James Hameed will take on the title role in the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s major new production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ – The Musical.
Hameed (Be More Chill, The Other Palace/Shaftesbury Theatre will be joined by Ben Williamson-Jones (Stick Man Live, Leicester Square Theatre) as Barry, Claire Storey (Twelfth Night, Shakespeare Rose Theatre) as Grandma, Dominic Gee-Burch (Footloose UK and international tour) as Mr Lucas/Mr Scruton, Lauryn Redding (Bloody Elle: A Gig Musical, Royal Exchange Theatre) as Doreen/Miss Elf, Luke Thornton (Love Letters, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) as Nigel, Sally Cheng (Christmas Carol, RSC) as Pandora, Sioned Saunders (Amelie, Criterion Theatre) as Pauline Mole, Tom Self (Sweet Charity, Watermill Theatre) as Bert and Steve Simmonds (Love Letters, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) as George Mole.
Commenting on his casting in the show, Hameed said: “I’m looking forward to bringing this material to a whole new audience, with a fresh new take. It’ll be wonderful returning to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, I first did a show there back when I was six years old so it’s more like a homecoming!”
As previously announced the production will be directed by Queen’s Theatre’s artistic director Douglas Rintoul who will be assisted by Adam Dear. Musical direction is by Tom Self with choreography from Sundeep Saini, set and costume design by Alfie Heywood, lighting design by Sherry Coenen, sound design by Chris Murray and accent coaching from Charmian Hoare.
Announcing the cast for the production, Rintoul said: “We’re excited to get started on this hugely enjoyable, hilarious, and quintessentially British musical. It’s just what we’ll need this spring, and I can’t think of a better way to end my time here at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.
“We’ve put together a top team, you’ll recognise many from other hit musicals and pantos at the Queen’s who are stoked about bringing one of the UK’s best-loved comedy characters to life. This is going to be a great night out for all generations.”
Featuring a book and lyrics by Jake Brunger and music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary, the musical version of Sue Townsend’s much-loved tale of teen angst, will light up the Queen’s Theatre from 28 April until 21 May. The theatre will also be providing a Dementia-Friendly performance on 5 May, a relaxed performance on 7 May and an audio-described performance on 14 May.
Created with the backing of the Townsend family, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ – The Musical, received its world premiere in Townsend’s hometown of Leicester in 2015. The critic and crowd-pleasing show debuted in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Adrian Mole’s 50th birthday year of 2017. The Menier production transferred to the West End in 2019 to play a limited season at the Ambassadors Theatre.
The late Sue Townsend was one of Britain’s most popular and much-loved writers, with over 10 million copies of her books sold in the UK alone. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ was her first novel, published by Penguin Books in 1980. Townsend’s creation captured the imagination of readers across the world selling over 20 million copies and translated into 30 languages.
Angela Thomas
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