Composer, lyricist, and bookwriter Hans Jacob Hoeglund talks upcoming new musical ‘Moominvalley in November’: The hardest part is not the writing of the piece, but getting it produced”

After making the Mercury Musical shortlist for the 2025 BEAM showcase, the piece gets ready for its first-ever full-scale production, opening this week at The Gatehouse for a limited three-week run. Guillermo Nazara chats with the man behind every note and word to learn more about the creation of the piece and how he’s managed not to troll the original material.

What prompted you to adapt this novel to the stage?

The Moomins were always part of my life. As a kid, I used to put on plays with my brothers and sisters (or whomever else I could persuade to take part), and one of my earliest projects was an adaptation of Comet in Moominland. I had the staging all planned out in the garden, but unfortunately we moved house before the production could be realised!

This particular book I first discovered in the school library as a child. It is the last novel in the series, and the basic idea is that the Moomin family have disappeared, and their friends don’t know what to do without them. I remember feeling sad and almost upset reading it: I desperately wanted the Moomins to come back and put everything right!

Later in life, I came to appreciate the sense of grief and loss that the novel embodies. I learned that Tove’s own mother Signe had passed away as she was working on the novel. In Tove’s own words she “couldn’t find the Happy Moominvalley again”. That’s when I realised that I wanted to make it into a musical.

Books and musicals are completely different languages. How much has that affected the show’s proximity to the source material?

The adaptation is faithful to the novel, which is quite different from the previous entries in the series. We are in Moominvalley, but the Moomins are not there – and there is a sense that they may not return, that something has changed forever.

On a more technical note, stage musicals and illustrated novels are of course completely different beasts. You basically have to take the whole house apart and rebuild it again on different foundations. I had a lot of fun working on the adaptation, and getting to use some of my favourite musical and theatrical idioms to tell this story.

Will this be a book musical or a sung-through one? What are the reasons behind that choice?

It is a book musical in the traditional sense. The music is there to serve the play and the story. I do believe that “content dictates form”. Many of the scenes in the novel read like something out of Chekhov. There are misunderstandings and farcical scenes, and also some beautiful, lyrical moments. A lot of the action takes place inside the characters’ heads, which can be challenging in regular theatre, but works well for a musical. Like in a well written sitcom, the six characters all have their own individual journeys, which dovetail and come together at the end.

Our hard-working company is playing these six individuals, but also working together in the ensemble numbers. It almost becomes a metaphor for the story itself, which is one of six disgruntled, lonely individuals coming together as a family.

In terms of style, how would you describe your approach to the score?

I put everything I grew up with in it. My dad is a folk musician who used to be in a punk band. My mother plays the piano and introduced me to composers like Grieg, Alice Tegner, and Erna Tauro. My brother and sisters are also musical. I’m, of course, also influenced by musical theatre composers like Sondheim, Frank Loesser, Lucy Simon, and Jeanine Tesori, as well as lyricists like Oscar Hammerstein, Howard Ashman, and Lynn Ahrens. There are also classical, jazz, and Eastern European influences in the score.

Not only have you composed the score, but you’ve also written the libretto. What are the challenges in assuming so many creative roles?

It is challenging to wear all of these hats at the same time. I have been lucky to have great collaborators who have provided valuable insights and helped me put things into perspective. I could not have done the piece without my wife, Diana Fulger, who is not only the lead producer of the show but also provided valuable creative input. Thanks to support from BML and MMD, I have also had the good fortune to workshop the show and benefit from the feedback of many other knowledgeable writers and theatre professionals. I would like to especially thank Mark Warman, who has been a rock of support and encouragement.

Have you found any other particular challenges in the development of this piece?

I think every musical theatre writer would agree that the hardest part is not the writing of the piece, but getting it produced (though writing a good musical is, in fact, very hard). We basically live in an era where there is a lot of talk of art, creativity, and innovation, but little support for it in real, practical terms.

Musical theatre is particularly challenging, given the high risks involved in putting on a full-scale theatre production, and the result is that it is extremely hard for new voices to break through. I know so many talented writers and composers who just never get a chance to see their work performed. I am very lucky to get to see my work on stage and produced to a high standard.

What are the plans for the show after this initial run?

I’m pleased to say that we have seen a lot interest from other producers and venues. Beyond possible London transfers, many of the fans of the show are not in London (or indeed the UK), so it would also be fantastic if we could take the show to them!

Are there any moments or elements in it you would like to highlight?

Without giving too much away, my favourite moment in the show comes in the middle of the second act, where Fillyjonk decides to put on a play for the other characters. The whole show builds towards the moment where the Moomins will appear, and I think we have found a good way of capturing this in the production. That’s all I’m going to say!

Why come see ‘Moominvalley In November’?

If you enjoy old-fashioned musicals with a few contemporary twists; if you love the Moomins and Tove Jansson and would like to see this last, melancholy and heart- warming story adapted with love for the stage; amd if you’re looking for a good night (or day) at the theatre.

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Moominvalley in November will play at London’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse from 23 October to 26 November. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara