Tove Jansson's 'The Summer Book' brought to life
The Unicorn Theatre in London has transformed Tove Jansson's celebrated work The Summer Book into a performance for people of all ages. The play explores the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother. This description of love and life is filled with laughter and undeniable truths.
This year is the centenary of Tove Jansson's birth and this unique story captures much of the writer's own experience. Jansson is best known as the creator of the Moomins but she was also a prolific painter, illustrator and comic strip author. The Summer Book is one of her most celebrated books for adults. Never sentimental but with quiet understanding and gentle humour, The Summer Book is an astute exploration into how life, death, loss and longing can co-exist in easy companionship.
Set on a remote island in Finland, six-year-old Sophia and her grandmother while away the summer months together and gradually a deep yet understated love emerges between the two – one that encompasses not just their relationship but the island itself.
The book has been adapted by Jemma Kennedy who fell in love with the book years before her career as a playwright. She took the opportunity as she noticed it was Tove Jansson's centenary this year and turned one of her favourite books into a play. She has kept the script very true to the original with its vast and witty dialogue in order to preserve Tove's wisdom and humour.
The secret behind Tove's ingeniousness is not in thrilling, hectic storylines but in her subtle and delicate way of describing humanity. Her texts work on universal level, and they seem to have something for everyone despite your age or background. The director Douglas Rintoul describes the play as a piece of music filled with different colours and tones which you can breathe in as you sit down and enjoy the show.
Olivier-Award winner Sara Kestelman will play the role of the grandmother, and she will be joined by Sammy Foster and Amy Snudden who share the role of Sophia. The play is suitable for anyone aged 6 and above. Children will surely find it interesting to see their peers acting on stage and not even the grandmother is the most typical grandmother you would expect: she is like a child, teenager and adult all in one!