Royal Shakespeare Company - TT LON - Category Page

Check out the shows playing at Royal Shakespeare Company in London.

Royal Shakespeare Company

London Theatre - What's On - Royal Shakespeare Company

Recommended 6+. No children under the age of 4 will be admitted and every customer must have their own ticket. To make sure everyone enjoys the show, little ones need to be able to sit in their own seat without any assistance.

Matilda The Musical [305] - LON

326661 Matilda the Musical March 2022 cast Team 1 2022 RT

Matilda The Musical

Matilda Poster LON

2906-1634727473-matencore500x500

Note: There has been cast changes since this review!We are rapidly drifting into that peculiarly English time of year when even the sanest of actors and production companies seem to take leave of their senses. Men dress up as women, women dress up as men and well-worn jokes that never ought to have seen the light of day in the first place are resurrected with abandon.Yes, panto season is with us once again. But '<a href="/show/matilda-the-musical">Matilda The Musical</a>', even though it is being aired during this silliest of seasons, isn't really a panto, even if it has some hallmarks of that genre.Based on Roald Dahl's novel 'Matilda' (first published in 1988 and turned into a film directed by Danny DeVito in 1996) the musical was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and has book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. It is the story of an unwanted daughter who turns out to be something of a prodigy. Mr Wormwood is a dodgy second-hand car salesman who rather foolishly sells clapped-out bangers to the Russian Mafia. Mrs Wormwood has a penchant for Latin American dancing and dresses in garish costumes. The Wormwoods dislike their daughter Matilda intensely. They do not understand her interest in books and encourage her to be like her older brother and fall comatose in front of the 'telly'. And Mr Wormwood even goes so far as to refer to Matilda as 'boy' even though she repeatedly corrects him. When Matilda heads off to school she surprises her teacher Miss Honey with her mathematical skills and intelligence. But she falls foul of the child-hating headmistress, the former hammer-thrower Miss Trunchbull.A small army of children tackle the numerous roles, with multiple child actors rotating the parts at different performances - a nightmare I would think for the production staff, having to rehearse so many actors. But a quick glance through the biogs in the programme tells you that many of the small actors in this cast have more experience than a lot of actors get in a lifetime. They've done it all from The Sound of Music through Peter Pan and Oliver!, covering Macbeth along the way. And this wealth of talent and experience shines through all the performances, including those actors making their professional débuts. There's terrific support from the bigger actors too. In particular, Bertie Carvel makes the most of the plumb role of Miss Trunchbull making her a controlled, but incredibly sadistic head who delights in putting children into the 'chokey' cupboard. Melanie La Barrie is a wonderfully mumsy, story-loving librarian, and Paul Kaye is equally well-cast as the pushy, second-hand car dealer.On the occasion I saw the show, Cleo Demetriou took the lead as Matilda. Ms Demetriou is an enormously talented young actor with a charming singing voice to match. She combines in the role intelligent confidence with a certain intellectual aloofness, but finally shows she is just a child who needs a cuddle now and then too.One mum sitting near to me declared the show 'brilliant' and her offspring sat wide-eyed and transfixed throughout as if ET had just landed in person on the stage. In fact, all the children in the audience seemed totally mesmerised even though some of them were barely of school age. Not only that, but many seemed surprisingly clued-in to some of the more adult jokes which are sensibly injected at various points to keep the adults as happy as the smaller members of the audience. However, if my ears served me correctly, there were a couple of lewd comments from Mrs Wormwood which seemed unnecessarily gratuitous given the audience composition.The second half does not quite match up to the first in terms of the humour and tends towards the sentimental even if the final message about there not always being happy endings has much to commend it. So, I would not go quite as far as my neighbour in describing it as 'brilliant', but <a href="/show/matilda-the-musical">Matilda the Musical</a>&nbsp;is nevertheless hugely enjoyable and cracking Christmas fun. <a href="/show/matilda-the-musical">Matilda Tickets</a> are now on sale. &nbsp;"It is the best new British musical since <a href="/show/billy-elliot">Billy Elliot</a>." Charles Spencer for The Telegraph"It's an evening of unadulterated bliss." Lyn Gardner for The Guardian"A beasty baddie and stonking songs" Quentin Letts for The Daily MailExternal links to full reviews from popular press <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/london-shows/8913998/Matilda-Cambridge-Theatre-review.html" target="Top">Telegraph</a> - <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/nov/25/matilda-review" target="Top">Guardian</a>

Matilda The Musical Review

Matilda The Musical is the multi award-winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the beloved book by the incomparable Roald Dahl.

The Cambridge Theatre opened in 1930. The theatre occupies a triangular site on Seven Dials. 

The Cambridge Theatre opened with a production of *Masquerade*, a revue type show by André Charlot. In 1984, the theatre was renamed "the magic castle of Seven Dials" in the hopes of bringing magic shows to the West End — the scheme ended after a year. 

In 1999, the building became part of the Really Useful Group Ltd portfolio of theatres. Andrew Lloyd Webber premiered *The Beautiful Game* in 2000, with musicals including *Chicago* and *Jerry Springer – The Opera*. [*Matilda*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/matilda-the-musical) opened at the Cambridge Theatre in November 2011.

## Cambridge Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels – Stalls, Royal Circle and Grand Circle.

Stalls seating is not affected by the overhang from the Royal Circle.

The Royal Circle is set far back, and with a shallow rake in the seats the audience seated here may feel detached from the action. 

The Grand Circle is steeply raked which offers good sightlines.

## Where is *Matilda The Musical* in London?

*Matilda The Musical* is at the Cambridge Theatre Theatre in London. The Cambridge Theatre is located in Seven Dials. It's close to the Shaftesbury Theatre, the Gillian Lynne Theatre, and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Cambridge Theatre - LON

Cambridge Theatre

Age guidance: 6+. This production is not suitable for children under 4 years of age, including babes in arms. Younger children and babes in arms are welcome at our relaxed performances only.

My Neighbour Totoro - LON

My Neighbour Totoro Header

My Neighbour Totoro

MNT APR22 990x1500

MNT APR22 500x500

The best entrance you’ll see in a theatre this year belongs to the title character in this feverishly anticipated stage version of Studio Ghibli’s 1988 anime film. Behind the curtains, a giant silhouette gradually appears, and when those curtains swing open, we finally see him: a huge shaggy mass, so enormous, so peculiar and so utterly beguiling that the audience breaks into rapturous applause. It’s the moment that we know, behind doubt, that the RSC has got this exactly right: *[My Neighbour Totoro](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/25389-my-neighbour-totoro-tickets)* is going to be a massive hit.

In fact, the production was a record-breaker before it even opened. It’s the fastest-selling ticket in Barbican history – beating the previous holder, Benedict Cumberbatch’s *Hamlet*. The Japanese [Studio Ghibli](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/studio-ghibli-my-neighbour-totoro-on-stage-world-premiere) has a passionate international following thanks to work like the Oscar-winning *Spirited Away*, *Howl’s Moving Castle* and *My Neighbour Totoro*. But could the studio’s very specific aesthetic and tone really be translated to the stage? 

Absolutely. Tom Morton-Smith’s adaptation strikes a perfect balance of honouring Hayao Miyazaki’s creation and seeking a new theatrical language, brilliantly realised in Phelim McDermott’s exquisite production. The 1950s-set story is a fairly simple one: 10-year-old Satsuki and four-year-old Mei move with their father from Tokyo to the countryside, so they can be nearer to their hospitalised mother, who has tuberculosis. There they encounter the extraordinary spirits of the forest, like Totoro. That leaves plenty of room for flights of imagination, and for beautiful detail in the world-building and relationships.

Most effectively, the production keeps us in that child’s-eye view. McDermott plays cleverly with scale: the goat is larger than usual, because it’s being viewed by an alarmed – and petite – Mei. We only hear snippets of adult conversations, particularly about the mother’s health crisis. But we’re fully immersed in that childlike awe at each discovery: the city girls’ pleasure at collecting acorns, watching tomatoes ripen on the vine, seeing a clear moon, and then finding that extra wonder in the sprites. You could interpret it as animism or a modern climate change message, or just a love of nature.

Likewise, the show itself takes great delight in each creative solution to telling this wild and wonderful fairy tale. The black-clad ensemble of skilful puppeteers brings the soot sprites to life by dancing them around on wires, until they fly up into the sky on what looks like a nursery mobile. One side of a bus is whisked on – with the lead performer, holding up the driver, deliberately overshooting it to give the audience a knowing chuckle. They weave between being invisible and visible, filling that liminal space and suggesting that there are ever-present spirits supporting us: an extremely comforting notion right now.

Of course, the most important element here is the puppets representing Totoro and his clan. Designed by Basil Twist, and built by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, they are simply spectacular. Totoro has to be big enough that Mei can clamber onto his belly – and he is. 

He’s also a mad mix of bunny, owl and fuzzy washcloth, with wiggling ears, a rubber tongue in his Muppet-like mouth and a gleaming Cheshire cat grin (Lewis Carroll is a definite comparison point here), who communicates in whale noises and the occasional roar. He’s ancient, unhurried, strange. His smaller pals have waddling chicken feet and googly eyes. And wait until you see the Catbus: lit like a beacon, gambolling on its improbable 12 legs.

Tom Pye’s set also has real wow factor. The family’s home, with distinctive sliding screens, comes apart and reforms in different configurations, in harmony with the giant trees with curling branches that glide into view. The band, who play film composer Joe Hisaishi’s evocative score live, are perched up on wooden platforms, part of the forest. The paddy farmers slide onto the stage, plants in rows attached to their feet like skis. Amidst the greenery, the girls’ dresses are pops of colour, pink and yellow. 

That lead pair are wonderfully played by Ami Okumura Jones, whose perceptive Satsuki lurks somewhere between innocence and adulthood, and Mei Mac, who hilariously embodies the fearless ball of energy that is Mei. Both have convincingly youthful physicality, bouncing up and down on their toes in excitement, pleating the front of their dresses when nervous, or puffing themselves up to look fierce. (Superb movement direction throughout from You-Ri Yamanaka.) There’s lovely support too from Nino Furuhata as local boy Kanta, who gets tongue-tied around girls, and Jacqueline Tate as the kindly Granny.

In fact kindness is all around in a tender piece that prizes generosity, community and patience; even Jessica Hung Han Yun’s ravishing lighting feels like a rush of warmth. The film’s most famous scene is an absolute stunner here: as the girls wait at the bus stop for their father, in the rain, Totoro slowly lumbers up to them. Satsuki lends him an umbrella, and this wise creature is utterly charmed by the sound of the raindrops pinging off his new covering. It’s a reminder to take time to savour our surroundings, and to find joy even in the toughest times. Theatre at its most magical.

*My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican to 21 January 2023. Book tickets to My Neighbour Totoro on London Theatre.*

[![LT - CTA - 250](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1t6HRGmhlYl70k6PmR0mOZ/3caac861bc1d4233cd7844652c925623/LT-CTA-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=25389&content_product_id=25389&venue_id=788)

*Photo credit: The cast of My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican. (Photo by Manuel Harlan)*

'My Neighbour Totoro' review – this Studio Ghibli adaptation is theatre at its most magical

Find your spirit with the return of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi’s “awe-inspiring” (Time Out) and “dazzling” (Guardian) production of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro, in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV. This five-star, Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation, written by Tom Moton-Smith (Oppenheimer) was the most anticipated theatrical event of 2022 and returns to London’s Barbican for a strictly limited 18-week season from 21 November 2023.

After the Barbican site was destroyed by the blitz in World War Two, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the renovated Barbican Centre on 3 Mar. 1982. The Barbican Centre contains a concert hall, two theatres, three cinemas, two art galleries, a public lending library and conversatory.

The Barbican was voted "London's ugliest building" in 2003. But its stand-out architectural design makes it an integral part of London's skyline. The largest venue inside the Barbican Centre is the Barbican Hall. The Barbican Hall seats 1,943 people, followed by the Barbican Theatre which seats 1,156. 

Barbican Theatre - LON

Barbican Centre

Hamnet - LON

348356 Hamnet production photos 2023 2023

Hamnet

Hamnet Poster

When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, Agnes and William, they must each confront their loss alone. 

The Garrick Theatre opened in 1889, and is named after actor David Garrick. When the theatre was built, architects discovered an underground river on the site!

The theatre became associated with comedy in 1982 with a four-year run of the farce *No Sex Please, We’re British*. This was the longest-running show at the Garrick, until J. B. Priestley’s *An Inspector Calls* transferred from the [Aldwych Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/aldwych-theatre) in 1995 and resided for six years.

In recent years, a number of musicals have played here, including *A Little Night Music*, *Chicago*, and *The Scottsboro Boys*. In 2015, [Kenneth Branagh](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/kenneth-branagh) took up residency at the Garrick for a year-long season of plays with his own theatre company. 

## Garrick Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels – Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle. In the Stalls, the view of the top of the stage is slightly obscured by the overhang of the Dress Circle from Row N onwards. 

In the Dress Circle, the view of the stage is not obscured by the overhang of the Upper Circle, but the ceiling can feeel low for those in the last row. The seats are designed in a horseshoe shape around the theatre and the Dress Circle offers good sightlines.

Garrick Theatre - LON

Garrick Theatre

Check out the shows playing at Royal Shakespeare Company. Get tickets to a show at Royal Shakespeare Company today.

Royal Shakespeare Company - Book tickets | TodayTix

Matilda - Media #2

1 Rakesh Boury as Mr Wormwood in the RSC-s Matilda The Musical. Manuel Harlan

Matilda7

Matilda Header

Matilda - Media #3

327482 Matilda the Musical March 2022 cast Team 2 2022 RT

Matilda - Media #4

MAT22 Q1 28 Image Retouch

Matilda 9

336388 Matilda The Musical September 2022 Team 3 2022 RT

Matilda - Media #1

[Media #5] Matilda 305

Matilda 8

336578 Matilda The Musical September 2022 Team 3 2022 RT

Matilda 10

335111 Matilda The Musical September 2022 Orange Team 2022 RT

MNT1

MNT EPK 30sec 16-9

MNT4

MNT2

MNT3

MNT5

Mei (Mei Mac), Tatsuo (Dai Tabuchi) and Puppeteer (Yojiro Ichikawa) driving along in a Tuktuk piled high with belongings

337767

Mei (Mei Mac), Tatsuo (Dai Tabuchi) and Puppeteer (Yojiro Ichikawa)

MNTPRod1

Mei (Mei Mac), Yasuko (Haruka Abe) and Satsuki (Ami Okumura Jones) sitting on a hospital bed

337907

Mei (Mei Mac), Yasuko (Haruka Abe) and Satsuki (Ami Okumura Jones) 

337907 My Neighbour Totoro production photos 2022 set 1 2022 RT

Mei (Mei Mac) and members of the My Neighbour Totoro company 

338517

338517 My Neighbour Totoro production photos 2022 set 2 2022 RT

338140

Hamnet 30 second trailer

Hamnet Compressed

348277 Hamnet production photos 2023 2023

Hamnet3

348217 Hamnet production photos 2023 2023

Hamnet4

348184 Hamnet production photos 2023 2023

Hamnet5

348315 Hamnet production photos 2023 2023

Hamnet1

348178 Hamnet production photos 2023 2023

TT - All Shows - London

From discount theatre tickets for tonight to front-row availability at West End shows next month and beyond, we have a seat for everyone.

Last-minute theatre tickets for London shows

Book last-minute theatre tickets for London Shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.

Last-Minute Theatre Tickets | London & West End Shows | TodayTix

London All Shows

Last-Minute Theatre Tickets | London Shows | West End Shows | TodayTix

London Shows

Explore West End shows, book last minute theatre tickets, and more

Discover London

TodayTix App Home - LON

London All Shows Image

Latest London Insider Posts

London Theatre is the oldest and first site dedicated to West End theatre and Off-West End shows. Catch up on the latest West End news and London theatre reviews, and book London theatre tickets today. 

London Theatre Home Page - London

London Theatre - Musicals, Plays, Drama, and Fringe

The ultimate London Theatre Guide. Book theatre tickets for the top musicals and plays in the West End, together with theatre in London news and show reviews. 

London Theatre Tickets | West End News | LondonTheatre.co.uk

London

Empty Search Results Page (to stop search errors)

Search Results

London Tile Image

London Home Page (TT Home)

Get the best prices on theatre tickets today in New York, London and more. Read reviews. Win exclusive lottery or rush tickets. Download our app.

TodayTix | Theatre Tickets to Musicals, Plays, Broadway, More

London Nav Links [NEW]

More shows

Venues in London

London Home Page (WL)

WL LON Home Newsletter Image

WL UK Nav

Auckland All Shows

Discover Auckland theatre

Discover Auckland

Brisbane Hero Image

Latest Auckland Insider Posts

Auckland

Brisbane Tile Image

Auckland App Home

Auckland Home Page (TT Home)

Get the best prices on theatre tickets today in Auckland, New York, London and more. Read reviews. Win exclusive lottery or rush tickets. Download our app.

Auckland Nav Links

Venues in Auckland

All Shows - Boston

From discount theatre tickets in Boston for tonight to front-row availability at shows next month and beyond, we have a seat for everyone.

Last-minute theatre tickets for Boston shows

Last-Minute Boston Theatre Tickets | Boston Shows | TodayTix

Boston All Shows

Get last-minute theatre tickets for Boston shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.

Boston Shows

Discover Boston theater

Discover Boston

Boston Hero Image

Latest Boston Insider Posts

Boston

Boston Tile Image

Boston App Homes

Boston Home Page (TT Home)

Get the best prices on theater tickets today and this week in Boston, New York and more. Read reviews. Win exclusive lottery or rush tickets. Download our app.

TodayTix | Theater Tickets to Musicals, Plays, Broadway, More

Boston Nav Links [NEW]

Venues in Boston

Boston Home Page (WL) 

Newsletter media

WL BOS Nav

All Shows - Brisbane

Set an alert for last-minute theatre tickets for Brisbane shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our digital lottery and mobile Rush tickets.

All events in Brisbane

Book last-minute theatre tickets for Brisbane shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.

Brisbane Theatre Tickets | Brisbane Shows, Musicals & More | TodayTix

Brisbane All Shows

Brisbane Shows

Discover Brisbane theatre

Discover Brisbane

Latest Brisbane Insider Posts

Brisbane

TodayTix App Home - BNE

Brisbane Home Page (TT Home)

Get the best prices on theatre tickets today in Brisbane, New York, London and more. Win exclusive lottery or rush tickets. Download our app.

Brisbane Nav Links

Venues in Brisbane

All Shows - Chicago

From discount theatre tickets in Chicago for tonight to front-row availability at shows next month and beyond, we have a seat for everyone.

Last-minute theatre tickets for Chicago shows

Get last-minute theatre tickets for Chicago Shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.

Last-Minute Chicago Theatre Tickets | Chicago Shows | TodayTix 

Chicago All Shows

Last-Minute Chicago Theatre Tickets | Chicago Shows | TodayTix

Chicago Shows

Discover Chicago theater

Discover Chicago

Chicago Hero Image

Latest Chicago Insider Posts

Chicago

Chicago Tile Image

Chicago App Home

Chicago (TT Home)

Get the best prices on theater tickets today and this week in New York, London and more. Read reviews. Win exclusive lottery or rush tickets. Download our app.

Chicago Nav Links [NEW]

Venues in Chicago

Chicago Home Page (WL)

WL Chicago Nav

All Shows - Connecticut

From discount theatre tickets in Connecticut for tonight to front-row availability at shows next month and beyond, we have a seat for everyone.

Last-minute theatre tickets for Connecticut shows

Get last-minute theatre tickets for Connecticut Shows at the best prices in Connecticut, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.

Royal Shakespeare Company

Check out the shows playing at Royal Shakespeare Company in London.

Explore popular cities

Resources

Get more TodayTix

Download the app

Follow us