Writer: Daniel Taylor
The Very Best of Tommy Cooper is full throttle. Devised and performed by Danny Taylor with the blessing of Cooper’s family, this show never pauses for breath. All the infamous gags are there and, coupled with the hammy tricks and off-the-cuff banter, this is a really entertaining evening at the theatre.
Fans of this original hard working showman will remember his untimely death on stage filmed and watched live in front of millions. Seldom has he ever felt so alive as the appreciative audience in the main house space will attest. A towering achievement full of heart, humour and love, and with groan-like gags and calamitous magic tricks, Taylor as Cooper shows real skill.
Tommy Cooper might be ‘old hat’ for a more contemporary audience but the small crowd in Hull Truck’s main house space seemed to relish the work with laughs-a-plenty. Taylor has Tommy’s mannerisms off to a tee – a true mimic with a bright future.
Furiously funny and frantic, the late, great Tommy Cooper sadly passed away in 1984 but through this one man tour de force his memory lives on.
Proving the old ones are the best and paying homage to the comic genius this entertaining and often irreverent evening of end of pier vaudeville hits all the right notes – Just. Like. That.
Reviewed on 26th July 2023. Currently Touring.
