I went to see Moomins on stage in Manchester!
Expectations
I am a HUGE Moomin fan and was so excited to see it, though I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I've seen the animated shorts (the new films and the older stop-motion creations)
Tove Jansson worked on a theatre production with her Moomins but it wasn't received well by the press… would this be the same? Would it live up to the legend of Moomin?
The audience was mostly young children but also some older individuals too (original fans).
I guess I was expecting people dressed up in furry costumes? Maybe screens with animations.
We were running late because the tram got stuck so we had to run to the theatre to catch it starting!
The Puppets
Pleasantly surprised by the puppets! Should they be called puppets?
Since they were so big the actors could only control the head and one arm at a time so it did look bit odd when Moominmamma would clean with one arm but the rest of her limbs would be completely still.
The puppet for Little My was much more loose in its movements, so when the actor made her run, all of her limbs would wobble and give the impression of running too. This worked really well and suited Little My's personality - mischievous and energetic. If the other Moomins had been made in the same way, it wouldn't suit the character's movements - Moomins are slower than Little My.
They also had mini versions of all the cast which they used for scenes where bigger stunts were performed, like Moomintroll falling from a ski slope. This wouldn't be possible to perform with the larger puppets.
I wonder where the puppets go once they've finished with them? What are they made from? Light enough to control by one performer so don't think they could be wooden at that scale!
I FOUND THE BLOG OF THE LADY WHO MAKES THE PUPPETS!
http://alisonduddle.blogspot.co.uk
ALISON DUDDLE
'these puppets will be around 4ft tall in total, so I'm very keen to see how they look when all the parts are put together - and, more importantly, how practical they are for puppeteering. Its going to be important to keep the weight down as much as possible, so the heads and bodies are paper mache, but I think the limbs will be wooden - I'll just have to hollow them out as much as possible.'
Stage Design
Snow - appropriate to the story and to Tove Jansson's original context and adds an impression of temperature and season to the show.
The backdrops used lines and shapes from Tove's original drawings, tying in her authorship to the show.
Voices & Acting
Actors wearing black, including black hats. You could still see them- their faces and their limbs were not disguised, only made neutral to the background so that the puppets were the focus. It's so clever that this trick makes you look at the puppets and forget about the actors.
Little My's actor was Scottish which I didn't think would work. She's Finnish!!! But it worked really well and she sounded both cute and aggressive.
Moomintroll's voice was a bit odd - very high and excitable. Manic Moomin.
https://www.moomin.com/en/blog/dont-miss-moominland-midwinter-live-on-stage-in-manchester-this-christmas/
Expectations
I am a HUGE Moomin fan and was so excited to see it, though I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I've seen the animated shorts (the new films and the older stop-motion creations)
Tove Jansson worked on a theatre production with her Moomins but it wasn't received well by the press… would this be the same? Would it live up to the legend of Moomin?
The audience was mostly young children but also some older individuals too (original fans).
I guess I was expecting people dressed up in furry costumes? Maybe screens with animations.
We were running late because the tram got stuck so we had to run to the theatre to catch it starting!
The Puppets
Pleasantly surprised by the puppets! Should they be called puppets?
Since they were so big the actors could only control the head and one arm at a time so it did look bit odd when Moominmamma would clean with one arm but the rest of her limbs would be completely still.
The puppet for Little My was much more loose in its movements, so when the actor made her run, all of her limbs would wobble and give the impression of running too. This worked really well and suited Little My's personality - mischievous and energetic. If the other Moomins had been made in the same way, it wouldn't suit the character's movements - Moomins are slower than Little My.
They also had mini versions of all the cast which they used for scenes where bigger stunts were performed, like Moomintroll falling from a ski slope. This wouldn't be possible to perform with the larger puppets.
I wonder where the puppets go once they've finished with them? What are they made from? Light enough to control by one performer so don't think they could be wooden at that scale!
I FOUND THE BLOG OF THE LADY WHO MAKES THE PUPPETS!
http://alisonduddle.blogspot.co.uk
ALISON DUDDLE
'these puppets will be around 4ft tall in total, so I'm very keen to see how they look when all the parts are put together - and, more importantly, how practical they are for puppeteering. Its going to be important to keep the weight down as much as possible, so the heads and bodies are paper mache, but I think the limbs will be wooden - I'll just have to hollow them out as much as possible.'
Stage Design
Snow - appropriate to the story and to Tove Jansson's original context and adds an impression of temperature and season to the show.
The backdrops used lines and shapes from Tove's original drawings, tying in her authorship to the show.
Voices & Acting
Actors wearing black, including black hats. You could still see them- their faces and their limbs were not disguised, only made neutral to the background so that the puppets were the focus. It's so clever that this trick makes you look at the puppets and forget about the actors.
Little My's actor was Scottish which I didn't think would work. She's Finnish!!! But it worked really well and she sounded both cute and aggressive.
Moomintroll's voice was a bit odd - very high and excitable. Manic Moomin.
https://www.moomin.com/en/blog/dont-miss-moominland-midwinter-live-on-stage-in-manchester-this-christmas/
http://www.horseandbamboo.org
http://www.horseandbamboo.org/puppet-festival-2/what-to-expect-this-year/
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