Meet the cast of My Neighbour Totoro
Published on 28 April 2026
Summary
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My Neighbour Totoro features a large cast full of puppeteers who portray the well-loved anime characters and wind spirits known as Kazego.
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Victoria Chen plays Mei, the youngest sister who discovers Totoro.
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Helen Chong plays Satsuki, the older sister in the show.
RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro returns after a record-breaking run at the Barbican. Enjoy this coming of age tale, celebrating childlike wonder and imagination, following the journey of two sisters into the countryside.
Who plays Totoro in My Neighbour Totoro?
Rather than being played by a single actor, Totoro is brought to life by a team of skilled puppeteers, using extraordinary puppets designed by award-winning puppeteer Basil Twist and created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, with additional puppetry work by Mervyn Millar of Significant Object.
Puppeteers of the Totoro puppets include Eero Chen Liu, Gun Suen and Sango Tajima.
Who plays Mei in My Neighbour Totoro?
Victoria Chen plays Mei. Her credits include Aladdin (Perth Theatre), The Night Before Christmas (Polka Theatre) and As You Like It (Orange Tree).
Who plays Satsuki in My Neighbour Totoro?
Helen Chong Jones plays Satsuki. Some of her previous credits include The Dumping Ground (BBC Tracey Beaker spin off), Gerry and Sewell (Aldwych Theatre) and Hundred Feet Tall (The Old Vic).
Who plays Tatsuo in My Neighbour Totoro?
Dai Tabuchi plays Tatsuo. His credits include Usagi Yojimbo (Southwark Playhouse), The Crown (Netflix), Good Omens (Amazon) and voice work for Hanzo in Chuggington (CBeebies).
Who plays Granny Ogaki in My Neighbour Totoro?
Jacqueline Tate plays Granny. Her previous credits include Murder on the Orient Express (Chichester Festival Theatre), Avenue Q (UK Tour/Lyric Hong Kong) and Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s).
Who plays Kaze No Koe in My Neighbour Totoro?
Ai Ninomiya plays Kaze No Koe. She is also the vocalist behind the bewitching tracks. Her previous credits include Les Misérables (Japan tour) and CHESS the Musical (Japan tour).
Who plays the Kazego in My Neighbour Totoro?
The ‘Kazego’ are the wind spirits of the cast, who are specialised puppetry ensemble members. A lot of the cast also double up as the Kazego, adding to the magic of performance.
Cast members include Karen Barredo, Melisa Camba, Rachel Clare Chan, Jeffrey Chekai, Victoria Chen (also Mei), Helen Chong (also Satsuki), Chui Yen, Phyllis Ho (also Yasuko), Victor Itang, Gabriel S. Janoras, Natsumi Kuroda (also Tsukiko), Kumiko Mendl (also Nurse Emiko), Yui Minari, Michelle Miners, Steven Nguyen (also Kanta), Richard P. Peralta, Si Rawlinson (also movement captain), Dai Tabuchi (also Tatsuo), Jacqueline Tate (also Granny Ogaki) and Jamie Zubairi (also Hiroshi)
Swings include Ronnie Lee, Wenhsin Lee, Amber Lin, Sera Maehara and Bai Zhijin.
Book your tickets to the whimsical coming-of-age tale at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, here.
