TOMMY COOPER IS REBORN AT HFF 2022

Tommy Cooper: I Didn't Let You Down, Did I?

“He sat down, took a sip from a glass of brandy that he should not have been drinking, took a puff from a cigar that he should not have been smoking, and only then did he speak, “I didn’t let you down, did I?” – J. Fisher, Tommy Cooper’s Producer

Hollywood, CA, May 5th 2022. The King of British comedy comes roaring back to life in the solo show “Tommy Cooper: I Didn’t Let You Down, Did I?”. This hilarious, heartbreaking show is about addiction, love, and success, delving deep into the psychology of the famously private comedian and magician as he lingers in his dressing room before his final performance.

Tommy Cooper (played by Niek Versteeg), complete with his famous red fez, was Britain’s finest comedian, but all was not rosy in the Cooper camp. Amid deafening acclaim and quietly failing health we find Tommy backstage before his appearance on Live at Her Majesty’s on April 15th, 1984. We see him scramble to finalize his act, relive some of his classic performances, and search for his motivation to be that most accursed of things, a performer, as the curtain approaches on what will, unbeknownst to him, be his final performance. Tragically, during that appearance at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, in a show also being broadcast live on TV, Tommy Cooper died of a heart attack. The audience however did not cry at first, but burst into raucous laughter, thinking it was just the latest in his almighty arsenal of jokes. For a man who lived to make people laugh, is there anything more beautiful than that? At The Actors Company, Let Live Theater, 916 N Formosa Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046, June 4th-25th.

Cooper has forever been a part of writer Niek Versteeg’s world. As a child he would watch old videos and repeats of Tommy’s shows with his father, even attempting his own tricks on occasion. But his true fascination lay with the man behind the comedian. His struggles with alcoholism, fidelity, insecurity, and of course health. Despite all this, Tommy certainly never let him down.

“Tommy Cooper: I Didn’t Let You Down, Did I?” is written and performed by Niek Versteeg, directed by Sean Cowhig and produced by Nicole Cabbiness.

VENUE: The Actors Company – Let Live Theater. 916 N Formosa Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Saturday 6/4, 6pm (Preview)
Saturday 6/11, 10pm
Sunday 6/12, 2.30pm
Friday 6/17, 8.30pm
Saturday 6/25, 9.30pm

Running Time: 40 minutes

TICKET PRICE: $10 (Comps available upon request)

Ticket Link: hff22.co/7462

Admission Age: 13+

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM:

Niek Versteeg (Writer/Performer) – Niek Versteeg is an actor from Newcastle, England. Previous credits include Wolfblood (BBC), Waterloo Road (BBC) and Harrigan (Tall Tree Pictures). He has since trained here in Los Angeles at the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio. This is his first Hollywood Fringe.

Sean Cowhig (Director) – Sean Cowhig is an actor, director, producer, writer and improviser. His work includes the show Hell Den (SyFy). He is also part of the renowned improv group, Dr God.

Nicole Cabbiness (Producer) – Nicole Cabbiness is an actor and producer. She also trained at the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio where she met her now husband, Niek Versteeg. This is her first time producing at the Hollywood Fringe.