Welcome Home, Captain Fox! at Donmar Warehouse

Welcome Home, Captain Fox! is a light-hearted yet at times also poignant comedy piece. Anthony Weigh reinterprets Jean Anouilh’s Le Voyageur Sans Bagage and transforms it into a modern, almost Wildean, comedy of manners that sheds light on the private life of the American bourgeoisie.

The play follows the journey of Gene (Rory Keenan), a former soldier who has lost his memory after traumatic experiences in World War II. Unable to recollect his past, he falls into the hands of the eager social climbers Mr and Mrs Dupont-Dufort (Danny Webb/ Katherine Kingsley), who try to reconnect Gene with his supposed family on Long Island. But while Gene is getting to know his long lost and, as it turns out, dysfunctional family after 15 years of separation, he discovers that he neither wants to reconnect with his relatives nor his former self, Jack Fox. Lucky for him, 22 other families also reach out to him, thinking he might be an estranged relative, so Gene has plenty of families – and identities – to choose from.

While the stage arrangement at the Donmar Warehouse is fresh, intimate and unconventional (a seat in the stalls is recommended), the rest of the performance is traditional. The plot and dialogue are humorous and entertaining at points, but the storyline is unfortunately rather predictable, and flat-lined for the majority of the two acts. The performances of Katherine Kingsley in the role of Mrs Dupont-Dufort and Michelle Asante as the maid Juliette are absolutely fantastic, but both are overshadowed by the occasionally over-zealous performance of Rory Kennan (Jack “Captain” Fox).

Despite its minor flaws, Welcome Home, Captain Fox! provides an enjoyable and cheerful evening entertainment.

 

Luisa Kapp
Photo: Manuel Harlan

Welcome Home, Captain Fox! is on at the Donmar Warehouse from 18^th February 2016 until 16^th April 2016, for further information or to book visit here.

Read our interview with Danny Webb here.