Three of Britain's most loved, all-time greatest comedy heroes will be reunited in a brand new play opening at Milton Keynes Theatre next Tuesday (July 8).
The Last Laugh stars Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe, Damian Williams as Tommy Cooper and Simon Cartwright as Bob Monkhouse who all reprise their roles following sell-out Edinburgh and West End runs.
Filled with great gags and touching stories, this is nostalgic and poignant, and our most anticipated show of the season.
The work has been written and produced by Paul Hendy, who you might well know as a familiar face on the small screen - he has been a reporter on ITV staple This Morning, and his work as a host includes Wheel of Fortune and Don't Try This At Home.
But that was then - he has since issued two novels, presented a late night phone-show for LBC, and set up Evolution Productions, which produces film and theatre at home, and abroad.
The Last Laugh, which will enjoy a five day stay in the new city this week, is a real passon project, as he told Total MK...
The Last Laugh isn't a new work for you, but can you tell us where this idea first came from?
I’ve always been obsessed with comedy, in particular comedy from this era – the 1970s and 80s – what I call the golden age of British television.
I grew up loving these comedians and I’ve always been slightly obsessed with what makes something, or somebody, funny. I just wanted to write a piece that examines that idea – why is this joke funnier than that joke? Can you make this joke a little funnier? - and the difference in the way these comedians approached their comedy. There was always a seed of an idea there for me.
And how soon you thought, 'this is going somewhere'?
I initially made it as a short film, and the film did very well on the film festival circuit – it won lots of different awards around the world, so I knew I had something.
I then wrote it as a play and took it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the response was overwhelming. There was such a wave of love and warmth from the audience in every show.
People of our age grew up with those three legends on our screens at the weekend, their catchphrases and comedy in our minds. They were the fabric of their genre, weren't they? What made them so special in your mind, and what was their USP?
Tommy Cooper was undoubtedly a funny man. It was innate, he had funny bones, he couldn’t help but be funny, which I think was a curse at some points. Tommy was a comedy genius, a one off.
Eric Morecambe (who was my personal favourite) is once again a very natural, gifted comedian, but he needed comedy writers, and knew he needed comedy writers, but still knew what funny was.
Bob Monkhouse was at the other end of the scale, not necessarily a naturally funny man, but a real student of comedy, and he would really explore a joke and what makes something funny. He was very analytical, and he in his own way was a brilliant comedy mind.
I think they all knew what great comedy was, and were just funny guys, and that’s why we all love them as a nation – we need comedy, we need people to be funny.
You are in the same industry as they were - what did you learn from them?
Everything! I grew up watching them from a very early age, when I was 6 or 7-years old, and I thought that’s what I want to do when I’m older.
I remember watching them and laughing, and looking around the living room at my mum and dad and grandparents, and thinking wow, how are they doing this? How are they making all of us laugh?
I also learnt the idea that you have to work very hard – I read all their biographies when I was young and realised it doesn’t just happen, you have to put the hours in, which they certainly did.
And did you ever meet them directly?
I didn’t meet Eric or Tommy, but I did meet Bob Monkhouse. Believe it or not, I was on ‘Celebrity Squares’ many years ago, with Bob Monkhouse as the host.
He was so lovely to me. I was such a big fan. I had taken his autobiography along and asked him to sign it for me, and he wrote, “To Paul, from your number one fan, Bob Monkhouse” – I’ve still got that book now, 25-years later.
He also wrote, “My life is in your hands”, which I remember thinking, that’s very clever, because I was holding his autobiography.
Are you surprised that The Last Laugh was so well received not just here, but abroad...
I was surprised to be honest. The reaction has been overwhelming and quite emotional. I knew I had something, and I knew I was tapping into something which a certain demographic love.
I think a lot of people look back at that period and think it was better in those days - whether it was or not, who knows - but I knew people would like the nostalgia of it, and the poignancy of it.
Paul Hendy
I understand you are currently working on the script with the intention of turning it into a feature film. You work across many disciplines, but how different is adapting the script now, compared to the work you've already done with the piece?
It’s very different, as it’s a completely different medium, but because The Last Laugh started off as a 20-minute short film, I know it can work on film as well.
For me its coming full circle. It is a different discipline, but ultimately it is the same piece about these three great comedians, and I know people will enjoy it. I’m really looking forward to that challenge.
Who would you like to portray the trio in a feature film, if you could have anyone at all?!
The absolutely truth is I wouldn’t have anyone else – I would only cast Damian Williams, Simon Cartwright and Bob Golding. They are these characters. It was written for them – they were the original actors in the short film, they went to Edinburgh, they did the West End and are now doing the UK tour.
Even if Tom Cruise said, “I want to play Tommy Cooper”, I’d say no.
Finally, for those who haven't seen the show (or the earlier film), how would you sell it? Plug The Last Laugh!
The Last Laugh is for anybody who loves comedy and appreciates the great comedians and history of comedy, but it’s also a touching story. I think it makes people think of their families, remembering a time of watching these comedians with their loved ones.
It’s a lot more emotional than you think it’s going to be.
Ultimately if you like comedy and want a great night out, then you’ll enjoy this.
To book tickets, visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-last-laugh/milton-keynes-theatre/
