“When I first said I wanted to be a comedian, everybody laughed. They’re not laughing now.” Bob Monkhouse’s famous quip comes to mind while watching The Last Laugh, a show where laughter is both currency and curse. Three of Britain’s greatest comedy legends - Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright), Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams), and Eric Morecambe (Bob Golding) - find themselves crammed in a dilapidated dressing room, trading gags, sweat, and desperation as they fight to outshine one another. It’s a relentless, riotous, and surprisingly poignant evening that leaves the audience howling. But the waves of laughter are never enough for the two comedians (and Bob Monkhouse). They’re desperate for the next howl, the next snort, the next bark. And when it arrives they want it again, only bigger. Then bigger still - floating on a never-ending stream of mirth. They need to make each other (and us) laugh. And it’s killing them.
Following a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and a critically acclaimed stint in Brighton, The Last Laugh is a joyous, relentless, and ultimately poignant tribute to three of Britain’s greatest comedians. It’s a show packed with gags - classic, familiar, and razor-sharp - delivered with an infectious energy that keeps the audience in fits of laughter. Red sponge balls fly, a ukulele appears, and the trio’s sweat-soaked determination to out-funny each other is as exhausting as it is exhilarating. It’s a fight to the death.
The real magic of the show lies in its dynamic. Monkhouse, ever the archivist, meticulously credits every joke like a walking comedy encyclopedia, while Morecambe and Cooper argue for delivery over authorship. “It’s easy for you,” Monkhouse tells Cooper. “You just have to stand there.” And it’s true—one bemused, slightly knowing look from Cooper, and the audience is howling. But Cooper’s reply is a moment of chilling honesty: “I have to be funny. I signed a contract with the audience. It doesn’t matter if I’m unwell, or depressed or drunk. I told them that if they go to that venue at that time on that date then they will laugh” It’s a moment that cuts through the chaos, revealing the pressure that comes with being a comedy legend.
Yet, the debate - who is funnier, the person who crafts the joke with a chisel or the person who breathes life to it on stage - is settled in real-time. The audience - belly laughing - proves that in the end, it’s the delivery that wins. These are jokes we’ve heard before, but tonight, they feel brand new. And judging by the near-endless standing ovation, The Last Laugh is a show that leaves them wanting more.
How do you create the ultimate feel-good comedy that appeals to generations? Just like this.