REVIEW: Dear Lupin – at the Festival Theatre, Malvern, from Monday, May 11 until Saturday, May16, 2015.

MANAGING to persuade veteran actor James Fox to link up with one of his sons, Jack, in this utterly charming glimpse of a world fast-disappearing was an absolute master-stroke.

Taking a true-life father and son relationship onto the stage would normally be fraught with problems and would certainly be hard to reproduce from two actors who didn’t know each other, but the Foxes have slipped into the parts as easily as if they were created specially for them.

It might even be argued that certain parallels exist - in a manner of speaking, and there is clearly a close bond between the two - in this adapted play by Michael Simkins - as there was with the Mortimers whose lives are under the microscope here.

Dear Lupin arrived on stage after Charlie Mortimer wrote a book based on private letters written to him by his father, Roger, who had been a much renowned and revered horse-racing correspondent and commentator, an Old Etonian, former Coldstream Guards officer, prisoner of war, and also author and racing historian.

It’s an evocative and touching tale of a fairly eccentric father and head of a somewhat dysfunctional family, who dotes on his son and vainly attempts to offer worldly words of wisdom via his faithful typewriter. But Charlie has a rebellious streak and although he tried to follow in his father's footsteps through Eton and the Coldstream Guards, there was the big lure of drink and drugs, and a wanderlust!

Fans of the book agree it is beautifully written. Emotional in parts, it is sincere and heart-warming too and the Fox-duo capture much of this to perfection in this stage adaptation.

Two-handers such as this are extremely challenging but a seasoned professional like James Fox who, by co-incidence went to a public school and served with the Coldstream Guards, is someone who never appears fazed by difficulties and copes superbly - much like Roger Mortimer. And it has clearly rubbed off on Jack.

A delightful double act fully deserving their warm applause.

In certain respects it’s a tale of a clash of generations with Roger, having been born before the First World War, very much old school, and Charlie, whose formative years were the 1960s, very much New Age. But in spite of these differences the bond always remained firm.

Dear Lupin is just what Charlie Mortimer wanted it to be - not just a tribute to his Dad but also a kind of permanent 'In Loving Memory' to him. James/Roger and Jack/Charlie have embraced each other and the story in real life and on stage to provide a play audiences will really take to.