The Last Laugh: Remembering The Greats

I was looking forward to an evening of nostalgia watching three of the comedy heroes of my youth recreated onstage in an imagined dressing room before a show. Looking round the auditorium, I wasn’t the only one, it was packed with people of a certain age wanting to have another chance to see the comedy geniuses at work (albeit in the guise of top-class impressionists).

The one room set (designed by Lee Newby) was typical of a run-down provincial theatre, peeling paint, leaky taps and posters of earlier performers (Laurel and Hardy, The Goons, Nat Jackley and others) as well as a wall of photos of comedy greats who had passed away (Arthur Askey, Sid James, George Formby etc).

As the lights flicker and the tannoy plays excerpts from radio shows of the forties, Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams) suddenly appears centre stage in his underpants, with a typical bemused look on his face, the gruff chuckle in his throat. As he goes through his gags and gets himself ready for a performance Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright) enters, typically suave, smooth and mahogany brown. The discussion between the two is soon interrupted by Eric Morcambe (Richard Hodder) leading to the three reminiscing about their comedy lives, what they left behind and what they wished they could have done differently.

Tommy can’t understand why Eric needs a partner or why Bob must hone his jokes when he can just walk onstage to get a laugh (in fact sometimes he doesn’t even have to walk on stage!). Bob wishes he had a partner who he could share the load with and when Eric remembers Bob’s early partner he immediately apologises, as the mood becomes sombre, Tommy brings out a bottle and they share a drink.

Various comedy pieces follow many revolving around Tommy’s tricks and props, before Bob reveals he has been working on a new joke which he feels is nearly there, but he just needs to ‘chisel it’ a little more. After much cajoling he tells them his joke which leads to Eric and Tommy retelling the joke in their own inimitable ways. As the tannoy calls for Tommy to take the stage Bob questions why they are all there to appear on the same bill.

The answers are chilling, as Eric believes he is appearing in a charity show at The Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury, Bob himself believes he was about to appear in front of an invited audience of young comedians to talk about his life in comedy and Tommy believes he is to appear in a special performance of Live at Her Majesty’s on TV.

The audience seem aware of the significance of these events and as the mood turns a little sombre the lights once again flicker and Tommy is left alone in the dressing room. As he turns to go onstage, he notices one of the photos of the greats has fallen as he picks up the photo and places it in its spot on the wall, we see it is a photo of Tommy himself.

Brilliantly written and directed by Paul Hendy the play itself lasts just 80-minutes with no interval but in that time there are so many laugh lines and gentle reminiscing that myself and my fellow audience members, of a certain age, were enthralled if not a little sore from the belly laughs. However, it doesn’t end there, audience members are invited to have a short break and a drink then return for a Q&A session with the cast. This proves just as funny and enlightening as we are told how the play was originally devised. It was also revealed that Richard (who played Eric) was the sole cover for all three of the parts and that this had been his first live performance, a real tour- de- force.

A must see for all comedy lovers, no matter their age as it deals with the nature of comedy and the pressures it brings on the performers. Yes, I remember fondly watching all three on television with my family and my father reminding me of the greats that preceded them. In some way I felt the play had been written and performed just for me as I am sure everyone else in the audience did. These comedy legends may not return for a final encore themselves, but this show keeps their memory alive as a beacon for all young comedians out there.

The Last Laugh Braford Alhambra until Sat 20th September