Dear Lupin tickets

Dear Lupin is the touching stage adaptation of a series of letters, published as the collection Dear Lupin, Letters to a Wayward Son (2012), which were sent from Roger Mortimer to his rebellious son, Charlie. Starring real-life father and son, James and Jack Fox, the play explores the quirks of humannature and how we resort to humour in the face of adversity.

“I am very fond of you but you do drive my round the bend”. The play follows Roger Mortimer’s stubbornly affectionate 25 year-long correspondence as he denounces and finally accepts his son’s life lived without boundaries. Taking the role of narrator, Charlie takes us from his days as an unruly Eton schoolboy, through his failed attempts at gainful employment, to alcohol abuse and time in rehab. As Charlie’s hedonistic lifestyle begins to catch up with him, Roger’s health begins to fail and the play subtly and poignantly reveals the parallels that stretch across the generation gap between the two men’s very different lives.

James and Jack have taken their places in the Fox family acting dynasty with a wealth of screen and stage credits to their names. James Fox recently starred in Downton Abbey (2013) and Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) as well as Performance (1970), while Jack made appearances in Mr. Selfridge (2014) and Fresh Meat (2011-13). The dynamic between James and Jack makes it hard to imagine a finer casting and their unforced intimacy says something profound about the communication between father and son.

Skilfully adapted for stage by actor Michael Simkins (Mamma Mia!, Chicago) and directed by Philip Franks, Dear Lupin will play at the Apollo Theatre until 19th September 2015.