Moominvalley In November
08 November 2025
Upstairs At The Gatehouse
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Moominvalley in November is a brand new musical, currently running at the Upstairs at the Gatehouse until the 16th November. Based on the last book in the Moomin series by Tove Jansson, it’s an interesting story to tackle for a musical.
It’s autumn in Moominvalley. Leaves are falling, rain has settled in. Six strangers arrive, each searching for something. Snufkin is looking for a melody. Fillyjonk longs for order. And Toft wants, more than anything, to meet the Moomins. But the house is empty. The valley is quiet. The Moomins have gone.
For the performance reviewed here, Jane Quinn, playing the role of Fillyjonk, performed the role while seated with an elevated leg due to a recent injury. The endurance of professional performers is absolutely inspirational, pushing through to still bring a fantastic experience to the audience despite injury and resulting inability to dance and swirl across the stage. A big shout-out to Jane Quinn for still performing, lending her gorgeous voice to neurotic Fillyjonk.
The opening number introduces all the characters before the story gets going. And there are a lot of characters to keep track of. There’s Fillyjonk, the neurotic cleaner who finds herself unable to clean and intends to visit Moomin Mama for some peace of mind. Mymble, who is Little My’s big sister. Grandpa Grumble, who is frightfully old and forgets things easily. Snufkin, philosopher and musician in search of a melody, well known from the Moomin stories and picture books. High-spirited Hemulen, who loves rules and telling others what to do. And finally Toft, an orphan child in search of a family. All these colourful characters find their way to Moominvalley to visit the Moomin family, but they find an abandoned house, a missing boat, and no Moomins in sight. Instead, they have to confront their own emotions and find what they seek among each other.
The whimsical stage design seems right out of a Moomin picture book, with a painted backdrop and stage floor, a small wooden bridge, the well known weathered Moomin house in deep blue with colourful windows, and gorgeous painted trees partially hiding the musicians on either side of the house. There is a homey, cosy atmosphere about this stage design, despite the weathering and somewhat abandoned look of the scenery, perfectly setting the mood for the narrative.
Despite so many characters and motivations being explored in the first act, it feels very slow and somewhat confusing. So many opposing motivations make it difficult to discern an actual storyline, the narrative seems to flow between characters in waves and zigzags rather than presenting a clear through-line. And while the music is just as whimsical as the stage, with soft background accompaniment guided by Finnish folky sounds, it is quite samey throughout, leading to a bit of a muddled first act hat doesn’t quite manage to let each character shine and connect in equal measures.
What shines the most throughout the musical is the powerhouse cast that absolutely does each and ever character justice. Absolute standout performances from incredible vocal talents Izzie Winter as Toft and Matthew Heywood as Snufkin bring whimsy and deep emotionality to the stage, while Abigail Yeo’s Mymble is unbearably adorable and energetic. Grandpa Grumble gets an incredibly strong voice through Martin Callaghan, and Stuart Simons infuses Hemulen with excitement and playfulness, all while Jane Quinn inhabits Fillyjonk’s difficult character beautifully. The strong performers are delightfully well cast for each and every role.
The songs are quite expositional for each of the various players on stage, introducing their character traits and outlook on life one by one, adding hints towards their motivations and expectations. Unfortunately the songs don’t quite come together, feeling removed from each other, unable to present a cohesive storyline. Instead, we are presented with a slew of individual characters struggling for the audience’s attention.
This does change in the second act, where everyone comes together to present a more cohesive and compelling narrative that feels like an actual storyline rather than a variety of individual characters vying for attention, though the songs occasionally utilise very clunky rhymes that don’t flow off the tongues easily.
Presenting a bit of a muddled and at times overwhelmed plot that is emphasising individual motivations over a clear storyline, there is still a very solid basis underlying the musical. With some tweaking and tightening up of the first act, Moominvalley in November could become a stunning exploration of grief, loss, and finding community. And with such a strong base material, the further development of the book and music has the potential to grow into a brilliant musical with just a bit more work, smoother rhymes, and a clearer story in the first act.
