Michael Morpurgo to Sign, Chat 'ADOLPHUS TIPS' at The Drama Book Shop

The Drama Book Shop will welcome celebrated author Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) for a discussion and signing of The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. The Friday, March 24th, 5:00pm event, which is free to the public, will be followed by a signing.

Morpurgo's magical novel has been adapted for the stage by Kneehigh Theatre Company in a production directed by Emma Rice (Brief Encounter), currently playing at New York's St. Ann's Warehouse.

Imagine being told to leave your home...Imagine American soldiers occupying your house and land... Imagine being 12 and angry, with only a cat to tell your secrets to... Well it all happened (most of it anyway) in Slapton Sands, Devon, in 1944. Based on Michael Morpurgo's The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, 946 explodes everything we thought we knew about the D-Day landings. With signature Kneehigh sorcery, 946 uses music, puppetry and foolishness to tell this tale of war, prejudice and love. Tender, political and surprisingly romantic, this story speaks to us all and will finally reveal the secrets the US and British governments tried to keep quiet.

946 is co-adapted by Mr. Morpurgo, one of the UK's most loved and successful authors whose work includes War Horse, Kensuke's Kingdom and Private Peaceful. Tickets for the production, running March 16 through April 9th, are available now at stannswarehouse.org.

Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain's best-loved children's book writers. He has written more than 100 books and has won the Smarties Prize, the Whitbread Award, and most recently the Blue Peter Book Award for Private Peaceful. He is also the author of War Horse, which has been made into a Tony Award-winning Broadway play and a Golden Globe-nominated film. Michael was Writer in Residence at The Savoy Hotel from January to March 2007, and previously he was Children's Laureate from 2003-2005, a role that took him across Britain to inspire a love of reading in children. You can visit him online at www.michaelmorpurgo.com.

In The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, it's 1943, and Lily Tregenza lives on a farm, in the idyllic seaside village of Slapton. Her life is scarcely touched by the war until one day Lily and her family, along with all of the other villagers, are told to move out of their homes - lock, stock and barrel. Soon, the whole area is out of bounds, as the Allied forces practice their landings for D-day, preparing to invade France. But Tips, Lily's adored cat, has other ideas - barbed wire and keep-out signs mean nothing to her, nor does the danger of guns and bombs. Frantic to find her, Lily decides to cross the wire into the danger zone to look for Tips herself...

A 2011 Tony Award Honoree for Excellence in Theatre, The Drama Book Shop is now celebrating its 100th Anniversary Year. The historic bookseller is located at 250 West 40th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.dramabookshop.com.