The Last Laugh, Ipswich Evening Star

Did the horrifying events of September 11, 2001, so change our perceptions that man's inhumanity to man can never again be a fit subject for humour? Is there now, as never before, a boundary beyond which there can be no laughing matters? In the troubled mind of failed comedian Martin Lowe - played with just the right neurotic edge by Mark Fleischmann - the answer is clear. The devastation in New York causes a total loss of confidence in his comic abilities, unleashing the demons of his unhappy past and setting him on a self-destructive path.

Working incognito as a temporary porter in a Norwich college, he meets fellow social misfit Esther Rose (wide eyed Rachel Gaffin), a dowdy bank worker by day and dowdy film buff by night. She introduces him to her great uncle Leo Rosenblum, a retired dentist with a wonderful line in wry Jewish humour, delightfully played by Roger Butcher. Martin's encounters with Leo, who is something of an amateur psychoanalyst, form the pivotal scenes of this thought-provoking and sometimes hilarious play.

It would be giving too much away to describe how Martin resolves his conflicts. Along the way there is a beautiful moment of farce involving a semi-clad lady from the stress-management class (Agnes Hutton) trapped in a wardrobe, an excellent Max Miller impression (from Andrew Cullum) and some real gems of Woody Allenesque humour.

The Yiddish music was well chosen, the clever set made for seamless scene changes and the acting from the Eastern Angles ensemble was top quality.

James Hayward - Ipswich Evening Star