(Last Laugh, Cambridge Arts Theatre, 1959)

This is my mind is one of the best reversals of sterotypical character roles I have ever seen.

It is a scene based in a police station, where Mister Prone has turned up to hand himself in for a murder he has just committed. But the reversal comes inthe way it is played the police officer is attempt to slime his way out of arresting the man like a criminal would when accused of a crime and the criminal is attempt to corner the police men into arresting him.

It tracks the relationship perfectly

Stage one:
Criminal informing policeman of the horrible murder.
Police man upset and shocked by the crime.

Stage two:
Criminal asking the policeman to justify movements.
Policemen being arkward and avoiding questions.

Stage three:
Criminal accuses the policeman of wittness the crime as if it was him who was guilty.
Criminal: "I'm afaird the game is up. You looked through that window and say me stab Mrs Tallow"

Stage four:
Criminal gives a resones way he should be convicted, policeman blocks each one.

stage five:
Policemen kill themselfs to get out of convicting him.

Final Line: "Damm Damm, I've slipped through their fingers again."

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 29th, 2005 at 8:27 am and is filed under London Comedy Sceen, Comedians Disected. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.