Wilko – Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll

Jon House in Wilko. Photo: Nick Haeffner.

Review by Wayne Savage.

Towards the end of the first act, Wilko Johnson actor Johnson Willis’ emotional monologue is interrupted by a ringing mobile. Twice. “You want to get that?” he asks, breaking the fourth wall without breaking character.

He even riffs on the incident later in the second half. It’s how you’d imagine the real Wilko handling it, albeit with less sass. But we’ll get to that. It is a testament to how well Willis embodies the godfather of punk’s anarchic energy and humour. Without it, the whole show plays like a second-hand Watkins Rapier guitar.

Willis is compelling, charismatic, and boy can he - and Georgina Field as Sparko, David John as Big Figure, and the electric Jon House as Lee Brilleaux - play.

You don’t need to be familiar with Dr Feelgood to appreciate how tight these performances are. They do a great job of capturing the original’s bite and uncontrollable energy.

One number in and my fear of this being a jukebox musical was blown away. The music feels like another character.

I wish the roles of Sparko and Big Figure were fleshed out more and that we got more of the band’s fallout. But this is Wilko’s story and he’ll tell it however the - cough - he likes.

Georgina Fairbanks (L) and Johnson Willis (R) in Wilko. Photo: Nick Haeffner.

The format’s not ground-breaking. It’s a bit ‘dear diary’ at times, occasionally overly sentimental and perhaps kinder than some would say the often selfish, arrogant, self-sabotaging Wilko deserved.

The trick is in the telling though.

This is a funny and heartbreaking dissection of love and loss, with Lara Lemon excellent as Wilko’s wife Irene. It’s a story of sex, music, fame, hope, life, and how it can be gone in the blink of an eye so live it to excess.

It looks great too. The stripped back staging, lighting, sound, and costume design screamed ‘pub backroom gig that everybody says they were at but weren’t’.

Nothing like I expected. Didn’t feel nearly two hours long. Got me looking for the Dr Feelgood compilation that landed on my desk back in my journo days but only got played once.

You don’t need to know about Wilko Johnson to enjoy this, but you’ll be glad for the introduction.

Wilko is at New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich until 3 October 2026.

FOR SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE