“The Last Laugh” is currently showing at Richmond Theatre and is a laugh-a-minute play about three much loved comedians; Eric Morecambe (played by Bob Golding), Tommy Cooper (played by Damian Williams) and Bob Monkhouse (played by Simon Cartwright). All three actors very much get into the roles and it feels as if some of our childhood national treasures are brought back to life. It was clear from the response of the warm, welcoming audience that the nostalgia felt like part of the wallpaper in their houses, a reminder of the times they would sit around a single TV and watch mum and dad and possibly grandparents all laughing away.
The play is set in a tired old dressing room that the three comedians are sharing pre show. It opens with a looming Tommy Cooper looking ridiculous in his underpants and vest and wearing chicken feet and immediately we are all laughing. Damian Williams has the right physique for playing Tommy Cooper and owns the space with his effortlessly quick repartee and easy laughs. Over the course of the evening lots of favourite old jokes are recycled and the audience laughs heartily.
It’s a poignant play in that the Writer-Director, Paul Hendy digs deep into their fears, health issues, lifestyles, sorrows and joys and it was all the more enjoyable to have him in the audience and then on the stage during the Q&A, telling us more about how the play came into existence. We witness their efforts to work out what makes a good comedian. Eric Morecambe thinks there are three rules that all good comics have;
- Energy and self belief that what we say is funny
- A simple and clear approach to the joke
- To let the audience in, giving them breathing space and time to laugh
As they consider these elements, the differences between the three men emerge, tethered together by their individual regrets. In Morecambe’s case, not enough time spent with his kids, Monkhouse has regrets about the suicide of his comedic partner and Cooper tells a sad story about crying in the street and having people laughing at him. Monkhouse, despite his work ethic is clearly jealous of the other two. His style is more structured and analytical when putting jokes together and he clearly has to work harder to be a wordsmith. Simon Cartwright brought out his oleaginous style and his Trump-esque style makeup, wonderfully. He has a slightly bigger ego, but equally knows his place.
There’s no plot as such, just hugely enjoyable banter from three comedic legends and a few singalongs too. The final exit from Tommy Cooper as he leaves the dressing room for what we all know is the last time is extremely moving. They all died far too young.
The Q&A finished with a song we all joined in with and as you can see from this photo, they got a standing ovation at the end:-
Well worth watching.
