The book that inspired every teenager to write their own diary has become a musical, as Adrian Mole makes his West End debut in The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ – The Musical!
Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ – The Musical has already had two incredibly successful runs at Leicester’s Curve theatre and the Menier Chocolate Factory. Now the socially awkward teenager is moving into the Ambassadors Theatre for a limited season from until 12 October 2019.
“Honestly. My family just don’t understand me. Perhaps when I am famous and my diary is discovered people will understand the torment of being a 13¾ year-old intellectual.” Adrian Mole.
A stage adaptation of the timeless tale of teenage angst by Sue Townsend, The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole is set in Leicester during the 1980s.
Adrian is a typical teenager. He’s experiencing family struggles, unrequited love, misunderstandings, homework, and everything else in between. Seeing himself as a tortured soul and an intellectual with no one to intellectually challenge him, Adrian’s not-so-secret diary gives an insight into his world. One of the most enduring comedy characters of all time, Adrian is the hapless, hilarious, spotty teenager who captured the zeitgeist of 1980s Britain, and this critically acclaimed production brings Adrian’s story to life for a new generation of theatregoers.
The original novel was a massive success for Sue Townsend when it was first published in 1982. The first story she’d ever got published, it went onto sell over 20 million copies worldwide, be translated into 30 languages and ended up with seven sequel novels. As well as this stage adaptation, the tales of Adrian Mole have also been reimagined for radio and television.
The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ – The Musical has an adult cast including Rosemary Ashe (Olivier Award-nominated for playing Felicia Gabriel in The Witches Of Eastwick), Lara Denning (Matilda The Musical, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory), Andrew Langtree (Olivier-nominated for Groundhog Day) and Ian Talbot (Hairspray). Nicholas Antoniou-Tibbitts from Westminster, Aaron Gelkoff from Redbridge, Michael Hawkins from Haringey, and Rufus Kampa from Buckinghamshire will alternate the role of Adrian.
Directed by Luke Sheppard, with choreography by Rebecca Howell, the show’s music and lyrics have been created by Pippa Cleary. Book and lyrics by Jake Brunger, set and costume design by Tom Rogers, lighting design by Howard Hudson, musical direction by Mark Collins, and musical supervision & orchestrations by Paul Herbert.
So what are you waiting for? Sneak a peek into Adrian’s diary… he won’t mind!