RSC to produce stage adaptation of "My Neighbor Totoro"

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Variety reports:

 

Quote

Multi-award-wining composer Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) are readying a stage adaptation of Miyazaki Hayao’s beloved 1988 Studio Ghibli film “My Neighbor Totoro.” It will open at London’s Barbican arts complex this fall in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV.

 

Hisaishi's original score will be re-orchestrated by Will Stuart and performed live.

 

I find this fascinating because I admit I hadn't paid attention to the Royal Shakespeare Company before now, and I'm surprised to see them taking on a project like this.

 

I'm extremely curious what becomes of the music. The original score was a cornerstone of my childhood, but ultimately it was a score written for a children's movie. (Oddly enough, I find Ponyo to be a better listen than Totoro.) The main theme continues to be a calling-card for Hisaishi in his orchestral concerts. You can hear a representative recording of the standard concert arrangement, made with the LSO, on YouTube Music or on Spotify.