards, and Spirited Away acquired an Academy Award in 2003. Directed and written by Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki My Neighbour Totoro follows the adventures of younger women Satsuki and Mei who transfer to the countryside with their father whereas their mom is sick in hospital – there they encounter woodland spirits and surreal creatures, together with the Totoro of the movie’s title.
The Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro was written by Tom Morton-Smith and produced by the film’s unique composer Joe Hisaishi, in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV. It had its preliminary 15-week run between October 8, 2022 to January 21, 2023 – and tickets have been onerous to come back by.
It even set a brand new field workplace file earlier than it had even staged its first efficiency – because the Barbican Theatre mentioned it exceeded the variety of tickets bought in a single day once they opened gross sales for the present (beating a 2015 manufacturing of Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch).
The simply introduced new restricted run of My Neighbour Totoro will happen from November 21, 2023 to March 21, 2024 (with public reserving opening April 21, 10am GMT).
When My Neighbour Totoro was first introduced, Joe Hisaishi – the unique movie’s composer and govt producer on the venture – mentioned:
“In Japan, many people are passionate about theatre and musicals, but there are no original Japanese shows or musicals performed in the world. “Totoro” is a Japanese work well-known all through the world, and so this stage adaptation might have the potential to succeed in international audiences. That’s what I assumed, and I advised Mr Miyazaki “I want to see such a show” and he mentioned ‘yes, only if you are going to do it’.
“This responsibility is a huge task, but we chose to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, a globally prestigious company, and with their support we can make it happen. I am delighted that the RSC have become our partner because I feel much in common between the quality of the RSC and Mr. Miyazaki’s aesthetic. This is a ground-breaking project. Phelim McDermott is a wonderful director, and his team are enthusiastic, creative and very hardworking. They love Totoro and the sense of anticipation is high.”
Full breakdown of awards for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre, London:
Won (6)
- Noël Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy
- Best Costume Design – Kimie Nakano
- Best Sound Design – Tony Gayle
- Best Set Design – Tom Pye
- Best Lighting Design – Jessica Hung Han Yun
- Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director – Phelim McDermott
Nominated (3)
- Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer – Basil Twist for puppetry path
- Best Original Score or New Orchestrations – Joe Hisaishi and Will Stuart
- Best Actress – Mei Mac
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