Review: Moominvalley in November (Upstairs at the Gatehouse)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tove Jansson’s Moomin characters have become so ubiquitous than ever those of us not well-versed in their expansive world can easily picture the adorable moomintrolls on cue. Many, then, would be surprised by Jansson’s final book in the original series, Moominvalley in November, which takes place within the titular valley and, indeed, in and around the Moomin family homestead, but does not include any direct appearance from the characters. A meditative last entry believed to have reflected difficult emotional transitions for Jansson, the book still has enough whimsy that Hans Jacob Hoeglund has crafted a new musical around the story, with a suitably autumnal debut Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

Each for their own reasons, six strangers have made their way to Moominvalley to the home of Moominpappa, Moominmamma, and little Moomintroll. Arriving to find a dust-coated house and no sign of the family, the six decide to wait until their return, testing one another’s patience as they come to understand their new companions’ various eccentricities. Autumn is coming rapidly to an end, and with the approach of winter each of these characters has faced a change within themselves – a change they had hoped to call on that faithful family to help them through, but which they have been left to stumble through on their own.

The whimsy and humour of Jansson’s books is recreated superbly by Hoeglund, with the simply-drawn but emotionally-rich characters easy to connect with and with many eccentricities to explore. With only two hours, interval included, in the groups company, Hoeglund allows each character room to breathe and a natural, emotionally rewarding arch to explore. While hardly essential, some knowledge of the Moominverse may be advisable before going in, not to understand the plot but to enrich it – a point around orphaned Toft utilising a magical ornament to track the Moomin family, for instance, may have been less out of place in the fanciful but largely naturalistic story, had I been more familiar with the series beforehand.

An immediate standout of Moominvalley in November is its set, designed alongside expressive costumes by Lu Herbert. Alongside Herbert’s bright, evocative staging is a team of scenic artists: Theo Wyatt, Christina Angus, Christa Yapshinyee, Grace Rumsey, and Amelia O’Toole. Where Herbert’s miniature Moominhouse stands surrounded by trees and with enlarged windows to allow a simple revolve to act as a magnificent entry into the homestead, these artists have perfectly captured the illustrated delights that have long been the franchise’s signature. Herbert’s bridge, also scaled down to suggest the winningly twee nature of the valley, becomes all the more effective for the much-discussed stream running beneath it, painted along the leaf-strewn artistry that makes up the stage floor. From the moment the audience enters the space, they are entrenched in an illustrated and elegant world of whimsy, and more than ready to accept a world in which six actors are actually six absurd creatures searching high and low for their moomintroll friends.

This artistic and carefully-measured simplicity allows the performers to lean into their character’s most eccentric moments, and provides a shorthand so that we understand that they are not, necessary, people as we might know them. Jane Quinn, as retired neat-freak Fillyjonk, does a fine job of this cartoonish but heartfelt approach, her moods swung wide and her expressive face almost Whovillian in her red-lipped, deliriously cheerful smile. Well-matched to Fillyjonk’s initial abrasiveness is Mymble, brought to life with a child-like airiness but a distinctly knowing quality by Abigail Yeo, who excels in the mischevious fun of misleading others, while also growing to truly care for these new friends.

Amanda Noar’s direction keeps the careful balance of wonderment and woeful realities running throughout, the performers never guided too close to ecstatic bliss nor to full-scale anguish. Noar uses Herbert’s set in playful ways, keeping the world of the valley and of Moominhouse alive without the need for constantly-passed-around props or declarations of what has been found – by the time the cast enter, we are already enchanted by Moominhouse, its nearby bridge, it’s colourful windows and the nearby stream, and so Noar simply allows this existing involvement to continue, allowing us to find our own way into this world rather than being deliberately pushed into it. With Chris McDonnell's soft, atmospheric lighting inviting us further into the world of Moominvalley, we certainly don't need more incentive.

Hemulen and Snufkin, played by Stuart Simons and Matthew Heywood respectively, are both charming performers but, perhaps because of my lack of Moomin knowledge, their characters remained largely mysterious to me. Charming, eminently likable, a joy to spend two hours in the company of, but unclear in their intentions more so than the other houseguests. Martin Callaghan is huffy and heartaching in his role as Grandpa Grumble, who awoke one morning to find he had forgotten his own name – more to the point, he’s glad to be without it and rather simply be as he is. Callaghan’s gruffness and Grumble’s desperation to connect with the Moominvalley of his use go beautifully together, and his is the performance scoring the most consistent laughter, and later that introduces the most profound sadness into the piece.

The cast all succeed in selling the key facets of each character, and the emotions beneath the surface that allow us to truly warm to them. With Grumble, there’s Callaghan’s ability to hold a careful huffiness over top of a genuine want for what has been lost, while Quinn does well to imbue Fillyjonk’s attempts at copying Moominmamma’s behaviours with a genuine sense of yearning, of needing to be liked. Orphaned Toft, arriving in Moominvalley with the hope of a newfound family, is the emotional centre of the show, in the capable hands of Izzie Winter. Winter showcases a clear, expressive voice, the first and last we hear on Hoeglund’s score, and the sense of childlike wonderment and coming-of-age realisation that they bring to the role is continually powerful, culminating in a hopeful and exhilarating final number.

Accompanied by simple, playful choreography by director Noar, Hoeglund’s music is captivating from the offset, not quite sounding like anything else while still carrying a warm, familiar quality. The lyrics match his script’s story-book quality, and the unified effect is aided by Hoeglund and musical director Manuel Gageiro’s seamless transitions from scene to song and back again. In the first act in particular, it's almost as if the company never truly end a number, but are always in-between verses of one sprawling, endlessly-entertaining song and dance. The cast match this energy with strong voices enhanced by expressive, characterful choices in their deliveries. Also wonderful are the band, onstage among the trees as if part of the action, made up of Gageiro (keys), Hugo Maughan (reeds), Jonny Mayers (bass, both electric and double), and Karoline Przasnyska (violin and viola).

On paper, Moominvalley in November seems set up for a hard battle – an adaptation of the one Moomin book in which the titular trolls never appear, adapted as a charming, cuteness-forward musical despite its reputation as having been fuelled by and evocative of tremendous grief. But it’s a battle Hoeglund was right to take on, and one he has undoubtedly won. Moominvalley in November is a totally individual, stunningly unique entry into the musical theatre canon, one which neither becomes too heavy in its sorrows for children, nor too wrapped up in tweeness for their parents. Simply put, it’s the kind of warm, hopeful show that perfectly suits Jansson’s distinct and firmly cemented legacy, and while perhaps some knowledge of her work would be helpful, this new musical provides a moving, easily accessible point of entry.

Moominvalley in November plays at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until November 16^th

For tickets and information visit https://upstairsatthegatehouse.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173665742/events/428727913

Photos by Simon Jackson