Review – The Last Laugh (Touring) – Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool

The scene: a dishevelled, shared dressing room backstage at an unnamed theatre, probably 1984. In walks Tommy Cooper wearing a fez, vest, pants and a pair of huge chicken’s feet.

Cooper sits down and begins to reflect on the strange life of a stage comedian. As he does so, he is joined first by Bob Monkhouse and then by Eric Morecambe. Over the next 80 minutes, they exchange anecdotes and banter. As the jokes fly, Monkhouse, always better known as a script and gag writer for other comedians, as well as for his appearances as a game-show host, repeatedly raises the debate over who is more important – the writer or the performer. This sets up a series of possibilities for demonstrating how differences in performance style can affect the way a joke lands.

The elephant in the room is an empty space on the dressing room wall amongst a neat arrangement of photographs of eight other comedy greats, all of whom are already dead. As the play reaches its climax, with the call coming over the tannoy for ‘beginners to the stage’, the weighty question of who goes next hangs in the air…

Paul Hendy’s play originated at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, following which it went on to enjoy runs in Brighton and London’s West End, and then a major UK tour. It stars Damian Williams as Cooper, Simon Cartwright as Monkhouse and Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe. The second part of the show, after an interval, takes the form of a Q&A in the manner of the ‘Audience With’ shows that have become popular. Here, in discussion with host Richard Hodder (also the cast’s tour cover) the three performers talk about their approach to playing their idols on stage, whilst sharing further anecdotes, and fielding questions submitted by the audience during the interval.

One thing they are keen to highlight is that they didn’t want to make this about three impersonations. The show is about three people who were only really known by their stage personas, and who rarely showed their real identities in public. Giving them this imagined opportunity to chat together behind the scenes allows the players to present their own image of the men behind the comedy.

Golding and Williams strip away much of the ‘act’ throughout the play and, while they embody Morecambe and Cooper brilliantly, they also show much of the vulnerability and heartache that lies beneath the humour. Cartwright (who knew Monkhouse for many years) has a slightly different approach, appropriate for a personality who was funnier offstage than on. He arguably has the vocal and physical mannerisms even closer to the mark than the others.

Tommy Cooper died in the literal sense while performing on stage in front of a live television audience on 15th April 1984, and Eric Morecambe died just seven weeks later, whilst Bob Monkhouse survived them both by almost 20 years, so there are no prizes for guessing where this show’s imaginary storyline is heading, although the way in which it ends is handled with stylish, spectral subtlety. The only slight temporal conundrum is that Ernie Wise (who outlived Morecambe by 15 years) is rarely spoken of in the dialogue here and, when he is, it is almost suggested that Eric had to try and carry on without Ernie – the opposite of what actually happened.

For a show that has such a simple concept, it is staged with immaculate detail on a beautifully detailed and decorated set by Lee Newby, and atmospherically lit by Johanna Town. The three stars paint warm and affectionate portraits of the these legends of British comedy, and the second part of the show, far from being just a post show discussion, forms an integral part of understanding their connection with their idols, and it is clear from the reaction of the audience that their love for a lost generation of variety artists is shared by everyone in the room.

The Last Laugh ends its current tour schedule with this week’s appearance at Liverpool Playhouse.

Star rating: 4 stars

Production photography by Pamela Raith

This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool