REVIEW: The Last Laugh – Theatre Royal, Glasgow
If it’s a tribute act to these titans of comedy you’re looking for then this is not that. Paul Hendy’s The Last Laugh is a carefully and lovingly crafted examination of the comedy and the personalities beyond the TV screens.
These are three very different people, two natural funny men (Eric Morecambe and Tommy Cooper) and one a scientific creator of his craft Bob Monkhouse), Hendy gives us pause for thought at the price of being loved and lauded by the British public.
That said, there are plenty of laughs. We are treated to Cooper’s “glass, bottle, bottle glass”, Morecambe’s paper bag trick and Andrew Preview lines and a host of one liners credited to others, but most written by Monkhouse.
The banter between the three comedians flows throughout. They spar backwards and forwards as they examine their motivation for becoming comedians and how they hone their acts: Cooper pinching bits from here and there to add to his almost surreal act “sledgehammering” jokes in, Morecambe’s natural joviality making almost everything he does funny and Monkhouse almost tortured approach to creating a laugh “chiselling” every word and recording in his now infamous leather bound joke books.
Their humour, a sharp contrast to current comedians, is forensically analysed by Monkhouse who correctly predicts that their fame and regard will endure as it’s neither political nor satirical, sexist or racist, just timeless.
Hendy sensitively tackles all three’s complex personal lives, their family struggles: Morecambe’s weighing up the price of fame against missing milestones in his loved-one’s lives, Cooper’s juggling of two women, drinking problem and health issues and Monkhouse’s confidence, arrogance and self-possession in sharp contrast to his relationship with bis sons, one with a heroin addiction, one with cerebral palsy, awareness for which he campaigned tirelessly throughout his life and the suicide of his original comedy partner.
It is also no small feat to convincingly portray such familiar characters, and the biggest asset of this production is Bob Golding’s (Moreambe), Damian Williams’ (Cooper) and Simon Cartwright’s (Monkhouse) ability to do just that. Each has captured the physical nuances and vocal cadences of the trio almost perfectly, in particular Cartwright is uncanny as the creosote-tanned Monkhouse in his white loafers and pastel golf sweater. Lee Newby’s set is a perfectly recreated, shabby, could-be-anywhere, peeling at the edges, dressing room on which the action plays out.
While time hasn’t extinguished their light. It is clear that the audience who vividly remember the trio is diminishing and any younger viewers who are not students of classic comedy would be lost at the references.
What is clear is that all three lived for the laughs, for the applause of strangers and nothing would deter them from the pursuit. Laughter may well be the best medicine, but at what cost?
Runs until 19 July 2025 | Image: Pamela Raith
