My Neighbour Totoro, Gillian Lynne Theatre, July 2026

We were invited to review My Neighbour Totoro at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre. Our second time seeing the show, expectations were high as the first visit was just purrfect…

The plot follows sisters Mei and Satsuki Kusakabe as they adjust to life in rural Japan. With their sickly mother in hospital, the pair escape into a world of magical sprites, mischievous spirits, and protector of the forest Totoro.

Victoria Chen embodies Mei’s childlike wonder and innocence. Playing a four-year-old girl is no easy feat but Chen is perfectly cast, and her enthusiasm and excitement is infectious. Helen Chong as Satsuki nails the big sister role too; protective and caring yet sometimes irritated by Mei’s wild ways.

Father Tatsuo (Dai Tabuchi) is suitably paternal, and treads the line well between authority figure and doting dad. He also voices the titular Totoro with gusto. Mother Yasuko (Phyllis Ho) brings a melancholy to the show, as she yearns to see her daughters grow up. She remains positive, but our heart aches for the physical and emotional distance from her family.

Neighbour Kanta (Steven Nguyen) gets laughs from painfully awkward moments each time he sees the sisters. Jacqueline Tate’s Granny Ogaki is endearing and sweet, as she guides the girls as a surrogate mother figure.

The large ensemble works tirelessly to conjure a special kind of theatrical magic. As well as playing villagers and farmers, they animate many of the creatures and also treat the set as one big puppet, seamlessly moving elements to complement the action.

Tom Pye’s set design is a triumph. We’re transported to a sleepy Japanese village, and a central house that opens, revolves and transforms with ease. Forest scenes enchant, and a feline journey dazzles with moonlit rooftops and sparking pylons. The lush rural setting pays tribute to Kazuo Oga’s early Studio Ghibli paintings, and anime fans will feel right at home.

A live band accompanies the stunning score by Joe Hisaishi, from the opening theme to the rousing Cat Bus journey. Ai Ninomiya belts the title song beautifully as Kaze no Koe (Voice of the Wind), and you’ll be humming it all the way home. Incidental music underscores poignant moments or adds a playful air to creatures waddling across the stage. Rarely is there total silence, but there is real atmosphere.

Puppetry is first-rate throughout. Basil Twist’s designs include flitting soot sprites, manic chickens, a hungry goat and the illuminated Cat Bus and jaw-dropping Totoro. There are smaller iterations of Totoro too – Chu Totoro and Chibi Totoro – and they’re oh-so-cute!

Choreography is tight and, although we see the puppeteers, this is a directorial choice. Dressed in black with cloth masks, the style is inspired by Japanese Kabuki theatre, and only helps us appreciate the art and skill all the more.

Unlike Spirited Away – which returns to the London stage in 2028 – Totoro is told entirely in English. Audience members don’t need to have seen the 1988 film but all the iconic scenes and songs are here, and the production feels like a love letter to Hayao Miyazaki’s cult classic.

There are gasps and squeals of delight from this enraptured audience, and it clearly wins over all ages – not just children. Our 9-year-old was in his element and loved every minute…as did I. It’s funny, moving and truly a show that will stay with us.

Ultimately, this is a tale of hope, imagination and finding the wonder in a weary world. It’s also categorically one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

Totorally amazing.

My Neighbour Totoro closes on January 10th 2027, and gets our highest recommendation. Don’t snooze on this one, book at https://totoroshow.com/

Photos by Manuel Harlan

Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.

Mistero Buffo, Friargate Theatre, July 2026

During York’s season of Mystery Plays, Riding Lights Theatre Company have revived Mistero Buffo at Friargate Theatre.

Dario Fo’s famously-controversial satire uses clever storytelling that defies a timeline. The writing takes Biblical tales and folk stories, and reframes them to fit the present day. Names dropped here include Musk, Trump and even Russell Brand – a who’s who of those in power, and those that abuse that level of authority.

Fo typically uses satire to bring down the powers that be, whilst raising up those less fortunate. This seems especially relevant in a time of political unrest and manages not to feel preachy, but rather provoke thought.

Originally performed as a one-man show, Riding Lights’ latest offering is a two-hander, with a fresh take on Fo’s story. Cathy Sara’s storyteller is first introduced to the audience as a cleaner, who weaves a tale describing the birth of the Villeyn; personifying the peasant, the working class, the downtrodden.

Bin bags, bottles and even a Hoover are used here to clever effect – and a shining floor reflects as much as we do on the subject matter. As she cleans, our storyteller ruminates on everything from Ai, remote working and employee unions.

Although there are two performers, often there is only one on stage at a time. Watching Sara’s brilliant embodiment of several different characters simultaneously, as she waits for the miraculous raising of Lazarus, is a particular highlight. At times she reminds this reviewer of a young Julie Walters.

Thomas Frere’s turn as the Jongleur is a treat too. A character created to provoke laughter, he uses satire to fight back against the oppressors. Although comic initially, the performance captivates the audience to a hushed silence as his story unfolds.

When both actors take the stage together, it’s clear they have excellent chemistry; whether delivering comedy or tragedy. The script is excellent but watching it brought to life by two actors of such high-calibre is where the magic really happens.

Speaking of magic, director Paul Birch incorporates illusions into the show that really lift the action. Crucially, magic in theatre shouldn’t feel like tricks for the sake of tricks – and thankfully these added moments complement the storytelling perfectly. Against the stark set, they add unexpected visual surprises too.

Lighting is used well throughout, with Ollie Brown’s design keeping the audience lit for much of the action. As a production in the round this can feel vulnerable at times, but that’s the point. This intention is not to make you comfortable, but rather to challenge.

A bare-bones set and costume design allows the actors to shine all the more too, and it’s refreshing to see a show that is stripped back to the basics. Live music helps maintain ties to the medieval roots of the mystery plays. Frere is adept at both guitar and ukulele, and even encourages a little sing-song!

Expect an emotional rollercoaster. There’s audience participation, laugh out loud moments, then a raw vulnerability that hits likes a gut punch. Whilst Fo’s satire may not be for everyone, Mistero Buffo is funny, thought-provoking, hard-hitting and perhaps more relevant than ever.

The production runs until Saturday 4th July. Find out more and book your tickets at www.ridinglights.org/misterobuffo

Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.

Kool Story Bro, Grand Opera House York, May 2026

Medieval chickens, the curse of Tim Henman, chairs in compromising positions…just a few of the improvised sketches in last night’s Kool Story Bro

Kiell Smith-Bynoe – of shows like Ghosts, Taskmaster and Stath Lets Flats – hosts a troupe of comedy improvisers on this national tour. Taking anecdotes from the audience, the team spin these into skits and often go off on surreal tangents.

Each show promises a different celebrity guest, often featuring comedians from Taskmaster, sitcoms and panel shows. Ours was Farrel Hegarty from Coronation Street and TikTok who, for us, didn’t quite match previous billings of well-known comedians and performers like Amy Gledhill, Lily Allen and Adam Buxton. If you’re a Corrie fan though, it might be different.

For a show that relies on audience stories, the team had some challenging material to work with. Stories offered up at this performance often didn’t make sense, or didn’t have enough going for them to riff off.

The performers sometimes stood confused and had to ask lots of questions to eke out any comedy potential. At times, instructions from the improvisers and Hegarty were a little unclear, especially to those new to the concept or who hadn’t been before.

A single microphone was slow to be brought to audience members, which slowed the pace and led to shouting and the company struggling to hear or understand. They did eventually find the magic though – even with so little to play with – and were all skilled with accents, physical comedy and of course improv.

Rude? Of course! Plenty of smut and adult language, but that’s to be expected at a show like this – and it’s the sort of material that does get easy laughs. And there were laughs aplenty, with highlights including Tim Henman’s strong backhand killing people with one touch – from a true story of him saving a choking man’s life then shrugging it off.

The final sequence had clever call-backs to early stories, and wrapped things up as The Worst Story Ever Told – another dig at the poor selection of stories from the audience.

Whilst ‘yes let’s’ is key in improvisation (agreeing to offers) it felt that if the performers weren’t happy with initial stories, they could’ve asked for more suggestions and then picked from the best. However, they tended to run with the early offers or quickly dismiss others – with mixed results.

That being said, it was a fun evening, and there’s no doubting the skills, timing and performance ability of Kiell and his motley bunch. And of course each show is guaranteed to be different, so you never know what to expect or which way it will pan out.

Unpredictable, unscripted and worth a shot if you like improv.

Kool Story Bro continues a UK tour, details can be found at www.koolstorybro.co.uk

Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.

Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert, York Barbican, May 2026

I’ll come right out and say it, Labyrinth is one of my all-time favourite films. The old adage is true, ‘they don’t make ’em like they used to!’ and this cult classic stands the test of time. After 40 years, the hit film is touring with a live band to welcome diehard fans and those new to the magic of Jim Henson…

In an age of lazy AI, it’s refreshing to see all creature effects done solely through puppetry – courtesy of the Jim Henson team. There are practical effects throughout too, and even Jareth’s glass ball tricks were delivered by (hidden) juggling master Michael Moschen. There’s clearly still a lot of love for the 1986 film – the venue was packed, and many fans had dressed up in some of the more memorable film costumes.

The plot follows fantasy fan Sarah (Jennifer Connelley) who accidentally banishes her baby brother to the goblin city, ruled over by Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie). Jareth offers her the chance to rescue said brother, by completing his labyrinthian maze of twists, turns and traps. Along the way we meet the loveable Ludo, loyal Sir Didymus and the surly Hoggle, plus a whole host of goblins…

The score of the film is delivered live by a talented band who appear on stage for the duration. It isn’t only the songs that receive musical accompaniment, but also much of the underscoring and incidental music – there’s very little time the band aren’t playing. A gong takes centre stage, and other instruments include keys, guitar, electric guitar, bass, saxophone and drums.

A smart lighting design also adds to the magic, with flashes of lightning as Jareth appears on a stormy night, a fiery glow during the song Chilly Down with the Fierys and swirling projections during the dreamy masked ball sequence.

The Barbican is an ideal venue for this film/concert hybrid. Although large, there isn’t a bad view in the house and the seating is tiered so that everyone can see. Sound was crystal clear, and the image quality on the huge HD screen was sharp.

But does it work? Yes and no. The evening opened with the conductor encouraging participation by singing along, shouting and cheering. From the opening scene it was clear that the film would be subtitled, perhaps to help those hard of hearing. However, subtitles throughout became distracting at times, and I’d have been reaching for the remote to turn them off at home…

During the songs though, there weren’t any lyrics onscreen at, almost as if to discourage singing along. This led to people trying to sing, but not always knowing the words, and not sure whether they could – or should – be joining in.

This not-quite-cinema not-quite-concert vibe is jarring at times, and leads to some confusion of what exactly the experience is trying to be. If we compare for example The Rocky Horror Singalong experience, there is an audience participation script with clear cues of when to join in, and a bag of props to use at key moments.

This reviewer feels Labyrinth: In Concert could’ve been pitched as either fully interactive, or not all, rather than some shaky ground between. An interval feels superfluous in a short film too.

The experience commands a high price tag, with tickets ranging from £45 to £80. A merch stand in the foyer also saw t-shirts at £25 and hoodies at £50. This isn’t a cheap night out, but if you’re a fan of the iconic film it’s certainly a treat to see it on the big screen, and with live music.

If you do book, we recommend staying through the credits. The band continue to play an excellent medley of songs, but many audience members were up and out sharpish, as if it was a mere cinema trip. Others were up (Magic) Dancing in the aisles, but many left before the band had chance to take a Bow-ie.

Film

Experience

Labyrinth: In Concert is touring the UK, before continuing a global tour in Canada and the USA.

Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.

Friends the Musical Parody, Grand Opera House York, September 2025

As fans of the hit nineties TV series, we were excited – and more than a little intrigued – to see how it would translate into a musical stage show. Friends the Musical Parody has appeared in Las Vegas and New York and now visits…Old(e) York!

All the fan favourites are here, and each of the main cast of six offer a caricatured take on their roles. All are strong singers and dancers, and manage to successfully portray the Friends we know and love. Don’t except perfect lookalikes – or even soundalikes – but it’s the mannerisms that fill the boots best.

Perhaps the strongest tribute act is Eva Hope as Rachel Green; Hope could in fact be mistaken for a young Aniston. She plays her with a real heartfelt warmth, and compliments on-off love interest Ross Geller (Enzo Benvenuti) well. Benvenuti exaggerates every Gellerism, and openly admits that Ross is the character everyone loves to hate. Alicia Belgrade personifies the slightly neurotic Monica Geller, and has powerful vocals too.

Ronnie Burden certainly isn’t a burden to this show. He plays ‘hot but dumb’ Joey Tribbiani, and milks every swagger and “How you doin’?”. Amelia Atherton’s Phoebe is suitably ditzy and kooky, and she really pushes into the more bizarre quirks of the character. My only criticism is that she seems like a sidekick here to the rest of the gang, but as a creative choice rather than by ability.

Daniel Parkinson is a real crowd-pleaser as Chandler Bing, and nails every mannerism and sarcastic comeback. The seventh cast member is Edward Leigh who adopts a variety of roles throughout. A highlight is his Gunther, who desperately wants to be part of the gang. No spoilers but look out for Janice too…a firm audience favourite!

The production is full of toe-tapping new musical numbers, often linked to famous catchphrases such as ‘pivot’ and ‘we were on a break’. Presumably for copyright reasons though, many of the most iconic lines have been changed. Odd words are substituted here and there – such as Smelly Mom instead of Smelly Cat – and the tune of said song is all wrong. It feels that the die-hard Friends fans who love the source material would want, and expect, the original unaltered lines and songs.

Nothing is off-limits in this production, with digs at 90’s fashion, Monica’s endless list of ex-boyfriends, and even Jennifer Anniston’s real life love woes. Oh and it’s definitely not a family show – expect lots of sex references and the song Two Girls, One Condom.

Andrew Exeter’s set is a masterpiece. Beginning as the back of a TV studio set, each section turns to reveal a well-known room or location. The set is effortlessly moved around constantly by the hardworking crew, which adds a nice fluidity. There are no blackouts or scene changes, so the action comes thick and fast. Many iconic costumes and props appear too, to the delight of fans.

Highlights? Gunther is an unexpected hit. His paradox of limited dialogue is funny, and his Disneyesque solo Part of their Gang was my favourite. The energy and delivery throughout is commendable, and there are some real laugh-out loud moments.

Unfortunately sometimes the parody goes too far and feels too cutting. For a show that will inevitably draw true fans of the series, the production often mocks the source material to the point that it feels uncomfortable – as if the audience are being insulted for ever enjoying the show. Yes Friends perhaps hasn’t aged well, but it still has that nostalgia factor and is loved by many. Jokes about things like Matthew Perry’s fluctuating weight seem harsh too, with the actor having had a serious drugs and alcohol problem. These jibes don’t generate many laughs either, and feel out of place.

Pacing varies, and the first act is stronger – with the second half feeling more surreal and less polished. A technical issue also stopped the production for at least ten minutes, which is unfortunate and didn’t help with the flow.

This is a tricky show to sum up, but if you’re a fan there will be things here to appreciate. It’s unlike anything we expected and doesn’t always hit the mark, but is enjoyable overall and builds to a fun and Friendly finale.

Friends the Musical Parody runs at Grand Opera House York until October 4th. Book your tickets at https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/friends-the-musical-parody/grand-opera-house-york/

Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.