"The Last Laugh", comedy of yesteryear at the Birmingham Alex
If you yearn for the comedy of yesteryear, “The Last Laugh” currently playing at the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre is the perfect tonic. Direct from the West End, this is a brand new play by the award winning playwright Paul Hendy, which depicts jokes and stories from comedy greats Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse.
I spoke to Bob Golding who has played his comedy hero in various guises over the last sixteen years. “It is the biggest honor of my career so far to play my hero Eric Morecambe,” Bob said.
Bob then carried on to explain the premise of the play.
“It is a fictional piece, so these things probably didn’t happen, but possibly could have done. Imagine if you will three of our most iconic comedians meeting in a dressing room before their respective gigs. So what would they talk about and how would they react to each other?”
He continued, “There is lots of comedy and laughter involved and even some songs. It becomes quite poignant towards the end of the play and tugs on the heartstrings too. We are covering a really good night out at the theatre. “
The play is 80 minutes long, and then there is a question and answer session for the audience to find out more about the characters and the actors themselves.
Bob continued, “We love the Q and A session and it goes down really well. After sixteen years of playing Eric, I have gathered so many stories and anecdotes, met loads of people who knew him in person and had the support of his family, so that makes it a rich evening of entertainment as well as the play.”
“Paul Hendy has written a really beautiful piece reminding us of that era of comedy,” he said. “It could be about any three comedians from diametrically opposite corners, but when Paul Hendy wrote the play, he knew that I had performed as Eric Morecambe, Damien Williams who plays Tommy Cooper had performed in a piece called “Being Tommy Cooper” and I directed Simon Cartwright in his one man play, “The Man Called Monkhouse” so Paul knew he had these three characters to base the whole play on.”
“The Last Laugh” has just toured in New York and suffice to say, American audiences see things a little differently to us Brits.
“None of the audiences in New York had the same affection for Eric, Tommy and Bob, but it proved to us that we had a play which was good enough to still get great reviews and an understanding and respect from the audiences and regular standing ovations. We were getting laughs in different places that you would do in the UK and the audiences were very warm. We are very proud of that journey, “ Bob said.
The research to play such characters never ends. “Almost every year there is always stuff out there that you didn’t know and unseen footage about all three of the characters,” said Bob.
He doesn’t consider himself an impressionist however.
Bob Golding is a respected, well known voice over artist, having provided voices for a huge spectrum of characters, from “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” to best-loved children’s characters, Max and Milo from “The Tweenies.”
“We are not impersonating the characters, but rather trying to capture the spirit of the comedians. As a voice over artist, I really wanted to get the rhythms of Eric’s voice right, as much as I could. The music of the voice is very important and also the physicality. Eric was very physical, so I had to learn all the little quirky movements he had and how he would hold himself,” said Bob.
Bob laughed, “ and I have had to learn the paper bag trick, which every father on this planet should learn that tick as a parental skill!”
He continued, “Eric was the silly uncle you took the mickey out of over the dinner table, which gave him such a charm, and it is amazing how many women found that really attractive,” he laughed!
Eric was of course part of the famous double act Morecambe and Wise. “We do mention Ernie in the play,” said Bob. “The only reason he is not in it is because I did a one man play about Eric and without giving too much away, it is relevant to the story and the journey where Eric is headed.”
All three actors are taking their roles very seriously, despite the comedic content.
“We are aware we are sitting on the coattails of absolute geniuses here and Paul Hendy wanted to write a love letter to these three and that is exactly what the play is,” said Bob.
Interestingly, Bob is philosophical about the comedy of today. “I think we become very protective of our generations and believe that our generation was the best. Life has to progress, and if something makes you laugh, then it's comedy!”
In conclusion Bob said, “It’s a great night out at the theatre. In fact some people have come back again because they want to see the stuff they missed because there is so much detail in it.”
So whether you are a fan of the yesteryear comedians or just enjoy a really good play, “The Last Laugh” is guaranteed to entertain.
Catch “The Last Laugh” at the Birmingham Alex from July 22-26. For tickets visit www.atgtickets.com or call 0333 009 6690.
