Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until July 5th 2025
Reviewed by Sharon Farley
5*****
Not only a brilliant homage to classic comedy, but also an interesting lens on questions within modern stand-up.
Amid the buzz of the stage lights and the hum of the crowd, the legend of Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams) emerges from the gloom, like an apparition in chicken feet. It’s a marvellous entrance, Williams (Billy Webb and Alfonso, Underneath the Arches, Laurel and Hardy) is a born entertainer, and a brave one at that. It takes real courage to don the persona of an icon like Tommy Cooper, whose very presence was his greatest comedic tool. Williams is soon joined by the equally talented Simon Cartwright (The Man Called Monkhouse, Toast of London, Howerd’s End) and Bob Golding (Twelfth Night, Hetty Feather, The Last Train to Christmas), who play the roles of Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe to perfection, with exquisitely exaggerated mannerisms that evoke the presence of these comedy greats so well one would be forgiven for thinking they had been possessed by the spirits of the men themselves. We are gifted a peek behind the public image of these characters into their personal lives too, as snippets of information emerge amid their dressing room banter.
But this isn’t just a stroll down memory lane, accessible only to those in the know, over the course of the show the trio break down the essence of each one of these classic performers, their strengths, their methods, their style, their hooks, and, of course, deliver some of their best known lines. It serves as an introduction to comedy history for the uninitiated, as the performers cover not only the careers of the stars they portray, but also several of the old guard that came before them. They raise age old questions about whether it is the writer or performer of a joke that deserves the credit; this is an interesting discussion against the background of the modern stand-up scene, where performing another comedians material is considered blatant theft. Indeed, beneath the shadow of modern stand-up, many of these lines might seem corny, but comedy, like language and society, is organic and changes its form with the times. We might consider the work of Ben Elton, The Young Ones and The Comic Strip to be a bit dated now, but at the time they burst onto our screens they were considered utterly outrageous. Yet these shocking performances stood on the shoulders of Cooper, Monkhouse and Morecambe, just as they themselves did with those that paved the way before them. That these classic lines might be considered corny now opens yet another comedy controversy on what comedians can and can’t joke about, a hot topic in the age of ‘cancel culture’; it should remind us that comedy is at its finest when it is pushing boundaries, wherever a society may choose to place them.
Another important point about the humour in this performance, which is predictably abundant, is that it is quite specifically British, a point very much underlined by the cast in the second half, when the fourth wall is torn down and the performers address the audience as themselves in a highly entertaining and informative Q&A session, guided by Richard Hodder (A Game Called Malice, Foyle’s War, Teenage Health Freak). We hear about the history of the play and each performer’s deep personal connection with their character. It is very clear that it would be difficult for any understudy to stand in for one of these three, as they each have a long history of inhabiting their chosen character, and this shows in the quality of the performance.
They also discuss the drive individuals have to become comedians and the role of entertainers in society, enabling a cohesion within the audience as a result of a shared experience, but also as an antidote to life’s difficulties. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the performers we have enjoyed, and no better homage could be paid to Cooper, Monkhouse and Morecambe than has been done in this piece, which is truly a triumph on the part of writer Paul Hendy (The Terrorist Princess, The Choice, Diary of a C-list Celeb), who originally conceived and produced the idea as a short film. When it originally appeared as a play at the Edinburgh Fringe, it repeatedly sold out. The current set and lighting are a joy to behold.
As a comedy fan, I could easily spend another hour considering the nuances of this piece and its relevance in today’s comedy scene, but you have another 10 weeks to go and let this brilliant performance ignite those sparks in your own brain as it tours the UK. It really is a gem.