The Last Laugh: Review

It turns out that nostalgia is what it used to be. That’s certainly the case with this show which depicts an imaginary meeting between a triumvirate of comedy – Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse – backstage in a dusty dressing room of a West End theatre. With each comedian vying for the biggest and last laugh, they reminisce over old times and an uncertain future as they wait for their final call (in more sense than one).

For anyone of a certain age, the resemblance, mannerisms and stage presence of the three actors – Damian Williams as Cooper, Bob Golding as Morecambe and Simon Cartwright as Monkhouse – will come as nothing short of miraculous. Each of them has played their characters in different productions and it was the inspired idea of writer Paul Hendy to bring them together in one setting.

The curtain rises on Cooper alone in the dressing room wearing a pair of giant chicken feet (what else?) and his trademark look of bafflement at the world around him. He is soon followed by Monkhouse and Morecambe, with Monkhouse being the butt of gentle ribbing from the other two. Gags come thick and fast, as to be expected, and as the play progresses we gain an insight into the insecurities and interior lives of the three comedians. Both Cooper and Morecambe drink heavily and are fighting serious health conditions, while Monkhouse frets over whether he is truly funny compared to the other two. When Monkhouse asks Cooper if he has ever died on stage, the question takes on added piquancy.

The show is as much about the why of comedy as the how: Morecambe asks why they put themselves though the stress and agony of performance, wondering if the audience will still find them funny. Tellingly, he admits that he could not go on stage without Ernie and could not survive as a solo artist. At one stage, he reveals that he was hyperactive as a child, a remark which reminded me of a comment from his son who, when asked about what it was like having a famous comedian as a father, replied that it was difficult because his dad was always ‘on’. He could never just be a dad, but felt compelled to perform even in front of his son.

Monkhouse is the over-analyser, not just of his jokes but his personal life too, one scarred by tragedy: the suicide of a comedy partner, one son who suffered from cerebral palsy and another who he was estranged from.

But there is plenty of light among the shade. Gags fly past thick and fast and the three take delight in each other’s comic genius. Without issuing a spoiler alert, there is a surprise coda to the show in which the actors come back on stage and the audience is invited to ask questions about their characters alongside compere Richard Hodder.

Who has the last laugh? Of course, it’s always the audience.

The Last Laugh is at the Opera House, Manchester from 29 July to 2 August 2025 before continuing on tour