Theatre Review: My Neighbour Totoro

You might wonder why I'm posting about a stage show on a blog about toy trains'n'stuff. Well, this visit was inspired by something I spotted on an N gauge layout. Chatting to the owner, it turns out that this is a CatBus, from the 1988 film, "My Neighbour Totoro". Obviously this fascinates me, and I spend time I should be working falling down the CatBus rabbit hole on the internet. Fairly quickly, I find that there is a stage show put on by none other than the RSC. At this point, I decide to stop messing around, buy a ticket, and get back to work. Last week, I trotted off to London to the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which is in Parker Street, a good sign. Finding my seat, quite high up, but with an excellent view, I awaited the show. There is quite a lot online about it, but I'd tried to avoid reading too much. The story is a bit limited, but that's not what we are here for. The staging is amazing. I'd go so far as to say the whole thing is magical. Much of the work is done with puppets.…