Theatre Review: The Last Laugh @ The Buxton Opera House

Review by Dave Stringer

Ever wondered about what it is like back stage when big stars are preparing to entertain their adoring audience? Then you have the chance to experience that by seeing The Last Laugh which is currently touring the UK.

Even better is the fact that this lovely piece of theatre allows you the chance to see three comedic icons in the shape of Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams), Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright) and Eric Morecambe (Britain’s Got Talent Finalist Steve Royle) as they gather together in an imaginary dressing room before one of the trio takes his final bow.

Not so much a play as a delightfully orchestrated homage to a type of comedy and its practitioners that is now probably past its time, The Last Laugh gives us not just the chance to re-live some of the threesome’s classic moments but also pull aside the curtain on their secret lives.

Once they step off the glittered stage, comedians have to return to a normal life – although Cooper tried to live a fantasy life both with and without an audience – and this produces stress of its own with the bottle being regularly hit to provide some solace. The magic of a wave of laughter rolling over you is matched by the worry of never creating that marvellous sensation again.

A life of wandering in and out of tawdry dressing rooms is compensated for by a lavish lifestyle but there are definite downsides. Children become a distinct second in priority and relationships have to suffer. There is also the comparative failure to conquer the lucrative American market which remains a disappointment. And then there is the stress-induced illnesses that are norm to the profession

Hard to believe that our comedy heroes looked up to their comedic predecessors – but not quite so much in the case of the curmudgeonly Cooper – and this led them to create their own distinctive style. Morecambe and Wise tried to be nice, Monkhouse was very analytical and depended on his massive book of jokes while Cooper tried to be constantly funny.

The actors do an excellent job as they pick up their character’s particular tics and cadence of voice and it was really difficult to believe that the geniuses of guffaw were not actually in front of you.

However, huge credit must go to Director Paul Hendry and his creative team. The set is perfectly designed by Lee Newby and the voice coaches and make up artists have worked wonders to create as realistic a cast and setting as possible.

Everyone is aware that these three characters could never have shared a dressing room – Cooper would swiftly have lost patience with Monkhouse – but it does give an opportunity for three aging men to natter away about their careers.

And those natterings allowed us to wallow in the nostalgia of their greatest hits while showing that these gods of the stage were – deep down – mere mortals like ourselves.

A wonderfully poignant, nostalgic and funny show. If you are too young to remember them in their pomp then you have missed so much. This show is highly recommended to fill the gap.

The Last Laugh continues until August  29^th . For booking details contact 01298 72190