Adrian Mole material exhibited alongside new musical adaptation

The world premiere of Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ The Musical by Leicester’s Curve Theatre will be accompanied by an exhibition of previously unseen material from the University's Special Collections.

A series of exhibition boards set up at Curve will tell the story of author Sue Townsend’s life, illustrated by items from the University’s Sue Townsend Archive and its other collections of rare and historical material.

The exhibition will feature manuscripts and rare papers from the Archive, the University's collection of the literary, personal and business papers of the bestselling author and playwright. She kindly deposited her papers with the David Wilson Library’s Special Collections in 2005.

The exhibition also includes a large display of artwork by Caroline Holden Hotopf from The Illustrated Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4, the originals of which are held by Special Collections. This will be the first time ever that these have been publicly exhibited.

Set in 1980s Leicester, Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ The Musical follows the daily dramas and misadventures of Adrian’s adolescent life. With book and lyrics by Jake Brunger and music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary, this new musical adaptation of Sue Townsend’s best seller, directed by Luke Sheppard, runs from 7 March – 4 April.