The Last Laugh
Golden Oldens
The Last Laugh
by Paul Hendy
Jamie Wilson Productions at Richmond Theatre until 21stJune, then on tour until 31stAugust
Review by John Davies
A play about three comedy greats – Morecambe, Cooper and Monkhouse. As a fan, this presents a double-edged sword: on the one hand, how could this fail to be a brilliant evening; on the other, if it doesn’t do justice to such luminaries, I could be disappointed and possibly aggrieved. Fortunately, this production absolutely lived-up to my expectations.
Written by Paul Hendy (a children’s TV presenter in a former life), the play imagines a meeting in a dressing-room between Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse. What results is a mixture of well-known and well-loved comedy material, reflections on their lives and some discussion on the nature of comedy — what makes someone or something funny. The play was adapted from Paul’s own short 2016 film and premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 to great acclaim. It is easy to see why it received such plaudits!
The mix of quick repartee and more measured cogitation works brilliantly. The audience was given time to draw breath from a familiar Cooper skit, Morecambe quip or Monkhouse one-liner, to then be challenged as to why that was funny, would it have been funny if someone else had done the same thing and should the writer or performer of the joke take the credit?
While the three actors are not simply doing impressions, they are a good likeness and perfectly captured the essence and mannerisms of the comedians. This allowed the audience to be drawn in to the material, rather than simply critiquing the impersonations. As one of the actors pointed out in the Act 2 Q&A (very interesting addition) – the public never saw these comedians when they weren’t performing – even on chat shows – so the actors had to determine how these comics would behave in those back-stage quieter moments. Generally, we were given quite a rounded look at these men, through both their acts and their reflective moments.
The staging in a fading dressing room with their dressing tables and mirrors around the sides, gave freedom to the actors to use the space – and they make the most of it. The use of sudden blackouts, flashing mirror lights and ominous booming heralded each comics arrival and departure to good effect, though the ominous music at the end felt like an unnecessary addition to established pathos. No spoilers, but it would be worth knowing a little about their later lives – and more particularly, their deaths, to fully appreciate the play’s structure and ending. That said, I don’t think it is essential and would not detract from the comedy gold within this play.
At the start of my review I said this was a play about three comedy greats. However the play appeared to be more about two comedy greats and Bob Monkhouse. In the play, Bob Monkhouse says that he is different to the other two, as he as to work on his jokes, whereas Eric and Tommy are naturally funny. This perspective is repeated several times to the point of seeking sympathy for being a poor comic – Bob says Eric and Tommy are the comedy heroes and “they will never die”, but no one will remember him. It was an interesting comparison, but the repetition made me wonder why the playwright had chosen Bob Monkhouse as the third comic.
The three actors, Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe, Damian Williams as Tommy Cooper, and Simon Cartwright as Bob Monkhouse,are excellent. They bring a strong characterisation to their roles, coupled with a real warmth born out of obvious affection for their namesakes. In the Act 2 Q&A, which allows us to hear a little about the genesis of the play, it is evident that they actors already held these comedians up as their heroes before ever stepping on stage – and that shines through the performances.
Tommy Cooper says there is Funny and there is Funny Funny. This production is definitely the latter, but it also provides some food for thought after the curtain goes down and the writer, actors and production team do a great job of honouring the memory of these comedy heroes. How did the achieve all this? – Just Like That!
John Davies, June 2025
Photography by Pamela Raith
Mark Aspen 