The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (musical)
| The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
| Music | Pippa Cleary |
| Lyrics |
Jake Brunger Pippa Cleary |
| Book | Jake Brunger |
| Basis | The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend |
| Premiere | 17 March 2015: Curve, Leicester |
| Productions |
2015 Leicester 2017 London |
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ is a stage musical based on the young-adult novel of the same name by Sue Townsend. It features book and lyrics by Jake Brunger and music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary.
The musical made its world premiere at the Curve in Leicester in March 2015.
Productions
Leicester (2015)
The musical was announced to make its world premiere at the Curve in Leicester (the title character and author Sue Townsend's hometown) from 7 March to 4 April 2015, with an official opening on 17 March.
The production was directed by Luke Sheppard, designed by Tom Rogers, choreographed by Tim Jackson. It was revealed upon the announcement by Townsend's husband, Colin Broadway, that Townsend had been working with the writers, Brunger and Cleary on the musical from 2012 to before her death in 2014.[1]
London (2017)
The musical made its London debut in a new production at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark from 14 July to 6 September 2017, with an official opening on 26 July.[2]
The new production was again directed by Luke Sheppard and designed by Tom Rogers with new choreography by Rebecca Howell. The new production was presented by the Menier Chocolate Factory and Curve in association with Anthony Clare and David Ian Productions.[3]
Cast and characters
| Character | Leicester (2015)[4] | London (2017)[5] |
|---|---|---|
| Adrian Mole | Joel Fossard-Jones
Lewis Andrews Sebastian Croft Toby Murray |
Benjamin Lewis
Ilan Galkoff Samuel Menhinick Guillermo Bedward |
| Pandora Braithwaite | Imogen Gurney
Lulu-Mae Pears Elise Bugeja |
Asha Banks
Georgia Pemberton |
| Nigel | Kwame Kandekore
Samuel Small George Barnden |
Amir Wilson
Edward Hooper Max Robson |
| Barry Kent | James McJannett-Smith
Harrison Slater Edward Cross |
Jason Rennie
Callum Mcdonald Connor Davies |
| Grandma | Rosemary Ashe | Gay Soper |
| Mr Lucas | Cameron Blakely | John Hopkins |
| Miss Elf / Doreen Slater / Mrs Lucas | Amy Booth-Steel | Lara Denning |
| George Mole | Neil Ditt | Dean Chisnall |
| Pauline Mole | Kirsty Hoiles | Kelly Price |
| Bert Baxter | Neil Salvage | Barry James |
NB: The role of Mrs Lucas was cut for the London production.
Critical Reception
Leicester
The world premiere at Leicester's Curve Theatre received 4 stars from The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian. Lyn Gardner in The Guardian wrote that Mole was 'a home-grown hit for the Curve... a show constantly paying neat homage to previous British musicals and the traditions of the TV sitcom, and yet always staying distinctive and true to its source material... a quaint, unassuming little charmer."[6] Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph wrote that "this all-singing, all-dancing Mole comes up trumps; in fact, it's so good it could burrow its way to the West End... the evening does that rare thing: it makes you laugh, tugs at your heart-strings and honours the spirit of the original while being playfully inventive... this fresh, funny, stirring spin on a Thatcher-era classic may be around for a long time to come."[7] Dominic Maxwell in The Times wrote 'it's no small achievement to make this first musical version such a lively, evocative pleasure... amusing and affecting enough to leave you glowing... a thoroughly charming evening: faithful to the book but with a tenderness of its own.'[8]
London
The 2017 London production at the Menier Chocolate Factory received 5 stars from The Evening Standard, The Independent and Whatsonstage.com, with 4 star reviews from The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian. Michael Billington in The Guardian described it as "A fresh and funny show from the young songwriting team of Jake Brunger (book and lyrics) and Pippa Cleary (music and lyrics). They clearly have the potential to inject new life into the anaemic British musical”[9] with Fiona Mountford in The Evening Standard calling it 'a perfectly realised new British musical'[10] . Ben Brantley also positively reviewed the musical in The New York Times, describing it as 'a delightful new musical[11].
References
- ↑ "Curve Theatre / CURVE TO STAGE THE WORLD PREMIÈRE OF SUE TOWNSEND'S THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13 ¾ – THE MUSICAL". Curve Theatre / CURVE TO STAGE THE WORLD PREMIÈRE OF SUE TOWNSEND’S THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13 ¾ – THE MUSICAL. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ↑ "Menier Chocolate Factory to stage new production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole musical". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ↑ "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ – The Musical heading to Menier Chocolate Factory". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ↑ "Curve Theatre / FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR CURVE'S WORLD PREMIÈRE OF SUE TOWNSEND'S THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13 ¾ THE MUSICAL". Curve Theatre / FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR CURVE’S WORLD PREMIÈRE OF SUE TOWNSEND’S THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13 ¾ THE MUSICAL. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ↑ "Menier casts Adrian Mole musical". www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
- ↑ Gardner, Lyn (18 March 2015). "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole review". The Guardian.
- ↑ Cavendish, Dominic (18 March 2015). "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole review: 'comes up trumps'". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ Maxwell, Dominic (18 March 2015). "Adrian Mole – The Musical at the Curve, Leicester". The Times.
- ↑ Billington, Michael (27 July 2017). "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ review – Townsend's gawky icon rescues the British musical". The Guardian.
- ↑ Mountford, Fiona (27 July 2017). "Adrian Mole theatre review: a perfectly realised new British musical". The Evening Standard.
- ↑ Brantley, Ben (15 August 2017). "Regressing in London with Meat Loaf and Adrian Mole". New York Times.