I was fortunate enough to see Wilko Johnson, self-proclaimed ‘rock god’ and former guitarist of Dr Feelgood, the Essex fathers of punk rock, at Ealing Blues Festival in 2022. Up close to the stage his joy at being alive and in the moment was potent; sadly he passed away a few months later.
Jonathan Maitland‘s ‘play with music’, Wilko – Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll is a celebration of the remarkable story and spirit of Wilko Johnson (born John Wilkinson and played here by the remarkable Johnson Willis – keep up at the back there!).
It’s part jukebox musical, part interior monologue, and deals with Wilko looking back on his life after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2012 with up to a year to live.
An intelligent and reflective man (he studied English literature at university and was deeply interested in astronomy), he was determined to forego treatment and make the most of the time he had left.
With both domestic vignettes and musical performances (led by the charismatic Jon House embodying the spirit of Lee Brilleaux, ‘like the pad but not spelt the same’), Wilko is an uneven and unusual as the man himself.
Director Dugald Bruce-Lockhart allows Willis to shine and the other cast members (David John, Georgina Fairbanks, Georgina Field, and House) to contribute memorable moments as a variety of characters.
As Wilko meets Irene (an excellent Fairbanks), finds his musical calling, marries young, tries teaching, but finds being a speed-taking rebel much more satisfying, the play opens out in a variety of ways.
Not shying from his selfishness and infidelity, while noting his songwriting ability (“The Sound of the City” gets a blistering live version), Wilko offers a portrait of a complex man who quotes poetry and is delighted by a moment where sunshine shines through the falling snow.
James Stokes’s lighting design is almost ethereal at times, while offering the intimacy of a gig in the live numbers (David John – there are a lot of Johns in this production – and Georgina Field play the other members of Dr Feelgood’s iconic quartet, Big Figure and Sparko).
As Wilko Johnson lived ten years after diagnosis, it’s clear that he was incredibly lucky and able to be given a new lease of life. The second act of Wilko heads into hallucination territory at times, as befits a man both facing death and able to sustain a week awake on drugs in his younger days.
Maitland clearly appreciates the man and the music without resorting to hagiography. If you like the music of Dr. Feelgood, there is a smattering of numbers throughout, including “Roxette” and “Riot in Cell Block Number Nine,” and the music is LOUD.
There’s a sense of the fun in Wilko Johnson, whether miming in Ian Dury’s band, offering his famous gunplay with his guitar, or bantering with the band. He speaks with wonder about “Heart of Darkness” (inspired by Essex) and has pride in his dropped aitches.
I enjoyed this play’s scattergun approach. You may need to be a fan to appreciate the music (I was sitting next to a couple where he was a Feelgood fan and she was unsure, but by the end she was converted), but the theme of life, love, death is universal.
4 stars.
Here’s a curtain call clip captured last night.
Wilko continues at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 19 Apr with tickets here.
Image credit: Mark Sepple