Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll at Leicester Square Theatre
Wilko Johnson is one of those extraordinary against-all-odds stories, the likes of which are usually reserved for Hollywood. It’s fitting, then, that he is the subject of Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jonathan Maitland’s musical biopic chronicling the Dr Feelgood guitarist’s remarkable life and career.
Johnson made a name for himself as the angular-jawed, black-clad staccato to Lee Brilleaux’s bluesy frontman. Following an illustrious career, he announced in 2013 that he would be embarking on a farewell tour after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. The disease has one of the worst cancer survival rates, with few living beyond a year. And yet, Johnson, ever the innovator, was given a second chance. The play begins with Johnson (Johnson Willis) engulfed in darkness as he’s given that devastating diagnosis. But he sees his prognosis as a positive that makes his disease tangible, in turn alleviating him of uncertainty. He even notes that his tumour (or the baby growing inside him, as he puts it) has a name courtesy of Roger Daltrey: “Little Wilko.” Accepting his fate, he refuses chemotherapy and devotes himself to music while his body can still function. “I see the beauty in the brutality,” he muses.
We then flash back to the early life of the erstwhile John Wilkinson. For a man of such intellect and depth, it’s unsurprising that Johnson’s dream, as he grew up in Canvey Island, Essex, was to become a poet. He recalls how his abusive father belittled and beat him, declaring that the day he died was the best day of his adolescent life; it was here, perhaps, this his black humour and acclamation of the morbid was born.
Dugald Bruce-Lockhart’s direction is haunting in its stripped-down simplicity, allowing Willis to carry the play with his bombastic showmanship, which at times leans into stand-up comedy. He captures the highs and lows of the titular rocker, and Maitland is unafraid to show that his subject was by no means saintly. His outbursts of anger, self-aggrandisement and infidelity are all laid bare. Willis shines alongside Georgina Fairbanks, playing Johnson’s childhood sweetheart and wife, Irene. The multitalented – and multitasking – supporting cast consists of Jon House, Georgina Field and David John. They seamlessly transition from one disparate character to the next, as well as musical interludes.
Parts of Act I rely a little too much on generic biopic tropes, which is a shame given the range of the cast. In Act II, the tone shifts from musical to tragedy, following a bereavement that’s a portent of what’s to come. It’s in these moments where the play excels, allowing Johnson to live and breathe rather than being weighed down by karaoke constraints.
Funny, wonderfully acted and poignant, it’s a suitably fascinating tribute to a cult hero. For those unfamiliar with Johnson, Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll speaks for itself, with the musician once again rising from the dead to tell his tale. And there’s nothing more rock ‘n’ roll than that.
Antonia Georgiou
Photos: Nick Haeffner
Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll is at Leicester Square Theatre from 9th until 27th July 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
Watch the trailer for Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll at Leicester Square Theatre here:
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