Performance

Venue	Theatre Royal Windsor
	Also: Windsor Picturehouse
Town	Windsor
County	Berkshire
From	30th January 2007
To	3rd February 2007
Theatre Royal Windsor (V742)
Current/Future Listings
Listings Archive

The Last Laugh

Work:: The Last Laugh (S1411749478)

In this hilarious and moving satire, a beleaguered comedy troupe writer who, obliged by law to submit his latest script for government approval, has to go toe-to-toe with a newly appointed hard-nosed government censor. As he diligently attempts to rework his play, incorporating the censor's multitudinous and unconventional edits, the most unlikely partnership starts to flourish and the men become engaged in a 'conspiracy of two', crafting the funniest play they can imagine, whilst the spectre of the outside world threatens to destroy everything.

Author

Richard Harris (adapted from an original play by Koki Mitani)

Production:: (T01422191633)

Producer	Bill Kenwright (in association with PARCO company limited Tokyo)
Director	Bob Tomson
Design	Michael Pavelka
Lighting	Mark Henderson
Sound	Brian Spence
Performer	Martin Freeman (The Writer)
Performer	Roger Lloyd-Pack (The Censor)

Listing:: L739936245

Reviews

UK Theatre Web: 06Feb07:
I am contributing this article from Japan. As I am interested in the future of this play in UK, I would like to keep watching carefully English theater fansf response to this play. Mr. Kouki Mitani originally wrote this funny playfs script. The original Kouki Mitani's script is based upon the story of Mr. Sakae Kikutani , the scenarist. Who wrote many comedy scripts for the famous comedy actor Mr. Kenichi Enomoto i.e.gChaplin, Charliehin Japan. When Mr. Kenichi Enomoto was confered a decoration in 1950, he said that This decoration was not given to me but to the Mr. Sakae Kikutanifs great scenarios. During the World War II, in Japan the government suppressed scriptwriters harshly for fear lest the comedies would spread of the lazy atmosphere. Mr. Sakae Kikutani fought this harsh censorship with incredible patience and managed the theatrical company in those gPassion@periodh. But he was conscripted for military service and eventually become fallen soldier in China during the World War II. http://www.plib.net.pref.aomori.jp/top/museum/sakka/SAKKA50_PRO/‹e’J‰hPRO.HTML So for me, The Last Laugh is not a comedy but very special tragicomedy. This was put on the play in Russia successfully. I thought that Russian people experienced the same severe censorship in the past. I guess that is one of the reasons why they could understand this tragicomedy correctly. Thank you reading the foreignerfs strange English to the end. And hope that English fans would enjoy this funny play to their heart's content.

User Reviews

USER (06Feb07): I am contributing this article from Japan. As I am interested in the future of this play in UK, I would like to keep watching carefully English theater fansf response to this play. Mr. Kouki Mitani originally wrote this funny playfs script. The original Kouki Mitani's script is based upon the story of Mr. Sakae Kikutani , the scenarist. Who wrote many comedy scripts for the famous comedy actor Mr. Kenichi Enomoto i.e.gChaplin, Charliehin Japan. When Mr. Kenichi Enomoto was confered a decoration in 1950, he said that This decoration was not given to me but to the Mr. Sakae Kikutanifs great scenarios. During the World War II, in Japan the government suppressed scriptwriters harshly for fear lest the comedies would spread of the lazy atmosphere. Mr. Sakae Kikutani fought this harsh censorship with incredible patience and managed the theatrical company in those gPassion@periodh. But he was conscripted for military service and eventually become fallen soldier in China during the World War II. http://www.plib.net.pref.aomori.jp/top/museum/sakka/SAKKA50_PRO/‹e’J‰hPRO.HTML So for me, The Last Laugh is not a comedy but very special tragicomedy. This was put on the play in Russia successfully. I thought that Russian people experienced the same severe censorship in the past. I guess that is one of the reasons why they could understand this tragicomedy correctly. Thank you reading the foreignerfs strange English to the end. And hope that English fans would enjoy this funny play to their heart's content.

CORONAVIRUS: All venues in the UK were shut down on March 16, 2020, and the restrictions were finally lifted on July 19, 2021. It is important to mention that the UK Theatre Web archive listings (iUKTDb) from March 2020 to July 2021 might not be accurate due to the lack of information regarding rescheduled and cancelled shows.