Despite having lived in the United Kingdom for over 25 years the upper class English male remains for me a somewhat inscrutable species. Dear Lupin, now playing at the Apollo Theatre and starring father and son team James Fox and Jack Fox, goes some way in attempting to reveal how men of this class relate, or rather don’t relate, with their nearest and dearest.Based on the best selling book of the same name the play is a dramatisation of the letters Roger Mortimer, a Sunday Times horse racing correspondent for 30 years, wrote to his wayward gay son Charlie. The correspondence range from humorous, to touching, to angry to supportive and reveal a father and son who, despite their deep love for each other, can only really communicate through letters.
Like his father, Charlie (nicknamed Lupin) attends Eton and then signs up with the Coldstream Guards. However it quickly becomes clear that Charlie is a troubled young man unable to find his way in life ending up in rehab with liver failure.
Dramatising a series of letters is a tricky prospect. However writer Michael Simkins and director Philip Franks have skillfully managed to adapt the episodic nature of the book into a touching and engaging evening. This is supported by the lovely performances of both James and Jack Fox who not only play Roger and Charles but also, amusingly, all the other characters in the book including a Soho prostitute and a Kings Road Antique Shop dealer. One also senses that the offstage relationship between this father and son acting dynasty adds a special depth and understanding to the onstage relationship between Roger and Charlie.
My only misgiving is that Charlie’s homosexuality, quite a big issue in the mid-70’s, and the impact this would have on his family, is never fully explored. However perhaps this is just indicative of the many things that remain unsaid between father and son. Ultimately the play concludes on a deeply felt note exploring aging and how we deal with the loss of our loved ones providing the audience with an evening that not only amuses but also touches the heart.
Open Air Theatre, Regents Park. I doubt there's a more uplifting, toe tapping, romantic, grin inducing evening of theatrical joy in London this month then Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's revival of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.