The Last Laugh, a comedic play that reimagines the lives of three of Britain’s comedy heroes—Eric Morecambe, Bob Monkhouse, and the fez-wearing magician Tommy Cooper—has finished its West End run and is now touring throughout the U.K.
The premise of the play sees Morecambe, Monkhouse, and Cooper sharing a dressing room before a show. According to a review in The Guardian, “there is no plot, there are no narrative surprises, just chat and banter among the threesome about their lives and the nature of comedy. Oh, and jokes. Lots of—usually terrific—jokes.”
The Last Laugh is written and directed by Paul Hendy, and stars Bob Golding as Morecambe, Simon Cartwright as Monkhouse, and Damian Williams as Cooper. The Guardian also praised Williams’ performance as Cooper, saying that the actor “need only gather his awkward bulk and peer haughtily down from under his fez, and we’re laughing.”
The production is touring the U.K. until at least August 31, 2025, when it will end its week-long run at The Grand Theatre in Blackpool. It’s also scheduled to head to New York City, though the details and timing of that were not released by the time this column went to print.