It may be too soon to talk about Christmas, but a Highgate arts centre is looking forward to a spot of Moomin winter madness with a festive show featuring the loveable trolls.
Christmas Comes to Moominvalley plays at Jacksons Lane from December 7th and has been commissioned by Moomin Characters as part of the books' 80th anniversary celebrations.
The festive production follows the puzzled Moomins, woken from their winter sleep, to discover that something called Christmas is coming but they don't know what it is!
Jacksons Lane artistic director Adrian Berry said they were "delighted" to be approached by Moomin Characters and commissioned for the 80th anniversary of "Tove Jansson’s beloved books".
"This will be the first ever circus adaptation of a Moomins tale, and what better time than at Christmas. We love the values and the humour of the Moomins, as well as Finnish culture, and can’t wait to bring our own adaptation with a hugely talented cast to Highgate."
The show has been adapted and directed by Kaveh Rahnama who will weave elements of circus, live music, acrobatics, object manipulation, and puppetry into the magical storytelling.
Rahnama is the founder of Nearly There Yet, a specialist circus touring company with credits including The Party, The Flying Bazazi Brothers, Memory Man and Pinocchio.
Jacksons Lane hopes that audiences of 3-103 will be captivated by the lovable Moomintroll, his parents, Moominmamma and Moominpappa and their friends who demonstrate their values of tolerance, kindness and integrity, as they prepare for their first Christmas - helping us all understand what the festive season is really all about.
In the run up to the world premiere, the theatre has joined forces with The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland to screen the 2020 biopic about Moomins creator Tove Jansson in October.
TOVE is set in 1940s Helsinki and explores the artist and writer's turbulent search for identity, love and freedom - including bisexual affairs, artistic struggles and how her doodles of hippo-like trolls on scraps of paper came to worldwide fame.
The first of her nine books, and four picture books was published in 1954 and they have gone on to be translated into more than 60 languages.
CHRISTMAS COMES TO MOOMINVALLEY runs at Jacksons Lane Theatre in Archway Road from 7th December - 5th January 2025. jacksonslane.org.uk or call 020 8340 5226.
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