CHRISTMAS COMES TO MOOMIN VALLEY Comes to Jacksons Lane in December

A new stage adaptation of Christmas Comes to Moominvalley will receive its world première at the recently refurbished north London arts venue, Jacksons Lane, this Christmas.

 

Featuring acrobatics and juggling, this will be the first time that a Moomin show has been created using contemporary circus. This enchanting new adaptation of Tove Jansson's classic tale, The Fir Tree, has been commissioned especially for the 80th anniversary of the global phenomenon The Moomins and as part of Jacksons Lane's 50th birthday programme.

 

Jacksons Lane has been the UK's leading venue for presenting Finnish work for over a decade and this new production is adapted and directed by Kaveh Rahnama.

 

Christmas Comes to Moominvalley opens at Jacksons Lane on 7 December 2024, with a preview performance on 6 December and press night on 13 December, and runs until 5 January 2025. Full casting is to be announced.

 

Roleff Kråkström, Managing Director at Moomin Characters, commented, “Moomin Characters is always thinking about new and creative ways to showcase the Moomin stories, and we are very excited to see Tove's stories come to life via the medium of circus to kick off our Moomin 80 celebrations in the UK. It is especially fitting as the Moomins first encounter with the circus happened in Tove's long running Moomin comic strip for the London Evening News, which featured the story of Moomintroll developing a crush on a visiting circus performer called Miss Lagoona.”

 

Jacksons Lane Artistic Director, Adrian Berry, said today, “As the UK's creative hub of circus arts, we are delighted that our friends at Moomin Characters came on board with the idea of a Moomin circus show for Christmas as part of our 50th birthday programme. Our creative team will use breathtaking circus, stunning imagery and music to craft a unique show which will enhance the wonder of the Moomins story. We look forward to welcoming you through our doors this Christmas for an unforgettable experience.”

 

The Moomins are woken up from their winter sleep to be told that 'Christmas' is coming. The only trouble is, the puzzled Moomins have no idea who, or what 'Christmas' is . . .

 

Audiences of all ages will be captivated by the lovable Moomintroll, his parents, Moominmamma and Moominpappa and all their friends. The Moomin family demonstrate their special values of tolerance, kindness and integrity, as they prepare for their first Christmas - helping us understand what the festive season is really all about.

 

Christmas Comes to Moominvalley is a Jacksons Lane production, commissioned by Moomin Characters in partnership with The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland for The Moomins 80th anniversary and as part of Jacksons Lane's 50th birthday programme.

 

Tove Jansson is a Finnish artist and writer-illustrator of both children's books and adult fiction. She is the creator of the fantastic world of Moomins. Her books have been translated into more than 60 languages and have gained a worldwide audience.

 

Kaveh Rahnama is a director. He is the founder of Nearly There Yet, a touring company which specialises in circus work which it tours extensively across the UK. His credits include The Party, The Flying Bazazi Brothers, Memory Man and Pinocchio. He has worked with some of the leading names in UK contemporary circus as well as directing work for The Roundhouse and The National Centre for Circus Arts.

 

Alison Alexander is a designer, maker and puppeteer. She was an apprentice to Lyndie Wright at Little Angel Theatre and has worked with many theatre companies including Kneehigh, Shakespeare's Globe, Goblin Theatre, Theatre Rites and Monstro Theatre.

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