I’ve been to hundreds of gigs over my lifetime and have gotten to see most the acts I wanted to including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan but one of the few regrets I have that I never got to see Dr Feelgood in their pomp. One of the reasons they stood out from their peers in the pub rock, pre-punk era of the early seventies was their amazing guitarist Wilko Johnson (born John Wilkinson) whose mesmerising stage presence and ability to play both lead and rhythm at the same time made him a guitar hero in an era of great guitarists. He left the band he helped form in Canvey Island after falling out with singer Lee Brilleaux (born Lee Collinson) and went on to play with other bands including Ian Dury & The Blockheads before going solo. He also acted in Game Of Thrones as the mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne before being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given a short time to live. However due to the intervention of a doctor who was a fan of his, he was operated on and recovered to live longer than he was expected to before dying in 2022. Johnson’s life was the epitome of sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll and it’s now being told in Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ’n’ Roll, a play with music.
Originally performed at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ’n’ Roll Johnson is played superbly by Johnson Willis (it’s a bit like casting someone called Loman Wilson to play Willie Loman) who has captured Johnson’s nasal Canvey Island twang and guitar playing perfectly although at times he doesn’t quite get Johnson’s manic stage presence but that may have been because the guitarist was high on speed most of the time. He’s aided and abetted by Jon House who is perfect as Brilleaux, David John who plays Dr Feelgood drummer Big Figure (born John Martin) and (gender bending casting) Georgina Field as Sparko the band’s bassist (born John Sparks – there were three Johns in the band and Collinson’s middle name was John!). Apart from playing as part of the band, they also play a variety of roles as does the fifth member of the cast Georgina Fairbanks who mainly appears as Irene Knight, Wilco’s first love and wife.
The play itself is mainly told by Johnson addressing the audience and telling his story so there’s a lot of exposition and explaining which makes it all a bit episodic. To break this up there are short vignettes of incidents in his life as well as the occasional song where the band recreate the unique Dr Feelgood sound.
If you don’t know about Wilko Johnson and his amazing life, then Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ’n’ Roll will certainly tell you all you need to know – warts and all. If you are a fan of the man and the band then this is the show for you. It’s not perfect and could do with a bit of a trim – the second act is a bit strange and rambling – I’m not sure what the scene about his trip to Japan was all about. At times it’s a cross between a gig and a TED talk – as Johnson himself says “it’s an illustrated lecture” and at times it does feel a bit like it. But on the whole, it’s very entertaining way of telling the tale of an extraordinary if very flawed man, husband and musician.
Review by Alan Fitter
A name that resonates with rock music enthusiasts and beyond, Wilko Johnson, the iconic rock star and co-founder of legendary band Dr Feelgood, was told he had one year to live in 2012. Refusing all treatment, he decided to spend his last months living meaningfully: seeing the people, places and things which meant most to him during his remarkable life… until a miracle happened. Delving deep into the life and times of this rock ‘n’ roll maverick, from his time with Dr Feelgood and Ian Dury and the Blockheads as one of the godfathers of the punk movement, to his acting career in Game of Thrones, the play blends live music, storytelling, and words from the Canvey Island legend himself, in a lesson in how to live life to the fullest.
Georgina Fairbanks – Irene Knight
Georgina Field – Sparko
Jon House – Lee Brilleaux
David John – Big Figure
Johnson Willis – Wilko Johnson
Jonathan Maitland – Writer
Dugald Bruce Lockhart – Director
Nicolai Hart-Hansen – Designer
James Stokes – Lighting Designer
Simon Slater – Sound Designer
WILKO: LOVE AND DEATH AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
Southwark Playhouse Borough
20 March to 19 April 2025
