Spirited Away – The London Coliseum

Based on the Film by Hayao Miyazaki

Adaptor and Director: John Caird

Co-Adaptor: Maoko Imai

We in the UK typically parcel fairytales and legend into pantomime, gushy musicals, or the occasional dark twist on a Grimm classic, but the artistry of Japan’s Kabuki theatre has retained an elegance and reverence for timeless storytelling that has evolved and weaves theatricality into their cinema. But what about the reverse?

Following the RSC’s rousing success in capturing the effusive charm of Studio Ghibli’s other favoured film, My Neighbour Totoro, John Caird and Maoko Imai present this European production of the 2022 stage show of Ghibli’s magnum opus film, the Academy Award-WinningSpirited Away,at the London Coliseum through to August, performed in Japanese (with English surtitles) featuring a majority of the magnificent original cast.

For those familiar with the Ghibli film, all the various nodules of ingenuity and bursts of innovative life are present, potentially tricky to communicate, but in this adaptation, almost tranquil and accomplished with deft. A young girl, Chihiro (Kanna Hashimoto), moves across the country, sombre to the idea of leaving friends behind. Stopping briefly, lost, and wandering through a tunnel and into an enormous town laden with food, smells, and lights, but seemingly no people, Chihiro’s parents succumb to gluttony (and given the steaming, glistening foods on stage, one can hardly blame them) and are transformed into pigs, thanks to Sachiko Nakahara’s stand-out costume and Toby Olié’s enchanted puppetry.

Desperate to survive in this spirit world and reclaim her parents’ humanity, Chihiro discovers that even here, the necessity for employment dictates all. In this world, the only position she can get is within the Bath House for the gods, run by the conniving witch Yubaba. Deserving their summoning of tonight’s standing ovation, from cackle to conjuring, Romi Park’s witchy Yubaba secures the mysticism and grandeur of what many expected this show to be with a commanding presence, tiptoeing the line of loveable antagonism. They’re every bit the counter-point to Hashimoto’s beautifully emotional Chihiro: a role that connects deeply. When Chihiro hurts, we wince. When she succeeds, we clench victoriously.

Elaborate Kabuki puppetry and design invoke a realm of soaring River Gods, jittering Soot Balls, and the enormity of the witch Yubaba’s angrier, more volatile form. Mystery and enchantment rest behind every corner and are revealed on Jon Bausor’s stage. Spirited Away layers itself constantly as the Bath House roof lofts itself into the rafters, spins, extends and throws open the sliding doors to emerge with a surprise. What Caird and the team do every thirty minutes is often more than most shows achieve over their entire run.

Everything in Spirited Awayhas a form and intention. Its exaggerations of emotion and dynamically over-wrought performances all swirl into enhancing additional elements: Kotaro Daigo’s stoic and refined Haku is fluid and ethereal in the gorgeous movements of Shigehiro Ide’s choreography, lending itself to large ensemble pieces incorporating fan work and enormous percussive elements to deliver a scale of performance in contrast to the show’s smaller intimate moments like Chihiro and No-Face’s solitary train ride, complemented with Jiro Katsushiba’s metamorphic lighting. Using this movement as the principal method of communicating with the audience, dancer Hikaru Yamano poises the ominous No-Face (Kaonashi, a ravenous spirit) with an uncanniness which steps them just outside the realms of the familiar – a creature recognisable but shifting in ways we could never.

While it is a lot for audiences to take in, Caird’s adaptation remains significantly unaltered. Why mess with perfection: some could argue. The film is held in that regard. But it’s one indulgent meal too many. Small instances adapt to the stage in weaker ways, some of the animated movements look out of place, while rushed character introductions certainly stand out more, even with the whimsy and sheer dedication of an exceptional cast.

There’s a place for everyone here – even those feeling an emptiness, something the bookended opening and finale remark upon touchingly. A legendary journey, Spirited Away honours the cinematic masterpiece by traversing the root of Japan’s theatrical legacy and influence with spectacular puppetry, dance, and Joe Hisaishi’s awe-inspiring musical score: one of (if not the) production’s finest assets. Spirited Away is most potently tasteful when capturing the poetry and symphonic soul of the story with a limitless revering spectacle.

Runs until 24 August 2024