Eddie Braben was still writing sketches for Morecambe and Wise long after the duo's demise. He couldn't stop himself. He'd take a piece of white paper, lay it down on his desk, imagine Eric and Ernie walking onto it, and write down what they said. Perhaps unwittingly, Paul Hendy has performed the same trick again... but with an expanded cast list.

In The Last Laugh he puts Eric, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse in what appears to be the same theatre dressing room and gets them talking. The result is an ingenious, intelligent, and above all, hilarious stage show that is thoroughly entertaining and surprisingly enlightening. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Damian Williams, Simon Cartwright and Steve Royal are three very fine actors who are not just impressionists putting on a tribute act, imitating Cooper, Monkhouse and Morecambe. No, they absolutely inhabit their heroes to such an extent that you begin to believe Theatre Severn possesses a secret time portal. The voices are perfect (just close your eyes), the gestures are spot on, and the body language beautifully observed - from Cooper's square-on-stance, to Morecambe's lamb-like gamboling and Monkhouse's effeminate, pink-pullovered, elegance. And, of course, they have some great material to work with.     

All your favourite moments put in an appearance. Eric's paper bag, Tommy's blindfolded wooden duck, jokes about Des O'Connor, Bob's famous 'Golden Shot' one liners and Cooper's 'glass bottle - bottle glass' routine - only the bottle is now full of whisky which disappears. The mere mention of 'playing all the right notes' earned a round of applause - not just for its fame but for the inventive way the cast got to the punchline with no piano involved.

The architect of the show is Paul Hendy who also writes Shrewsbury's annual pantomime. His script snaps and crackles, sets up the gags and pauses for pathos. He had seen the three actors playing these characters in existing one man shows. His genius was to bring them all together. Which means they can play off each other, revealing their craft.

In Bob's case it's his dependence on his voluminous handwritten joke books, each gag analytically chiselled to perfection. Tommy is funny just standing there. Damian Williams re-enacts Cooper's famous 'come on, stand there and do nothing' routine, waiting for the audience to give in. For Eric it's his foolish enthusiasm and his generosity in sharing the lime light.

Tommy is dour. Being born funny, he doesn't find anybody else funny. Eric laughs helplessly at his own material. And Bob is driven by his fear of failure and the incessant need to revise his punchlines to perfection.

Hendy has done his homework with complete diligence and total affection. Using a white wooden gate as a centre-stage prop, each comedian walks through it in turn to earn a laugh. It's a very observant routine which beautifully pin points the three great entertainers' styles.

The first half is 80 minutes of sheer joy for anyone who reveres the comics of the day. The second half is just as funny - a Q&A with the actors which reveals why the do the same.

Finally, two foot notes : in part two, Damian Williams tells a story of Tommy Cooper ordering a 'hot' coffee in a cafe. I wonder if he's aware local legend has it that incident happened right here in Shrewsbury - years ago, when Cooper went for a coffee at the National Milk Bar between houses at the Granada?
And today happens to be Eric's 100th birthday. So you know what to sing.

Five stars

Reviewed by Chris Eldon Lee at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, on Wednesday 13 May. The Last Laugh continues to show at the venue until Saturday 16 May. It then returns to the region in the autumn, playing Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 September