My Neighbour Totoro breaks Barbican box office record

Following yesterday's opening of public booking, the hotly anticipated stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli's animated film smashed the record for ticket sales in one day, previously held by the 2015 Benedict Cumberbatch-led production of Hamlet.

Head of theatre and dance at the Barbican, Toni Racklin, commented: "We're absolutely blown away by the response from the public to tickets going on general sale for the RSC's stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro yesterday. We knew that this ambitious international collaboration would be an exciting prospect, and for so many tickets to be sold in one day is truly tremendous. We can't wait to present this stunning show in our theatre this autumn to audiences so obviously keen to be part of the Studio Ghibli phenomenon."

The 1988 animated feature, penned by Hayao Miyazaki, follows the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei as they move to the countryside and encounter magical creatures. It was first shown on the big screen in the UK in 2001, at the Barbican Cinema.

The stage production will blend music, puppetry and storytelling to bring Miyazaki's tale to life, with Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer) adapting the book.

Joe Hisaishi's beloved score will be performed live in the show, which also has new orchestrations by Will Stuart.

Watch a video explaining more about the show below: