Wilko Johnson play at Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch - review

The eponymous play dramatises the Dr Feelgood guitarist’s extraordinary reaction to being told in 2013 that he had terminal pancreatic cancer. Rather than terror, the Canvey Island punk pioneer said he felt euphoria. His imminent death gave him a new lease of life: it taught him to appreciate every moment.

“Be not afraid of death,” he tells the Hornchurch audience. “Be afraid of a life not lived.”

Playing Wilko is West End star Johnson Willis who, with his head completely shaved and his all-black suit, is a dead ringer for RMT union leader Mick Lynch, yet completely inhabits the role of Wilko. He has the eccentric musician’s speech and mannerisms down pat.

Left to right: David John, Georgina Fairbanks, Johnson Willis, Georgina Field and Jon House onstage in Wilko at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch (Image: Mark Sepple)

It was Wilko’s unique guitar style (playing rhythm and lead simultaneously, without a plectrum) and bluesy-yet-British songwriting which defined Dr Feelgood. The band became a 1970s touring sensation and scored a number one album.

But then a clash of egos saw Wilko exit. He joined Ian Dury’s Blockheads, then went solo, but never matched his Feelgood success. The death of his beloved wife Irene only worsened the fug he found himself in.

But then came an unexpected career renaissance, which is where this play begins – in a hospital in 2013, with Wilko being told he has, at most, a year to live.

His counterintuitive reaction became a national news story. He announced a farewell tour and was inundated with interview requests. The Guardian declared him our “greatest living Englishman”. His final album, with Roger Daltrey, shot to the top of the charts. Sir Elton John handed him a Genius Award.

Wilko Johnson performing at what he thought was his last hometown concert - Village Green festival in Chalkwell, Southend - in summer 2013. He had refused treatment for terminal pancreatic cancer and thought he had just months to live (Image: Charles Thomson)

After this whirlwind, Wilko tells us, he went home to Southend “to die”.

But then, it all turned out to be a big mistake. He had been misdiagnosed. He did have pancreatic cancer, but a rare and much more treatable form than usual. With one major operation, he was cured. His life was saved and yet, he said in interviews, his euphoria turned to “misery”.

He lived and toured another eight years, but media interest quickly faded. His post-recovery album in 2018 missed the top 20. The Wilko Johnson story was like a fantastic elevator pitch marred by an anticlimactic ending: a rockstar heroically embraces his imminent demise, transforming him into a national treasure – but then doesn’t die and just returns to his old life.

Playwright Jonathan Maitland – who specialises in bringing true stories to the stage, having written acclaimed works on Jimmy Savile and the Princess Diana/Martin Bashir Panorama interview – was tasked with solving this narrative quandary. Where does the story end? He brings proceedings to an abrupt close after Wilko’s life-saving operation.

Johnson Willis and Georgina Fairbanks as Wilko Johnson and his beloved wife Irene at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch (Image: Mark Sepple)

Wilko, an English teacher before he became a rock star, addresses us directly, imparting his life story as though delivering a lesson. He even addresses us as “class”. After his diagnosis, he walks us through a series of flashbacks: his abusive childhood, his rocky marriage, the writing of Dr Feelgood’s hits and then their ugly bust-up.

But, Wilko insists to the Hornchurch crowd: “It’s not a jukebox musical, it’s a play – with songs.”

Maitland and Willis brilliantly capture Wilko’s almost child-like demeanour and worldview, mining humour from his natural iconoclasm yet revealing vulnerability behind his rock star bravado.

Wilko, playing at the Queen's Theatre until February 24, includes several Dr Feelgood favourites, with the cast doubling up as the live band (Image: Mark Sepple)

We share Wilko’s bewilderment at being suddenly besieged by selfie-seeking fans and crackpots offering home remedies for terminal cancer – then his struggle to return to a life without a predetermined ending. But the show doesn’t linger on the deflating aftermath of Wilko’s recovery, instead concluding with a mini-concert of Dr Feelgood’s biggest hits.

The audience on February 7 – which included Wilko’s son Simon, former Blockheads bandmate Norman Watt-Roy and other loved ones – gave a standing ovation.

For Feelgood fans, there is much to enjoy – but the play also leaves a lingering sadness that one of the most curious characters in rock really is now gone.

*Wilko is at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, until February 24. Ticket prices begin at £12.50. Visit https://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/whatson/wilko/.