Wilko – Love and Death and Rock ‘N’ Roll Review by David Jervis-Green

October 13, 2026

Debuting at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch in 2022, the life story of local lad turned rock legend Wilko Johnson has made its way to the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, just a short stroll from the late guitarist’s home. Wilko sadly passed before getting to see his life played out on the stage, but not before writer Jonathan Maitland performed it to him and got his seal of approval.

The production is a heady mixture of pure thumping rock ‘n’ roll with beautiful theatrical sequences, guided by Wilko (an incredible performance from Johnson Willis) who narrates his story.

If you’re only vaguely aware of Wilko through his work with the pub-rock/punk godfathers Dr Feelgood, you may be surprised that their most known hit, Milk & Alcohol, is missing from the songs performed. It’s noted at the start of Act Two that the band had their biggest hits after Johnson left the band in 1977 – cue that familiar riff.

“I see that’s not included in your jukebox musical!” states frontman Lee Brilleaux (an enigmatic Jon House).

“It’s not a jukebox musical!” Wilko responds. “It’s a play with live music!”

And what a play it is. Starting with his cancer diagnosis revealing he has less than a year to live, and deciding he doesn’t want treatment, we are taken through Wilko’s journey from a tough family upbringing, to meeting and marrying his ‘Canvey Island Girl’ Irene (an earnest Lara Lemon), to his varied career and interests in astronomy, literature and, of course, music.

The play glides by at a beautiful pace with Johnson Willis drifting from narration to scene participation, never leaving the stage, while the rest of the cast (the forementioned Mr House and Ms Lemon alongside Georgina Field and David John) playing multiple roles through simple costumes changes and atmospheric lighting. The set of a recording studio decorated with Wilko-themed album covers and logos never changes, but this does not matter – everything is cleverly portrayed as being inside Wilko’s mind, so the studio setting makes sense. While the downstage lighting could do with a bit more light on faces during certain moments, the design does a wonderful job of shifting between scenes.

There is plenty of pathos on hand. There are laughs at the witty one-liners and stories, such as Wilko joining the ranks of Ian Dury & The Blockheads but staying low in the mix after realising he's not as good a musician as the rest of them. At the drop of a hat, we are switched to sadness as Wilko laments not being able to reconcile with Lee Brilleaux before his passing in 1994. Act one ends with a lovely performance from the cast of Lead Belly’s ‘Irene (Goodnight Irene)’ in tribute to his wife who died in 2004.

Act two deals with Wilko’s life after his cancer diagnosis – or misdiagnosis, as it turns out. Wilko decides to go out on top: embarking on a farewell tour, recording an album with Roger Daltrey and being a better person (or being less of a *****r, as he puts it). After his farewell show in Camden, his friend Charlie Chan who photographed the show – and is a doctor - advises Wilko to get tested again due to his being remarkably well for someone who’s been told they’re dying soon. Again, the act flows by wonderfully, a testament to Dugald Bruce-Lockhart’s direction encompassing imagination and pace. Moments during the operation scene where Wilko envisions a visitation by Irene and scenes with the late Brilleaux are masterful.

Interlaced between the theatrics is pure rock ‘n’ roll, performed entirely live by the cast. Taken mostly from the Wilko-era Feelgood albums, we get powerhouse performances of ‘Riot in Cell Block Number Nine’, ‘She Does It Right’ and ‘Roxette’ to name a few. Each night of the Palace run has special guests. Mr Chan and Jonathan Maitland were in attendance for a Q+A after Monday’s show, while we also got musical guests Norman Watt-Boy (bass player of the Blockheads) and Wilko’s son Simon Johnson playing alongside the cast with such power they literally blew a fuse. (Other guests this week include Nine Below Zero, Steve “West`’ Weston and, on Saturday, Billy Bragg).

The show is subtly beautiful and passes by so easily that you’re left wanting more. It’s noted throughout that Wilko saw beauty in his beloved Essex that most couldn’t and wanted to portray that in his songs. By the same token, this play is a fittingly perfect tribute to a perfectly imperfect man.