REVIEW OF THE LAST LAUGH BY LYNN CARROLL

August 20, 2025

Anyone who reads the show reviews will already know that comedy is not my favourite genre. That isn’t to say I don’t have a sense of humour, I will happily banter with friends and family, watch a bit of stand up but often find comedy films and plays unfunny. But that certainly wasn’t the case last night when I was delighted by this play about three of our best entertainers from bygone years. The gags came thick and fast and so did my laughter.

I am old enough to remember Tommy Cooper, Eric Morcambe and Bob Monkhouse and was therefore able to recognise how well they were portrayed on stage. Bob, well spoken and calm, Eric the often silly one visually and verbally, and Tommy, well he was just Tommy getting hilarious laughter from, quite truthfully, being unfunny.

The actors could not have been more perfect in their roles even down to body and facial and expressions which we had probably forgotten, I could almost believe our comedy legends were there before us once again. This may not have been the case for younger members of the audience who might have found this type of comedy rather tame compared to the polished comedians of today. But these long departed guys had the ability to fire witty comebacks and quips off the cuff and quite literally had funny bones.

Tommy (Damian Williams) was first on stage and I kid you not, he was wearing briefs and a vest. As with Cooper himself, we couldn’t help but laugh just to see him standing there looking bemused in a huge pair of chicken feet. As he took them off he quipped that his feet smelled foul and from that point on the flood gates were open.

Next on stage came Bob (Simon Cartwright), and finally Eric (Bob Golding), all seeming surprised to see each other in the dressing room prior to a show. To tell you any more would be to spoil your enjoyment of this clever, witty and nostalgic journey back to the golden years of comedy. As I laughed I also felt the odd moment of sadness as we could see Tommy sharing a bottle of Whiskey with his friends and taking medication along the way. Eric too reminded us of his impending demise with the odd grimace of pain as he rubbed his left arm.

During the interval we were invited to write down questions for the actors. The second half was an interesting, funny and quite delightful interaction with the audience as the cast, back on the stage as themselves, gave us further insight into the lives of the men they portray. They all had a particular connection with their comic hero, especially Simon who knew Bob personally for many years and spent long periods of time chatting with him.

I am not sure that those much younger would take as much from this show as older generations but I do not doubt they would enjoy it immensely. It far exceeded my expectations and I would watch it again without hesitation. I would urge you to see it as, let’s face it we could do with some laughter and levity during this time of seeming chaos.

I would love to tell you more but it is better to go in cold and I guarantee you will come away warmed by memories of this past era of golden comedy.