REVIEW - Just Like That! The Tommy Cooper Show, Hambledon Productions, Embassy Theatre Skegness, Thursday 24th April 2025 - *****
- theatrereviews
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
Let's be brutally honest. When it comes to tribute shows, the strength of any production depends on just one thing: whether the performer or performers recreate the act to a satisfactory, and therefore successful, level. By and large, it’s all tried-and-tested material, so a fair element of risk has already been put to bed, and there's also some solace for the performer in that the audience, again by and large, will have nothing but good intentions; i.e. you’re not going to pay to see a Tommy Cooper tribute show unless you're already a fan of Tommy Cooper.
Especially unique about this particular subject matter is that everyone, again by and large, has actually done a Tommy Cooper impression. Who (over a certain age maybe) has passed up an opportunity to say the words “just like that” in that distinctively gravelly drawl? And also, who hasn’t seen a fez and instantly thought of Britain’s favourite comedy magician? Or should that be magical comedian? For Tommy Cooper truly was a one-off, and that is perhaps the biggest hurdle that Lincs-born John Hewer has to overcome.
Hewer’s certainly put the time in. The show, titled Just Like That! The Tommy Cooper Show has been running since 2014, with frequent visits to London, and continuous UK-wide tours. Word is that the show is about to embark on to cruise ships. It’s a two-act, near-two-hour-long assault on the chuckle muscles, with Hewer now firmly at ease wearing the fez, twirling his unkempt hair from underneath it, and recreating all the ‘nervous tics’, the lumbering walk, and the energy through to the fingertips that helped make Cooper such a recognisable and iconic performer. With hands outstretched, and standing a similar height and build to the Welsh-born giant, Hewer has mastered the impersonation and has the greater skill of extending the impression beyond just a catchphrase and a series of jokes, to a faithful and often surreal replica of Tommy’s treasured stage act.
It's all here. The misfiring magic, the quick one-liners, the rambling stories (a couple of which wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Ronnie Corbett tribute!), and timeless classics such as the duck/card routine, spoon and jar and, of course, bottle/glass/glass/bottle. There are some musical interludes too, evoking memories for some audience members of bygone times catching Tommy Cooper at their local social clubs, in those halcyon days of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Hewer’s Cooper is undoubtedly youthful, sometimes even appearing to almost dance across the stage between the props tables and the mockingly simplistic star-cloth, but then again, the television lens could often confine and contain Cooper; on stage, Hewer has free rein to work the space, as well as work the audience.
The songs, beautifully sung by Erin Ramsay (‘La Vie En Rose’ and ‘Dream a Little Dream Of Me’) may appear shoehorned in, but these are clearly here to enable both Hewer and ourselves to catch our breath. What struck me, in particular, is how surreal Cooper’s act could be: at one point, Hewer picks up a magic prop, takes the time to showcase it to us from various angles, before side-stepping it completely by discarding it over his shoulder. Equally impressive is the number of magic tricks that actually go right. It keeps us guessing - we genuinely applaud if it goes right, and we crease up if it goes wrong. Only Hewer (or Cooper himself) could tell us which he'd prefer as an audience response.
The show never outstays its welcome, unless, I imagine, you’re not a Cooper fan. But even so, it would be hard not to have your heart warmed or your funny bone tickled by Hewer’s antics. This is timeless stuff; inoffensive, and gleefully silly. With a good audience, as was evident in Skegness, in the suitably low-key, relaxed upstairs cabaret space, there’s no funnier way to spend an evening.
For more information on 'Just Like That!' and to see when it's next touring, please click on the link below.
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