The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Tickets

I love this show. It's two hours of humour, heart and silliness. Standout numbers include, "Look At That Girl" in which we are introduced to posh, preening Pandora (played tonight by Molly-May Gibson), "Take A Stand", in which Adrian and his friends revolt against the black-socks-only rule at school, and "The Nativity", in which...well, let's just say you'll never view a nativity play in the same way again.  Inevitably, some cynicism of the books has been lost in the transition from page to screen, although many of Townsend's jokes are included in the script. If the references to Malcolm Muggeridge and Dallas are lost on today's audiences, the universal themes of teenage angst, growing up, family and friendship remain relevant. The argument between Adrian's mum and grandma in "How Could You?" provides one of the most moving moments of the show. The child cast are fantastic- the standouts tonight were Nicky Antoniou-Tibbitts as the harassed and blundering Adrian, and the ever-grinning Regan Garcia popping some amazing 80s dance moves as Adrian's best mate Nigel. It's clear they're all having a blast, too. Of the adults, John Hopkins steals the show in his dual performance up as uptight headmaster Mr Scruton and Adrian's sleazy neighbour Mr Lucas. There are also strong performances from Amy Ellen Richardson as Adrian's Mum, and Lara Denning who plays both teacher Miss Elf, and the bolshy Doreen Slater. Richardson gives a soulful, convincing performance as a Mum wondering what went wrong and why, while Denning provides great vocals, especially in the showstopping disco number, "Misunderstood". There's even more doubling-up as almost all the adult cast play shcoolchildren, and the actual kids appear as the postman, train guard- and the dog! This gives the show a rather knockabout feel (compared similar musicals such as Matilda), which adds to its charm. Some parts of the musical don't quite work- the plotline about school bully Barry (tonight played by an underused Kobi Watson) doesn't really go anywhere, while a second-act detour in which Adrian imagines what would happen if he dies of tonsillitis detracts from the pace without adding much. It was also noticeable that Watson was the only actor of colour onstage, which was unfortunate as he was playing a bully and petty thief. This racial mix is different in the other teams of child actors, so it seems odd that the casting directors failed to notice the stereotyping in this cast. The sound in the show is also rather loud, detracting from the vocal performances especially at the start of the show. Some might find this production rather exhausting and full-on.  However, for me The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4: The Musical is a delight, with plenty of hummable tunes, fabulous performances, lots of laughs and a big heart. 

Such good fun. Great songs. Fantastic cast Real feel good show.

Smallest theatre in London?,small cast but big on talent,a most enjoyable show.

Excellent acting great cast

This was quite a disappointment. I did not know anything about the show or story and if I did I would not have booked it. Music was useless. It could have just been a stage play. There were lots of pre-teens in the audience, but parents should be warned that there was a lot of overt sexuality in the stories, both of the 13-year-old children characters, and the adult characters. I left at the interval because it was so poor.

vulgar