TOKYO: Studio Ghibli's classic animation film "My Neighbor Totoro" will be adapted into a stage play at Britain's prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company from October, Nippon Television Network Corp, one of the collaborators, said on Wednesday.
The 1988 film directed by Oscar-winning Japanese anime creator Hayao Miyazaki will be turned into a live production under British playwright Tom Morton-Smith and director Phelim McDermott, with famed Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi providing the music.
The stage adaptation would be the first of its kind for "My Neighbor Totoro," which will premiere on Oct 8 at London's Barbican Centre and run until Jan 21.
The film follows the coming-of-age story of two young sisters, Satsuki and Mei, and their adventures in befriending magical forest creatures after the girls move to the countryside. Totoro, the film's titular character, has become a cult icon after the movie premiered in Japan and later became a global hit.
In a statement issued with the announcement of the co-production of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Nippon Television Network, Hisaishi said he believes the film delivers a universal message.
"It will reach a global audience, even if the stage play is performed in a different language by people who grew up in an entirely different culture," said Hisaishi, who also acts as executive producer.
The composer, who provided the music for the film, proposed the idea of a stage play to Miyazaki and obtained his consent.
Improbable, a British theater company where McDermott is its co-founder and co-artistic director, will also be involved in the production.
