Review: The Last Laugh at the Theatre Royal

The lights go up on a decrepit theatrical dressing room. Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams) is preparing his act. The lights flicker and Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright) is at the door. They flicker again and this time it is Eric Morecambe (Steve Royle). By some quirk of fate, three of Britain’s most beloved comedy giants are billed to appear at the same event. Even if they all seem a bit vague as to where this theatre actually is.

There in a nutshell is the Unique Selling Point of this play. Three real life comedians are fictionalised into a drama. Placed in a dressing room that is strangely amiss, even if no one can put their finger on why exactly. But bearing in mind Tommy Cooper literally ‘died a death’ in front of live cameras, Eric Morcambe died upon leaving the stage, and Bob Monkhouse went of a farewell tour after announcing his cancer diagnosis to the world, and you might get an idea where this is heading.

This reviewer was one of millions watching Tommy Cooper’s final TV appearance. It was horrible. He collapsed to the floor and just lay there. No one knew what was going on. Cue confused laughter from the studio audience, thinking it another of his pratfalls. If I recall correctly, hands dragged his dead body behind the curtains. Simply horrible.  

But back to The Last Laugh. A genius idea. Three of our comedy legends end up in the same dressing room, allowing them to wax lyrical on comedy, funny bones, double acts, fame and the price of life on the road and far from their wives and children.

And that’s it. No plot to speak of. Not that it needs one. The dialogue kept the audience hooked. Meticulous research transfers Cooper et al.’s words from long ago to the auditorium today. For example, Bob is still the professor of comedy, forever analysing gags and refining them. Tommy is just funny and can reduce an audience to hysteria simply by bumbling around the stage. Their most beloved jokes are reproduced too, even Cooper’s malfunctioning duck and famous white gate.

The three actors are word perfect with their performances. Each inhabits their real-life alter ego as if their ghosts were really summoned back from the comedy beyond. The twist at the end, while no surprise, tinged our laughter with tears.  

So, for any Brit of a certain age, this show is a guaranteed hit. Nostalgia personified. A chance to relive the sixties and seventies. Rapturous applause was breaking out throughout the evening.    

Let’s end with one of Bob Monkhouse’s most quoted jokes. “When I die, I want to go peacefully like my grandfather did–in his sleep. Not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car.” I thank you.

The Last Laugh plays at The Theatre Royal from Tuesday September 1^st to Saturday September 5^th 2026.