On a rare sunny morning in London’s West End, in a cozy upstairs lounge at The Ivy Club, The Last Laugh held its London Launch Event.
Picked up from its Edinburgh Fringe run, Paul Hendy’s The Last Laugh will be making its West End debut at the Noël Coward Theatre in just two-weeks! This show, which is an adaptation of Hendy’s Award winning 2017 short film of the same name, is an homage to Britain’s comedy kings: Eric Morecambe, Bob Monkhouse, and Tommy Cooper. Each played by Bob Golding, Simon Cartwright, and Damian Williams. After a limited 4-week run in London, The Last Laugh will transfer to New York before re-crossing the pond for a UK tour.
The Launch Event was comprised of a breakfast, brief performance, and talk-back with the artists for press and industry professionals. After lots of milling about as half-awake attendees scrounged for cups of coffee at the bar, we settled at our tables for the morning’s program to begin. First, we were served breakfast as producer Jamie Wilson made introductions. It was complete with fresh egg sandwiches, parfaits, and mini pastries: the breakfast of comedians (minus the cigarettes and whiskey). As the sandwiches were served, Wilson announced the program’s first dead comic: Bob Monkhouse (Cartwright). Monkhouse made his way from behind the curtain and greeted the audience as he headed towards the microphone. His set was brief, charming, and mostly a roast of Wilson’s choice to produce the show.
Once the crowd was warm, Monkhouse introduced his fellow comedian, Tommy Cooper (Williams). The majority of Cooper’s set occurred as he walked to the performance area. In addition to his iconic fez, Cooper donned a pair of gigantic chicken feet. The audience was in hysterics as he legitimately struggled to walk through the dining area, kicking our bags and chairs along the way. After he finally made it to the mic and did a few jokes, Cooper introduced Eric Morecambe (Golding). Morecambe brought an ukulele with him on stage and performed a couple of silly songs whilst also continuing to bicker with the other comedians. Morecambe’s grand finale included backup vocals from his two comic colleagues and a trumpet. To conclude, the show’s writer and director, Paul Hendy, joined his actors to speak about the show.
Though simple, the jokes at the Launch Event were excellent. One particularly great moment of comedy was prior to Eric Morecambe’s entrance. The comedian peeped out from the curtain and interrupted Cooper’s set, complaining that he had not yet been introduced. This bit repeated a couple of times before Cooper finally invited his colleague to the stage. Perhaps an homage to Morecambe’s work in a double act, this simple and common comedic trope landed with the contemporary audience of breakfast eating critics.
While the program was not what audience goers will see in The Last Laugh, it gave a nice taste of the show’s style of humour and atmosphere. In his post-show remarks, Hendy promised that in addition to the light-hearted comedy we witnessed, The Last Laugh also asks more serious questions about the nature of comedy and these three comedians’ lives.
Once the program wrapped, I caught Hendy, Golding, and Williams for a brief chat.
I asked Hendy about what inspired him to write this show now. He said that he loves these comedians and felt that it was important to honor them. Hendy then gestured to Golding and Williams and continued, “They were important for all of us.” The two actors chimed in, affirming Hendy’s conviction. They felt strongly that they would not be performing if not for the legacies of the British comics that The Last Laugh aims to honour. Clearly, this show is a labour of love. If it encompasses the joy of this short breakfast, and if the reviews from Edinburgh are accurate, The Last Laugh should be a feel-good crowd-pleaser when it opens at the end of the month.
As the morning concluded, I looked in the giftbag placed on my seat. It was stuffed with a fez and spectacles, Eric Morecambe and Tommy Cooper’s calling cards. Perhaps the creative team hopes we’ll dress up as our favorite comedy legend when we attend The Last Laugh. Sadly, there were no bushy eyebrows in the bag, so I can’t go as Bob Monkhouse.
The Last Laugh plays at The Noël Coward Theatre from February 25th to March 22nd 2025.