FringeReview UK 2025
Wilko: Love and Death and Rock and Roll
Canvey Rock Productions
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: Southwark Playhouse: The Borough
Festival: FringeReview UK
Low Down
Wilko Johnson’s story – told with great wit, great music and serious undertones that fully live up to the title.
Review
This musical biography of Wilko Johnson, the Dr. Feelgood guitarist (and erstwhile mute executioner in Game of Thrones) hinges around a peculiar and life enhancing cancer. It transforms the play into a meditation on love and death. Wilko Johnson (Johnson Willis) says that his terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, his 8 -10 month, maybe a year to live prognosis, gave him a zing, and electrical thrill up and down his spine. But it’s not many people who receive a terminal diagnosis only to have a cancer surgeon pal at one of their “final” concerts taking pictures and thinking hmmm this guy looks remarkably well for someone ostensibly at the end of life.
But to call the play just a meditation on lover and death does it wrong. It’s got music, loud, energetic De Feelgood music played live (and well) by the cast, it’s got wit and humour and intelligence, it’s got narrative and pace, glued together will a lot of conflict and joy, it’s got structure and absorbing storytelling. It doesn’t paper over Wilko’s flaws but keeps the audience onside rooting for this sometimes very difficult man – put bluntly he could be a difficult bastard at times.
Wilko narrates the play, a forceful and entirely believable portrayal – the fact that Johnson Willis looks like the guy is pretty impressive, this is a strong dramatic illusion. He inhabits the part like the force of nature force of nature that Wilko was with pathos, anger and a huge sensitivity to literature and the world.
The supporting cast play a number of roles from doctors and specialists, older parents as well as playing drums, bass and being a lead singer. It’s a tribute to the actors and the direction that this never falls apart, never feels forced.
A little bit of disclosure – I last saw Wilko in Dr Feelgood at the Roundhouse in 1974. I told this to the woman I was queuing at the bar with – “My god”, she said, “I was only two years old then. “ It was, shall we say, an older demographic for the most part, so I’m guessing that a number of them were fans, so the play had to work on a kind of tribute band level, as well as a dramatic level and on a philosophical life and death level – it’s quite a tall order to pull this off, to stay entertaining and funny as well as with hits of profundity. David Maitland’s script , the ensemble – the music and the cast pull it off without any bare patches or lag.
Essentially Wilko narrates his own life, giving way to the band or to dramatics that fade in and out. Not seamlessly – that’s not the point – they are the full-on punctuations of his life and are rounded or sharp as needed The writing is tight and spare – there are no flabby pauses or inessential speech.
Wilko’s wife, his child heart sweetheart and the love of his life, was played with spirit and grace. Georgina Fairbanks brought just the right mix of a little naivety and strength, (as well as doubling up as Sparko the bass player, talented stuff ) There’s one part where Wilko says something to her which he thought she would be pleased by. No reasonable person would have been pleased by what he said, the band weren’t pleased with what he said and he was put out and upset by their reaction. It’s played well with comedy and strength.
That it’s a musical show takes things to another level. The band are identifiable characters in their own right. Jon House as Lee Brilleaux, the charismatic lead singer, is, well, a strong and charismatic lead singer on the stage. David John as the Big Man – the drummer kept the beat rolling.
There is a story behind Wilko and Dr Feelgood – things didn’t end well between him and Lee Brilleaux, and you find out why – this show isn’t a hagiography but nor does it revel in a warts and all expose of all the bad stuff. The show’s strength lies in it seeing an undoubtedly talented and an undoubtedly difficult man against the background of love and death. Lee had his comeback as a ghost (in real life he died in his forties before they were reconciled) -his signature white suit ideal for the both the real and the dead man.
And did I say it was funny? It was very funny, great jokes and humour ran through the show, entirely in context, part of the story. It had great rock and roll, it had a story to tell, and it did it right. The audience loved it – there was a standing ovation, and two encores from the band – a terrific way to end the evening. It worked on all the levels – a serious play, a comedy, a tribute – a slice of rock and roll life played out before you.
