The Last Laugh
★★★★☆ Nostalgic
Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17): Wed 31 Jul – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
Extraordinary re-creations of comedians past distinguish The Last Laugh, from Evolution Productions at Assembly George Square Studios.
Written and directed by Paul Hendy, the play puts three great comedians – Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams), Eric Morecambe (Bob Golding) and Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright) – in a run-down theatre dressing room. They discuss life and death, the structure of comedy, and what being funny involves. And not just funny, but funny funny.
Damian Williams, Bob Golding and Simon Cartwright in The Last Laugh. Pic: Pamela Raith Photography.
As a trio, the characters have an obvious odd one out. While Cooper and Morecambe were (and still are) truly loved and had national treasure status, Monkhouse, while admired, was never worshipped in the same way. Partly this was because of the deliberately false, cynically flash persona he used to great effect hosting so may game shows, but the fact of his lower status is also used to great effect here.
Monkhouse is shown as constantly worrying away at the structures of the gags he keeps in his legendary leather-bound joke books. He is all too aware that he doesn’t have ‘funny bones’ like the other two.
All three performances are very fine. Williams has Cooper’s bewildered manner and gruff voice just right, but also has a genuine pathos. Golding is perhaps the furthest away from resembling the character physically and vocally, but is still utterly recognisable as Eric Morecambe, and also turns in a thoroughly impressive and sympathetic comic performance.
uncanny
Cartwright’s Monkhouse, meanwhile, is simply uncanny. Not just the orange face and apparently plastic Action Man hair, but the voice, the walk, every mannerism, perfectly evoke the comedian.
The combination of serious and funny in Hendy’s script is about right, and it is probably at its best when the three of them are riffing off each other, discussing the nature of comedy and comedians.
The more ominous touches don’t really work as well. It is also clear from a long way out how it is going to end, and it is not entirely satisfying when it gets there.
However, the performances more than make up for that, with this working both as a gentle exercise in nostalgia and a well-crafted drama in its own right.
Running time: One hour and 15 minutes (no interval)
Assembly George Square Studios (Studio One), George Sq, EH8 9LH (Venue 17)
Wednesday 31 July – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily (not 12) at 2.30 pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
Website: http://thelastlaughplay.co.uk
Instagram: @thelastlaughplay
X: @LastLaughPlay
Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright in The Last Laugh. Pic: Pamela Raith Photography.
ENDS
