one4review | On 19, Aug 2026

Few British comedians created a character as instantly recognisable as Tommy Cooper. The fez, the booming voice, the physical awkwardness and the apparently effortless ability to make a complete mess of even the simplest magic trick remain instantly familiar. The Very Best of Tommy Cooper – Just Like That! sets out to recreate that unique combination of comedy and magic, and does so with considerable success.

The production itself is nicely judged. An off-stage introduction, delivered in the style of a northern social club, immediately evokes the world in which Cooper might have performed. The music then strikes up for his grand entrance, but Cooper is nowhere to be seen. Instead, from off stage, comes the unmistakable sound of him banging on his dressing-room door and shouting for someone to let him out. It is a wonderfully appropriate introduction to a show built around a comedian whose speciality was making things go spectacularly wrong.

Daniel Taylor’s performance is the real strength. He captures Cooper’s appearance, voice, mannerisms and distinctive timing remarkably well, and carries the show with an ease that makes the demanding task of sustaining a one-man performance look deceptively simple.

The material draws on Cooper’s familiar repertoire of jokes, wordplay, routines and magic, and there is considerable pleasure in seeing those routines recreated with such affection. It also serves as a reminder that behind Cooper’s apparent incompetence was a highly accomplished magician and performer: making a trick look as though it has gone disastrously wrong requires rather more skill than actually getting it right.

At 90 minutes, however, the show perhaps outstays its welcome slightly. The succession of routines inevitably becomes somewhat repetitive towards the end, and I suspect a tighter hour would have left the audience wanting more.

Nevertheless, this is a lovingly staged and very convincing recreation of one of Britain’s great comedy characters. Taylor captures the great man beautifully, and there is plenty here to enjoy.

****

Reviewed by Howard
Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House

Until 31st August