Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and John Stalker Productions with co-producers ADAMA Entertainment and Guy James are delighted to announce Alexandra Burke (The X Factor, Sister Act, The Bodyguard, Curfew) as Morticia Addams, Lesley Joseph (Birds of a Feather, Young Frankenstein, Sister Act) as Grandma, Clive Rowe (The Prince of Egypt, Sister Act, A Christmas Carol) as Uncle Fester and Ricardo Afonso (Jesus Christ Superstar, Thriller Live, We Will Rock You) as Gomez Addams in THE ADDAMS FAMILY The Musical Comedy UK tour which will run at Birmingham Hippodrome from 10 – 12 July 2025, Curve, Leicester from 15 July – 10 August, Lowry, Salford from 12 – 16 August 2025, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury from 19 – 23 August and Blackpool Opera House from 26 – 30 August.
Joining Alexandra, Ricardo, Lesley and Clive will be LaurenJones (Scissorhandz, Southwark Playhouse Elephant) as Wednesday Addams, Nicholas McLean (Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre) as Pugsley Addams, Dickon Gough (City of Angles, Garrick Theatre; The Addams Family, original UK cast) as Lurch, Dale Rapley (The Bridges of Madison County, Menier Chocolate Factory) as Mal, Jacob Fowler (Title of Show, Southwark Playhouse; Heathers the Musical UK Tour) as Lucas and Kara Lane (Rebecca, Charing Cross Theatre) as Alice.
Further cast to be announced.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY has a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (writers of the multi award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys), with music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated Andrew Lippa, based on the characters created by Charles Addams.
Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, is all grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows. She’s fallen in love with a sweet young man from a respectable family. With his cherished Morticia in the dark will Gomez manage to keep his daughter’s secret until the two families meet for a fateful dinner with hilarious consequences?
Join them, plus Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley, Grandma and more for a heart-warming story of love, family and friendship… with a twist!
THE ADDAMS FAMILY, The Musical Comedy will be directed by Matthew White, with choreography by Alistair David, production design by Diego Pitarch, orchestrations by Richard Beadle, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Richard Brooker and casting by Jane Deitch
THE ADDAMS FAMILY is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and John Stalker Productions with co-producers ADAMA Entertainment and Guy James and is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.
Based on the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest begs the question: “It would be strange, would it not, if, in a city of seven million people, one man were never mistaken for another…” From director Emma Rice and Wise Children the story follows Roger Thornhill (Ewan Wardrop) who finds himself in hot water when he is mistaken for George Caplan, a man who is wanted by criminal Vandamm (Karl Queensborough) and his cronies Anna (Mirabelle Gremaud) and Valerian (Simon Oskarsson). He finds himself determined to find George Caplan to clear his name and avoid being murdered or arrested. He comes in to contact with Eve Kendall (Patrycja Kujawska) who seems suspiciously eager to help him in any way.
With the Professor (Katy Owen) guiding the audience from the beginning we soon learn there’s more to the story than meets the eye, with the CIA involved willing to go to extreme lengths to protect their Agent Number One.
Owen engages the audience and keeps up a reminder of who’s who and what’s going on, including a recap after the interval in case you’re struggling to keep up! With the clever use of suitcases, with the names of characters and locations written on them to change location. This is a clever addition to avoid having to use elaborate sets and keeps it simple with a cast of just 6, each with their own main character and also filling in the smaller roles. Despite being a fast paced show this all helps to ensure you are able to follow along.
With clever humour throughout and the breaking of the fourth wall to involve the audience this play had much of the audience laughing out loud from the beginning. If you’re looking for a fun night out where nothing is taken too seriously with a bit of a mystery thrown in, this is the play for you!
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham – until 29th March 2025
Reviewed by Jacqui Radford
5*****
Based on the best-selling novel written by Paula Hawkins, this production of The Girl on the Train is a brilliant stage adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel. Live performance adds a ‘dimension of tension’ to a mystery that pulls you in from the very start.
The play centres around solving the mystery of a missing person (Megan) whose life and experiences slowly unfold through the eyes and perspective of her various encounters and relationships. From the outset, confusion and uncertainty are cemented in the mind of the audience through fantastic choreography and stage setting.
Central to the recount of events is Rachel Watson, played by Giovanna Fletcher. Rachel is a troubled alcoholic who is fixated on her ex-husband’s new life. Seemingly, he has secured a ‘perfect’ life and family in the house he once shared with Rachel. Rachel, meanwhile, is recently jobless, facing eviction and battling alcoholism. All of this contributes to a desperate need to fit in and solve the mystery.
We learn that Rachel has been travelling on the train every day under the pretence of going to work. On her journeys, she has observed life her old neighbourhood from the track. The details of what she has observed are crucial to the investigation that ensues after Megan’s disappearance. However, alcohol dependence cast doubt on the reliability of her memories of the period around Megan’s disappearance.
The storyline and performance are themselves gripping but the brilliance of this production is the tension and mystery delivered by Adam Wiltshire’s stage set that creates a ‘dark’ feel and mysterious video footage that integrate brilliantly. In all honesty, the combined effect is so powerful that I wanted it to carry on through without an interval. However, the tension and mystery pick up where they left off after the interval. The tension builds towards the final scene when you can sense that everyone is poised with bated breath and ultimate stunned silence.
If you love a mystery and can stand the tension, make this show a ‘must see’ on your list of performance
Handbagged gives us a fictional glimpse into the conversations which occurred between two of Britain’s female leaders, against the backdrop of some very real historic events. We are privy to The Queen and Margaret Thatcher’s weekly meetings, their ‘audience, which would occur after Thatcher took up office at Downing Street from 1979-90. Witnessing accounts from both a younger and older version of the two women, we hear their thoughts and feelings about the events and about each other in stereo. The older and younger versions of the ladies appear on stage at the same time, handbags clasped, hair perfectly coiffured and ready to lead us through their tale of Tory leadership and the tribulations that came with it. Moira Buffini’s witty and fast paced dialogue between the ladies plays off as plausible. The rest of the play is punctuated by a further 17 characters who are played by two male actors transforming before our very eyes into a wide range of public and political figures, including Ronald Reagan, Dennis Thatcher, Rupert Murdoch, Neil Kinnock, Miners, Protesters and not forgetting Nancy Reagan
Director Alex Thorpe and movement director Jonnie Riordan ensures this is a dynamic and visually engaging production as each character comes to life and truly embodies every scene. There are moments of mirth and then moments of utter sadness when we are drawn into memories of darkness when the country was at its knees. We are then moved swiftly on to the next period of history and not left to linger, which is part of the beauty of this well-crafted production.
The cast of Handbagged are sensational. Sarah Moyle portrays the older queen to perfection. Along with her younger counterpart, Helen Reuben, they both play her with real warmth and affection. Morag Cross and Emma Ernest portray the older and younger Margaret Thatcher to a t. Poise, precision and not a wrinkle in the royal blue, her ice cool demeaner holds fast until the very end. Dennis Herdman and Cassius Konneh exude lots of energy and garner a great deal of laughter with their quick changes of character. Switching from a butler to foreign secretary, to the president, to the leader of the opposition, each with their own nuance, prop/outfit and accent, they both manage to pull it all off with skilful ease.
Handbagged is chock full of satire, quickfire physical and verbal humour and some outstanding performances. Whatever you may feel about these two women and the impact they had on Britain and its political landscape, this production brings us an interesting and entertaining story of what may have occurred in the ‘room where it happened’.
I must admit that I’ve never read any Peter James books, nor seen any of his adaptations, but I was eagerly anticipating a good old thriller/police chase. This show didn’t disappoint.
The story involved a couple buying a painting at a car boot sale, only to discover that it turned out to be a whole lot more than they bargained for – both in terms of monetary value, interested parties and the havoc wreaked around them. With plenty of shady characters being pursued by able police officers, the game was afoot (as a famous detective was apt to proclaim).
Fiona Wade and Ben Cutler made a handsome and believable couple (The Kiplings) who stumble upon a priceless work of art. Their relationship felt genuine and they had wonderful chemistry together. I loved their portrayals.
Our venerable rozzers, Roy Grace (George Rainsford) and Bella Moy (Gemma Stroyan), were good value for their money. Although lacking the panache and quirkiness of Lt Columbo, they nonetheless were steely, logically inventive and likable. I’d feel safe if they turned up to investigate a crime I’d been a victim of!
Our villains were suitably hissable; Stuart Piper (Nicholas Maude) was a suave, elegant gentleman criminal who was all charm until his plans were thwarted and then he turned into the Krays. Jodie Steele (psycho killer Roberta Kilgore) was having a ball playing a thoroughly nasty piece of work. A powerhouse performance that conveyed genuine menace. Lastly (on the dark side) was Archie Goff (played by Mark Oxtoby) who was a breath of fresh air, giving us that juxtaposition when a hoi polloi career criminal gets to hob knob with the less than refined gentry in a glamorous fruity binge.
Two other actors deserving special mention are Adam Morris (as Oliver De Souza), having a scream playing the famous art critic – a recognizably delicious concoction and catalyst for an early belly laugh moment (which I won’t spoil). And last but not least was painter Dave Hegarty, played to perfection by Peter Ash. His was a nuanced, thrilling performance which ensured he was on Santa’s naughty and nice list at the same time!
Quite a feat and Peter was magnificent throughout – in his world of fake, he stood out as truly authentic.
The set was as modern as some of the masterpieces in Hegerty’s studio; giving all the spaces necessary to flesh out the story in a clever, compact design. Very inventive design from Adrian Linford. Equally impressive for delineating the spaces and other evocative effects was lighting designed by Jason Taylor.
The first half was enjoyable without being revelatory but the pace of the story ramped up in the second half, approaching breakneck speed towards a thrilling conclusion that was very satisfying. Many an unexpected bungle and twist along the way gave this work an ultimate zippy freshness.
On a scale of painting by numbers to Old Masters this show is definitely on the gallery-worthy end of the spectrum. So my advice is to grab the partner of your choice and hotfoot it down to Malvern Theatres while tickets for this fantastic show last. Unlike many in this play, you won’t be sorry
David Ian for Crossroads Live in association with Barry and Fran Weissler are delighted to announce that West End leading man Dan Burton and West End and TV star Darren Day will return to share the role of Billy Flynn, alongside international recording artist and pop star Sinitta as Mama Morton, in the UK and Ireland tour of CHICAGO.
Dan Burton will play Billy Flynn in Bournemouth, Nottingham, Birmingham, Truro and Llandudno. Darren Day will play Billy Flynn in Wimbledon, Leicester, Wolverhampton, Hull, Eastbourne, Norwich, Blackpool, Woking, Sunderland, Crawley, Glasgow and Salford.
Kevin Clifton continues to perform as Billy Flynn in Canterbury and Bristol.
Sinitta will play Mama Morton in Bournemouth, Canterbury, Norwich, Woking, Crawley and Glasgow.
Brenda Edwards will continue to perform as Mama Morton in Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Wimbledon, Leicester and Salford.
Further casting for Mama Morton at certain venues to be announced.
Faye Brookes will return to the role of Roxie Hart for Canterbury and Bristol. For all other venues the role of Roxie Hart will be played by former Strictly Come Dancing professional and TV Presenter Janette Manrara.
Dan Burton was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance as Tulsa in Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre. His other West End credits include the role of Giles Ralston in The Mousetrap at St. Martins Theatre, Phil Davis in White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre, and on tour, Earl in The Pajama Game at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Joe Pesci in Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Theatre, the original London cast of Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello Theatre, the original London cast of Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre, Amos Hart in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre, the original London cast of Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre, and Guys and Dolls at the Royal Albert Hall.
Darren Day previously returned to the role of Billy Flynn in November 2024, having been part of the 2021 UK and Ireland and Dubai tour of Chicago. His many West End credits include the title role in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium, Tony Parker in Copacabana at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Danny Zuko in Grease at the Cambridge Theatre, and Michael Witney in the world première of Close-Up – The Twiggy Musical at the Menier Chocolate Factory. His UK touring theatre credits include the roles of Hugo/Loco Chanel in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Rev. Shaw Moore in Footloose, Kashoggi in We Will Rock You, Frank n Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, Tick in Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical and Don in Summer Holiday. Darren’s numerous TV credits include Danny Houston in Hollyoaks, David Wilde in Doctors and Will Morgan in Stella. He was a contestant on the very first series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and a finalist on Celebrity Big Brother.
Kevin Clifton is best known as a professional dancer and winner of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, competing in seven series and five finals. He was most recently seen as Hugo/Loco Chanelle the UK tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. His other theatre credits include Scott Hastings in Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, Cosmo Brown in Singin’ in the Rain at Sadler’s Wells and on tour, Stacee Jaxx in Rock Of Ageson tour, Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer at Troubadour Wembley Park, The Artilleryman in Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds UK arena tour, Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre and Burn the Floor on Broadway, making his Broadway debut as a principal dancer.
Sinitta is an international recording artist having released 15 hit pop records including So Macho, Toyboy and Cross My Broken Heart. No stranger to the stage, she has appeared in the West End productions of Cats, Little Shop of Horrors, Hair, Smokey Joe’s Café and as the female lead in Mutiny! She most recently appeared in the UK and Ireland tour of Now That’s What I Call A Musical. Since the mid-00s Sinitta has remained in the spotlight becoming a mentor to young emerging talent as Simon Cowell’s right-hand woman on The X Factor.
Brenda Edwards gained public acclaim as a semi-finalist on The X Factor before turning her attention to the stage, making her West End debut as Mama Morton in CHICAGO, a role she recently reprised for the 2021/2022 UK and Ireland tour. Her additional theatre credits include Motormouth Maybelle in the UK tour of Hairspray, Nettie Fowler in Carousel at the London Coliseum, Killer Queen in We Will Rock You both the West End and original UK Tour and Pearl Pastor in Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall. Brenda is also a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women as well as presenting BBC1’s Songs of Praise.
Faye Brookes is best known for her role as Kate Connor in ITV’s Coronation Street, for which she won a National Television Award. Her theatre credits include Fran in Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Princess Fiona in Shrek and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, all on national tour, Ann/Edna in That Day We Sang directed by Victoria Wood at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Liesl in The Sound of Music at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Frenchy in Grease at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre. Faye’s was runner up on ITV’s Dancing On Ice in 2021, her other TV credits include Agnes Franklin in Our Zoo and Helena in Atlantis, both for the BBC.
Janette Manrara is best known for having been on Strictly Come Dancing, reaching the finals with HRVY, as well as co-hosting BBC2’s It Takes Two and hosting the Strictly Live tour across the UK. Her previous theatre credits include the Broadway and international tour of Burn the Floor, as well as UK touring productions A Christmas To Remember, Remembering Fred, Remembering the Movies and a streamed version of Remembering the Oscars, all with her husband Aljaž Škorjanec. Janette is also an author, having released her debut book, ‘Tiny Dancer, Big World’.
They join West End leading lady Djalenga Scott as Velma Kelly, alongside Joshua Lloyd as Amos Hart and Jordan Lee Davies as Mary Sunshine.
The cast is completed by Bethany Adamson, Victoria Anderson, Josh Crowther, Joe Dale, Jessica Keable, Robin Kent, Annabelle Laing, Jacob McLay Reid, Jonathan Milton, George Olney, Oliver Ramsdale, Elly Shaw, Lucy Anne Stacey, Matthew Sweet and Ria Tanaka.
Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.
Created by the musical theatre talents of John Kander, Fred Ebb and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse, CHICAGO’s sexy, sassy score includes the show-stopping songs “Razzle Dazzle”, “Cell Block Tango”, and “All That Jazz”. Winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, CHICAGO is the longest running American musical in Broadway and West End history.
Since it opened in New York in 1996, CHICAGO has played in 38 countries worldwide, and been performed in English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, French, Danish, Japanese and Korean. Worldwide it has been seen by an estimated 34 million people, grossed over $1.7 billion has played over 35,000 performances.
CHICAGO, which is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The current 1996 Broadway revival of CHICAGO is choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse, directed by Walter Bobbie, and produced by Barry and Fran Weissler.
10 years since the previous theatre production of Calamity Jane and based on the 1953 film musical starring the legendary Doris Day, Carrie Hope Fletcher and the rest of the cast gave a brilliant performance tonight. Most of the actors are also musicians playing a whole variety of instruments while dancing and jigging round the stage, including a huge double bass! They accompanied themselves as we enjoyed the great songs immortalised by the original film, including The Deadwood Stage, The Black Hills of Dakota, Just Flew in from the Windy City, the beautiful Secret Love and many others written for the musical.
The fictional character Calamity Jane (Carrie Hope Fletcher) is based on Martha Jane Canary (May 1 1852 – August 1 1903) who was a buckskin-clad, sharp-shooting, foulmouthed cowgirl whose affinity for alcohol was legendary, even among men. She was also known for her compassion and kindness towards others.
The lights go down with a banjo hanging on the stage curtain and on lumbers a scruffy hillbilly dressed in denim dungarees who turned his back on the audience to take hold of the banjo while scratching his backside! The first laugh before the curtain even went up, immediately placing Rattlesnake (Richard Lock) firmly into the hearts of the audience.
The curtain rises in the Golden Garter saloon where its owner Henry Miller (Peter Peverley), affectionately known as Millie, was promoting a beautiful actress named Frances Fryer and preparing for her arrival on the Deadwood Stage that very night. Calamity Jane, dressed in her usual masculine clothing arrives full of exaggerated tales of escorting the stagecoach safely through dozens of gunslingers ready to ambush. She is mocked by Wild Bill Hickock (Vinny Coyle) who has always had a soft spot for Calamity that is hidden beneath their long-term love hate relationship, for her lack of femininity and for being ‘careless with the truth’!
Minutes later Francis – with an ‘i’ – Fryer (Samuel Holmes) rocks up – clearly a man! Millie’s desperate attempt to pass him off as a woman to his audience of local gold diggers resulted in chaos, only appeased by Calamity cooling the situation and promising an even bigger act – their heart-throb Adelaide Adams (Molly-Grace Cutler)
The simple stage set was transformed into a stagecoach, then a train transporting Calamity to the ‘Windy City’ to persuade Adelaideto return with her. Arriving after she had left for her tour of Europe, Calamity mistakenly thought that Adelaid’s maid, Katie Brown (Seren Sandham-Davies), was in fact Adelaide. Desperate for fame, Katie headed for Deadwood City!
Once the locals discover that Katie isn’t Adelaide, Calamity again takes control and persuades the audience to give her a chance. They do and we enjoyed listening to Serens’ beautiful voice and her radiance shone through. Katie wins the heart of every man in town – including Lt. Danny Gilmartin (Luke Wilson) who has unknowingly captured Calamity’s heart and Bill Hickock.
Calamity and Katie become friends, and Calamity is persuaded to shed her masculine clothes for a more feminine look. However, this doesn’t last long as Katie and Danny fall in love and jealousy takes over. While Bill tries to console Calamity they both realise their love for each other. A great show that just got better, finishing with a hoedown as the finale, with the audience up on their feet singing and dancing!
Freshly transferred from its Cardiff debut, The Women of Llamnumney, from exciting new writing talent Azuka Orforka, sets out to shine an unflinching spotlight on the realities of slavery in 18th century Jamaica, where sugar plantations were exporting their riches to the world. Told through the perspective of women, those who benefited from it, those who were brutalised by it and those who fought to destroy it, my goodness does it deliver.
Stella-Jane Odoemelam’s evocative set locates us entirely in the dining room of Llanrumney’s slightly rundown palatial home, where plantation owner Elisabeth is served a conveyor belt of meals, including second breakfast, by her enslaved housemaids Annie and Cerys. Here we witness the stifling reality for these three women which isn’t just down to the heat.
Odoemelam’s costumes not only feel authentic but also capture the flamboyance of the ruling class with bright oranges and pinks reflecting the island’s fruit whereas the enslaved women wear achingly white aprons and hats with muted blues.
Suzanne Packer is magnificent as scheming housekeeper Annie, who’s convinced her loyalty will eventually earn her freedom, and Shvorne Marks as the more rebellious Cerys, fresh in from the fields, delivers the stoicism and resolve needed to survive such a harsh existence with a believable dignity.
They make a wonderful double act with Patricia Logue’s detailed and measured direction skilfully employing humour to ridicule the obscene lifestyles of the plantation owners. There’s confidence in allowing Nia Roberts as Elisabeth to just sit and be waited on for lengthy periods and it’s testament to Nia’s physicality and vocal range that from that seated position, she controls the scene.
The dynamic between Elisabeth and Annie is incredibly well-managed and so absorbing as statuses shift and vulnerabilities surface. And not forgetting three brilliant and distinctive performances from Matthew Gravelle playing Elisabeth’s potential suitors.
The Women of Llanrumney is a difficult and harrowing watch in places but it is certainly worth it. An eye opener to a highly uncomfortable period of history.
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen – until 29th March 2025
Reviewed by Fiona Leyman
5*****
Who doesn’t enjoy a gripping ‘Who Dunnit’ thriller? J.B.Priestley’s Multi-Award Winning An Inspector Calls is once again touring and delighting audiences across the UK. Having originally appeared on London’s West End in 1946, this timeless tale never fails to hook an audience from its opening scene.
The Birley’s are celebrating their daughter Sheila’s (Leona Allen) engagement to Gerald Croft (Tom Chapman) when a mysterious Inspector calls at their door. The death of a young lady has brought him to their household in the middle of the night and as the story unfolds, each member of the family has secret links leading to the tragic suicide of this poor girl. So, who’s most at fault?
Ian MacNeil, who designed the West End and International set for this production is back with this touring company. The Birley House is the focal point of this productions striking set. A remarkable structure that unfolds to reveal a working Birling’s dining room inside. The simplicity of the rest of the set, including a red phone box, the iconic streetlamp synonymous with this story and its cobbled street characteristic of those in the 1910s all complemented the stage and gave the home the attention it deserved. The added feature of pouring and misty rain gave this thriller the tension it required. It is common knowledge that touring companies sometimes struggle with their set design due to having to move them so frequently, but MacNeil was able to give this little theatre a taste of a large West End production.
The lighting in this performance is another noteworthy aspect. Having first worked on this production in the 1990s for the National Theatre, Award-Winning Lighting Designer Rick Fisher uses straightforward but impactful lighting to evoke mystery and drama. He adds intensity by using spotlights to draw attention to the characters shadows, giving this thriller the atmosphere it needed.
In his role of enigmatic Inspector Goole, Tim Treloar (Silent Witness, Maleficent) excels. His appearance on stage captivates you with the drama playing out in front on stage. Where necessary, his witty remarks to the Birley’s answers, injects humour into this serious drama. Trelour, in my opinion, was the ideal casting for this role.
Leona Allen (Amazon Prime’s The Devil’s Hour, The Crucible) as Sheila Birley was another outstanding performance. Having seen her previously on stage at Alexander Palace, London in Mark Gatiss’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol– A Ghost Story, she did not disappoint in this role. The light-hearted character who first appears on stage abruptly develops feelings of regret about her role in this young girl’s death. Her portrayal of this part lends credibility to the talent of this young actress.
From its debut on the West End in the 1940s to its continued popularity across the nation today, An Inspector Calls has shown itself to be a timeless production. An intense thriller where simple actions of those in a higher socioeconomic class can have devastating effects of those of a lower class. A message from real life that is still relevant in today’s culture.
Southwark Playhouse (Borough), London – until 19 April 2025
Reviewed by Phil Brown
4****
I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a theatre programme say “Spoiler Alert – we advise you to read this article after seeing the play – not before”. It’s a very good piece by the way, but an interesting approach to introducing what is certainly an intriguing event.
However, it seems unlikely that anyone planning to see Jonathan Maitland’s extraordinary play isn’t already acquainted to some degree with Wilko (well played by Willis Johnson). But for the record, John Wilkinson, otherwise known as Wilko Johnson, (and “don’t ever call me John ‘cos I’ll hit you”), was a guitarist/songwriter that came to prominence as a key member of Dr Feelgood – a four piece band that stormed to the front of the burgeoning pub rock scene in the mid to late 1970s with a take no prisoners, kick-ass show.
Although musically much more derivative of the 60s R&B era, the band is often cited as influential on the nascent punk rock scene thanks to Wilko’s unique guitar style and the frantic on stage energy . In a remarkable eruption of creativity matching output levels of earlier times, the Feelgoods recorded 4 albums in the two year period 1975-1977 – ‘Down by the Jetty’, ‘Malpractice’, ‘Stupidity’ (Live) and ‘Sneaking Suspicion’ – all based around Wilko’s songs and selected cover material.
The brutal truth is though, Wilko’s relatively brief spell in Dr Feelgood was the highpoint of his music career, at least until his farewell tour in 2013 with Roger Daltrey. He removed himself from his own band over the time-honoured musical differences (actually more lyrical than musical). As a consequence, the core music in Maitland’s play all comes from that period, and casting wise, the play is built around performers who can also play the Feelgoods music, even though it covers a much broader sweep of Wilko’s life. Of the remaining Feelgoods, singer Lee Brilleaux is played brilliantly by Jon House who also blows a mean gob-iron, whilst bass player Sparko (Georgina Field) and drummer Big Figure (David John) form a powerful rhythm section. (Following Wilko’s departure, the Feelgoods carried on successfully, surviving Lee Brilleaux’s death in 1994, and like Trigger’s broom, continue to this day but with none of the original parts).
Maitland has done a thoughtful job of structuring this fascinating play to present and link the decisive episodes in Wilko’s life dramatically and smoothly. You are hooked from the opening scene and it doesn’t let go until the very end. It starts with Wilko getting the news he has pancreatic cancer and his decision to eschew chemotherapy in order to properly enjoy his remaining days. The apparent certainty invigorates him, lifting a predisposition to depression.
This leads to moments of reflection where we see teenage Wilko seeing the beauty in home (Canvey Island), meeting his future wife Irene Knight (a superbly convincing Georgina Fairbanks), locking horns with his dad (Jon House), challenging his English teacher at Westcliffe High School for Boys (also Jon House) and as a member of the Jug Band playing a charming skiffle version of “Route 66” outside the Monico on Canvey to impress Irene. They marry as teenagers and Wilko goes off to study English Language and Literature at Newcastle University (not Cambridge – “they don’t have people who speak like me – bastards”). It was a happy time – Wilko quoting Wordsworth says “bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven”. Maitland makes good but sparing use of such poetic quotations to underline Wilko’s deep love of literature. Apparently, he knew all of Shakespeare’s sonnets by heart.
Regarded as an English eccentric, this sequence highlights some key facets of Wilko’s personality – his romanticism, his literary and artistic aspirations and his childlike impatience with conventional attitudes and authority. But for all his scholarship (poetry and later astronomy), he was far from being a sophisticate and this play gives an unvarnished view of a someone who was fundamentally lacking in maturity – he could be naive, selfish, impulsive, prickly, arrogant, unfaithful and contrarian.
The remainder of Part 1 whisks us through the post Feelgood bands – Solid Senders and the Blockheads (who were too musical for him) – and as a solo artist until the life changing moment Irene dies of cancer in 2004.
Part 2 opens with Wilko, still not over the death of Irene in 2013, having 12 months to live. Cue more philosophical reflections on the Feelgoods – the perfect four piston engine, and life in general – “be not afraid of death, be afraid of a life unlived”. Determined to follow this philosophy, Wilko undertakes a pilgrimage to Japan and then returns to record and tour the “Going Back Home” album with Roger Daltrey. Meanwhile, part time rock photographer and cancer doctor Charlie Chan notices something unusual at the final Camden gig – Wilko seems far too healthy to be sprauncing around on stage with terminal pancreatic cancer. This leads to a second opinion and an entirely successful 12 hour operation at Addenbrookes to remove the growth along with several other internal organs. The play concludes with more Dr Feelgood regrets, neatly bringing the band back to the stage for a couple of concluding songs.
In truth, no performer could have choreographed a better ending to their career than Wilko. It has certainly confirmed his place amongst the legends of rock music. Whilst I think the balance of music to speech was a little uneven (ie not enough), Jonathan Maitland’s play, well directed by Dugald Bruce-Lockhart is a fond and touching fan’s tribute to a singular character. An unusual, immaculately produced real life drama with superb music.
