Three of Britain’s all-time greatest comedy heroes – Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse – meet in a dressing room. Old friends, comedy colleagues and masters of their craft … together they pass the time, discussing the secret of life, death, and what it means to be funny… really funny!
A homage to three comedy legends and to their craftmanship The Last Laugh is a new play, written and directed by the award-winning Paul Hendy. It is based on Hendy’s short film of the same name which won ‘Best Film’ at Manchester Film Festival, ‘Special Audience Award’ at Oxford Film Festival and ‘Best Comedy Drama’ at The Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and will premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
The show stars Edinburgh Fringe legend, Bob Golding, who returns to the festival as Eric Morecambe following his performance as the comedy great in The Olivier Award winning Morecambe by Tim Whitnall, Simon Cartwright, returning to the Fringe as Bob Monkhouse following the 2015 smash hit The Man Called Monkhouse and Damian Williams, who starred in the 2013 naitonal tour Being Tommy Cooper.
Paul Hendy says: "‘I’ve always been fascinated by what makes something, or more importantly someone, funny, I wrote this piece to examine those very questions and to delve into the mechanics and intricacies behind the comedy. For me, and for many others, it seems, memories of watching these comedy greats on television as a family are seminal childhood memories. These heroes who made children, parents and grandparents all howl with laughter became gods to people like me embarking on a career in entertainment. I grew spellbound as I wondered what these three men with very different styles and approaches to comedy would say to each other about the pressure of always having to be funny… of always having to have the last laugh. As this year marks the fortieth anniversary of the deaths of great Tommy Cooper and Eric Morecambe, this play is my love letter to the golden age of comedy.’
Paul Hendy wrote, directed and produced the short film, THE LAST LAUGH which sees comedy icons, Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse, sitting in a dressing room discussing the secret of comedy and what it means to be ‘funny’. The film won several awards including Best Film at the Manchester Film Festival, the ‘Special Audience Award’ at Oxford Film Festival and ‘Best Comedy Drama’ at Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.
Since then, Paul has directed HELP MY TEACHERS ARE ALIENS (short) and MR SUNSHINE (short) as well as several commercials. In 2023, he directed and produced the short film, THE CHOICE, written by BAFTA and Olivier-award winning writer, Tim Whitnall and starring Rita Simons (EastEnders, The Krays) and Alex Macqueen (The Inbetweeners, In the Loop).
On television, Paul hosted shows such as 'The Disney Club', 'Don’t Try This At Home' with Davina McCall and 'Wheel of Fortune' (which had been running for twenty-three years until Paul hosted one series and they cancelled it!) He also hosted the BAFTA-nominated 'Dear Mr Barker' and the cult classic 'Stash the Cash'.
His novels, 'Diary Of A C-List Celeb' and 'Who Killed Simon Peters?' were published by Transworld in 2004 and 2009. They received wonderful reviews and can be currently found in the bargain bins of most reputable bookshops.
Alongside a career in writing and television, Paul has always been passionate about theatre. In 2005, he formed Evolution Productions with his wife, Emily. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength and Paul is extremely proud of their reputation for producing some of the best and most successful pantomimes in the country.
Paul has also directed and produced a UK Tour of MORECAMBE (an Award-winning one-man play about the life of Eric Morecambe) and in 2023, he directed the critically-acclaimed play, LENA at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Simon Cartwright studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and graduated with BA (Hons) in Music from Surrey University. Simon pursued a performing career as both actor and impressionist. In the late 1980’s, he made a number of appearances at THE COMEDY STORE with Alistair McGowan. Simon worked as a reporter/presenter on BBC Local Radio between 2003 and 2007. Following many TV appearances and live performances, he realised his life-long ambition of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 in THE MAN CALLED MONKHOUSE receiving critical acclaim for his solo performance. Films include MOTHER’S DAY and CLOSURE. Since 2020, Simon has been touring the UK in Mark Farrelly’s stage play, HOWERD’S END, in which he portrays the legendary British comedian, Frankie Howerd.
Bob Golding has worked extensively as a performer, writer and a director since 1989. As an actor, his stage work includes MORECAMBE (West end & 4 tours), a one man play by Tim Whitnall.(Fringe first award, Lawrence Olivier award for Best Entertainment and an Olivier award Best Actor nomination, Best Solo performer What’s on Stage Awards). His other stage appearance include EIGHT MILES HIGH (Bolton), UP ON THE ROOF (Harrogate), ONLY THE LONELY (Piccadilly and Whitehall theatres London),ELVIS THE MUSICAL), and 15 years of pantomimes at the Alban Arena, St Albans & Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton.
On screen he has starred in LAST TRAIN TO CHRISTMAS (Sky Cinema), MR SELFRIDGE (itv1), TOMMY COOPER NOT LIKE THIS, LIKE THAT ( itv1), TRYING AGAIN (Sky) PETER KAY’S BRITAIN’S GOT THE POP FACTOR 1&2 (Channel 4) and ME BEFORE YOU (MGM Films)
Damian Williams’ television appearances include roles in BILLY WEBB AND ALFONSO BONZO, THE BILL and BIRDS OF A FEATHER. He also presented DAMIAN’S ARE YOU SMARTER THAT YOUR 10-YEAR-OLD? for Sky One. Most recently, he has played Whiff in AND AND THE BAND series 1-3 and is set to film series 4. In film, he has appeared in EXAM CONDITIONS and COME TOGETHER. Damian's Musical Theatre credits include playing Edna Turnblad in HAIRSPRAY at the Leicester Curve, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, and lead roles in UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
His first love is comedy. He has had the opportunity to play Ollie in Tom McGrath’s LAUREL AND HARDY and has appeared in farces such as RUN FOR YOUR WIFE, CASH ON DELIVERY and FUNNY MONEY. With 37 years of experience as a seasoned pantomime performer, Damian started as a villain in pantomimes for eight years before transitioning to the role of Pantomime Dame for the past 29 years. He has been the resident Dame at the Sheffield Lyceum for the last 17 years and was awarded Best Pantomime Dame at The Great British Pantomime Awards.
Listings
Dates - 31st July - 25th August
Venue – Assembly George Square Studios - Studio One
ime - 13:20
Ticket prices - Tickets from £12
Days off - Monday 12th August
Buy tickets here
