Roger Mortimer was born in 1909, went to Eton, joined the Coldstream Guards, was a prisoner of war and became a correspondent for The Sunday Times. His son Charlie was nicknamed by him as Lupin (probably after Mr Pooter’s useless son in The Diary Of a Nobody).

Dear Lupin is a great dramatization by Michael Simkins of 25 years of letters from a father to his son based on a bestselling book.

James Fox (who plays Roger) and his youngest son Jack (Charlie on stage) are giving voice to this marvellous family bond with the help of the amusing letters written by Roger to Charlie between 1967 and 1991 and made public in 2012.

On stage Mr. James Fox shows all his unsurprising and well known talent giving the audience the perfect portrait of an English gent.

After his really good stage debut as Dorian Gray (here our review), this time Jack Fox shows all his fantastic stage skills  giving to his character all the many shades hidden in Roger’s lines and the role really seems to fit him like a glove.

If the first part of the play makes the house comfortable with the story, with the second part all becomes deeper: Charlie reveals his homosexuality and his drug habits.

It’s especially here where the Foxes simply excel. The proof? As they dance together to the Eton Boating Song in a final embrace, you just realise that they are rehearsing their last good-bye too and I can assure you, in that moment there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire theatre.

 

“Trying to save you from yourself is as effective as kicking a 30-ton block of concrete in slippers!”

 

Until 19 September at Apollo Theatre (apollotheatrelondon.co.uk) but don’t miss Jack Fox on screen in August in the must see Theeb (here our review)