Image copyright Jacksons Lane
They love the laughter and they love the living….but do they love Christmas? That’s what I was going to find out as I travelled to Highgate to see “Christmastime comes to Moomin Valley” at Jacksons Lane. It’s a venue I’ve been wanting to go to for a while but have never had a reason to. Plus there’s some Highgate-related trauma from around 2007 that I should probably be over by now. I try to forget some bits of that year.
But I haven’t forgotten what a pretty little station Highgate is. I’m a sucker 1930s Northern Line stations and look! Such lovely tiles!
And Jacksons Lane is also a very handsome looking venue:
Inside it’s all very nicely fitted out and, at the moment, there are Moomin-y details everywhere:
The auditorium is smallish but the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of legroom. I should really have taken Reuben with me to properly test the limits of the legroom tho as that child is all leg. He was tired tho, from being out at the panto the day before and VK was tired from…life so neither of them could be persuaded off the sofa and across to Haringey. I was flying solo to Moominvalley.
VK would have found a friend in the Moomins though, as apparently they sleep straight through from October to Spring. She would enjoy that. In fact, the whole basis of the show is that the Moomins usually sleep through Christmas and so have no idea what it is. They’re terrified at first but slowly come to realise that Christmas is nothing scary. Clearly they haven’t been to one of our family Christmases.
It’s a cast of five extremely hardworking actors, who are acrobats and musicians as well as playing the characters. It starts with the humans dressed as the Woodies, larking about in the snow and showing off some amazing juggling skills. There are some incredible acrobat feats too – one actor (Carys Nicholls) seems to be able to do everything upside down, including singing, which is particularly impressive. Her partner-in-tricks is Julia Chan, who I think also plays Moominmamma…..the core strength the two of them have is amazing. Myles McDonald is the juggling pro, Adam Boyle does a lot of the character work and Xenia Garden both sings and plays the harp. That’s a lot of skill to pack into a small cast.
The circus part with the Woodies at the start is quite lengthy so if you have littlies who are impatient to see the actual Moomins, you might want to pre-warn them. I can see why it’s structured that way though, because the Moomin costumes don’t lend themselves to acrobatics. But worry not – before long, there is indeed Moomin-y action as the Woodies recount the time that Christmas arrived in Moominvalley.
The plot is this – the Moomins are having their winter sleep when The Hemulen arrives at their door to wake them up and make them get ready for Christmas. They stumble sleepily into action, following cryptic prompts from the scooter-riding Fillyjonks, and start decorating a fir tree and finding presents to offer to “Christmas”, whatever that might be. It’s all very gentle and cosy – although there is some peril, it’s very mild and the Moominfamily are determined to face it together. There’s a poignant moment as Moominpappa and Moominmamma snuggle together on the swing, just waiting for Christmas to arrive, and it is very reminiscent of the classic Moomin illustrations. This is pure comfort fodder and the gentle soundtrack complements the soothing feel of the whole piece. The songs that are played on the harp are particularly beautiful.
The actors switch characters with lightning speed – they change in and out of the Moomin costumes and reappear to play the Woodies and the other characters. The Moomin heads are very adorable, with eyes that slowly blink and somehow manage to express a range of emotions, despite only having one moving part. In contrast to the energetic Woodies, the Moomins move slowly and cautiously and it’s kudos to the cast that there is such distinctive characterisation throughout.
The show isn’t complex in terms of plot but it is wondrous – we feel the cautious joy of the Moominfamily as they create offerings of shells and blueberry pie for the Christmas beast. We see the togetherness as they resume their sleep at the end of the story. And there are circus tricks scattered throughout, which will keep even the tiniest audience members enthralled. It’s a great introduction to the world of Tove Jansson for new fans but long-term Moomin devotees will find plenty to enjoy here as well. Many of us choirsters may remember a dear friend who was obsessed with Moomins and I think she would have loved this show. To me, there’s no greater endorsement than that.
So if you’re looking for a piece of comforting Christmassy magic, head to Jacksons Lane this December. It’s a short piece of theatre but it manages to be both awe-inspiring and sweetly poignant. It’s a perfect Christmas treat.
“Christmas Comes to Moominvalley” is on at Jacksons Lane until 4th January. For tickets and more info, click here.
Disclaimer: I received tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own
