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Wilko: Death, Love and Rock n Roll - Greasepaint and Stage Lights - Theatre Radio Show

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Wilko: Death, Love and Rock n Roll

Wilko: Love, Death and Rock N Roll
Leicester Square Theatre
Review Complete
“Dr Feelgood fans will feel good after this excellent show”
4th July 2025
 

Plot:
Wilko Johnson comes from Canvey Island, and after small beginnings he makes his mark in the pub rock industry by realising the spark his band have to bring to the world must be entirely authentic to them. Wilko is an imperfect man who makes many bad decisions, but after a cancer diagnosis of terminal cancer, he fights to accomplish things he never thought he could before.

Set:
The set was very beautiful with Moroccan and eclectic rugs lining the floor. There were real-life amps and cables for the cast’s instruments which added to the vibe, and the general atmosphere of the place was akin to a music recording room. The set never changed, though since so much of the play was set in musical environments there was not much need to. There were some minor props but for the most part characters used costume changes to signify setting and context.

‘Dr Feelgood: The band to make me love the harmonica’
 
Review:
Wilko: Love, death and rock ‘n’ roll. What can I say about this play? Like the lives and existences of all rock stars, do not expect perfection. There is nobody in the play who I myself would deem extremely likeable, as none of the characters are without their sins. This is of course expected from a narrative centred around a pub rock band, however I found it difficult as an audience member to sympathise at times when you have effectively been watching the characters dig their own graves. The music was mostly brilliant if repetitive at times, though the die-hard Dr Feelgood fans seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the experience.



I myself have had no run-ins with Wilko Johnson or Dr Feelgood, so I was going in very blind. The play is essentially a biography on how Wilko Johnson came to be an artist, as well as the struggles and joys he faced in life leading up to a terrifying survival prognosis of only one year. Wilko (played by Johnson Willis) is quite a philosophical person, with the ability to rhapsodise where others would merely explain. Through the play, Wilko speaks poetically on his appreciation and fascination with numerous facets of life, a perspective that puts you at peace.
Though as he gains traction, an uglier side to his personality starts to surface that not only makes his start to sound like a broken record but also rather whiny. Wilko is evidently selfish, unfaithful and extremely self-centred and the play at times feels stagnant due to his lack of character development. The play itself has a small cast of five with lots of multi-roling, this helps to give the play a small community feel as a lot of it is set in Canvey Island. Johnson Willis did an exemplary job at playing Wilko and added so many colours to the portrayal. Possibly my favourite character however was Irine Knight, Wife to Wilko, who was played by Georgina Fairbanks. She was beautiful, free-spirited and very spunky, to a point where I was far more interested in her than anyone else.
 


The pacing of the show was slightly strange at times, though I feel this was mostly in the first act. The script seemed to go into a lot of detail in some things, but not enough detail in others. For example, it was never really mentioned just how popular Dr Feelgood became, so I was left wondering if they meant popular in some cities or complete world-tour status. There were some particularly poignant moments especially in the second act that were really food for thought. I give my props to Jonathon Maitland who managed to encapsulate the many sides to the inevitable and how many choose to embrace them in spite of fear.

If you enjoy the likes of Elvis, the blues, or just 70’s rock in general then I believe this play is for you. Although it was not a musical, the cast were live instrumentalists and performed covers throughout the show. I particularly would like to thank Jon House who played Lee Brilleaux for showing me what true harmonica mastery sounds like; I thought I hated the harmonica but turns out I only hate it when played by Bob Dylan (controversial, I know.) Jon House did a brilliant job with his character, having a fairly hard shell yet still obviously caring about those around him as well as being immensely talented both dramatically and musically. There was a short period of technical difficulty with the show having to be stopped mid-way through the first act, and while this was mildly frustrating I doubt it would be an issue for further performances.



I really liked this play. I admit I did not enjoy it as much as the fans familiar with Wilko Johnson as they were truly making the most of the experience by clapping and cheering to every song, but I still drew enjoyment nonetheless. The play itself did not particularly make me want to learn more about the world or work of Wilko Johnson but I believe this is due to personal preference in music rather than anything the play did to deter me.

Reviewer:  Claudia Lynch

Photography: Nick Haeffner

We are Gifted tickets so that in return we may give an honest review. All comments are those of the reviewer and theirs alone.
Greasepaint and Stage Lights

Email: musicals@btinternet.com
website: www.greasepaintandstagelights.co.uk
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