Joe Stilgoe spoke to David Hennessy about his current shows in Ireland, playing for royalty and working with big names like Gary Barlow and Jason Manford.
Joe Stilgoe, an internationally acclaimed singer, pianist and songwriter, has returned to Ireland for shows in Dublin and Limerick, celebrating the great songs of cinema with full orchestral arrangements.
The show features classics such as That’s Entertainment (That’s Entertainment!, 1974), Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969), and Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961), alongside moments from Cabaret, Top Hat / Puttin’ on the Ritz, and medleys from High Society and All About Eve.
Growing up Joe was surrounded by music, with two parents in the business – songwriter and TV personality Richard Stilgoe and opera-singer Annabel Hunt.
Recognised as one of the best singer- pianists in the world, Joe has released 9 solo albums, five of which have topped the UK Jazz chart.
A hugely sought-after performer for society parties, corporate events and charity fundraisers, Joe was asked to perform for The Queen and Duke Of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary at Windsor, and has given private performances for Prince Charles at St James Palace, the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor, the Duchess of Cornwall at The Ritz in London and Prince Edward at Frogmore House, among many others.
He also has a successful secondary career writing for theatre, having created the musicals The Jungle Book, The Midnight Gang and three shows with Julia Donaldson – Zog, Zog & The Flying Doctors and 2025’s The Baddies. He is currently working on new musicals, including Hooked with Gary Barlow and Jason Manford.
Joe took time to chat to the Irish World ahead of his current trip to Ireland.
Are you looking forward to going to Ireland?
“Always love it.
“I feel like I’m working there a lot more and it’s such a great audience always.
“There’s this, ‘Let’s get into it. This is the craic’.
“We’re so connected, aren’t we?
“But in many ways it’s as exciting as flying to the States, I think.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, we’re going to Ireland’.
“I think the first time I did it was with an orchestral Beatles show.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is great, this place’.
“And then did the odd thing every year but it’s really picked up.
“This last year I’ve been working with Guy Barker a lot who’s composer in residence with the RTE Concert Orchestra.
“Guy is just a British jazz legend that now has become this great conductor and composer.
“We have a lovely partnership.
“And then the RTE just got in touch and said, ‘Do you want to do your own show? What is it?’
“And we thought, ‘Well the Oscars are coming up. I’ve always loved films. Can we do a night of really exciting, interesting new arrangements of great film music?’
“Always appeals, doesn’t it?
“I remember the documentary about John Williams and Spielberg saying, ‘All you have to do is watch my films with the sound down and then go back over it and put on John Williams’ music’.
“He says, ‘John Williams is the reason my films work’.
“We can’t all work with John Williams but it’s a really good example of what they bring.
“Because people forget.
“Memories like those are sort of buried deep within us.
“Music is possibly the most powerful trigger of memory.
“Music can unlock things you didn’t even know had happened to you and, even if it’s hearing music from The Jungle Book or Psycho just to put two obtuse films together because definitely in my parents’ generation, people didn’t watch films more than once partly because they couldn’t.
“You would see it at the cinema, maybe you’d see it on TV again but often you relied on that memory so I think it’s a very special thing to encapsulate those strong memories for people.
“It’s a show that works for, as I say, kids from nine to 99.”
You have played for people like royalty, what are those experiences like?
“Yeah, it’s pretty mad.
“In my other behind the scenes life I have done lots of swanky parties and I got the call to play at the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary.
“The main memory we all had was that it was freezing cold.
“No one heats Windsor Castle.
“It was absolutely freezing.
“Not good for a pianist.
“It was incredibly surreal.
“You’re performing for the head of state, whatever your feelings on that are, it’s still a big thing and I was looking around the crowd thinking, ‘Well, there’s Charles and there’s Camilla and there’s Prince William..’
“And everyone else had a crown on or a sash around their dinner jacket or ball gown.
“’Literally all of the royal people of the world are here’.
“Their friends are all queens as well.
“That was interesting.
“We were all quite nervous. Joanna Lumley was there as well.
“Dillie Keane, Fascinating Aida, was doing it.
“It’s always a funny one because it’s heightened.
“I love an audience and I love an audience of normal people because they respond in the way that you’d hope.
“They’re thrilled that you’re there and you’re entertaining them but the further up the food chain you go, you know you’re playing to people who’ve seen everything.
“They’ve seen the great opera singers.
“They’ve seen the great jazz pianists.
“It’s a funny part of life.
“Yeah, I suppose politicians are an interesting audience because they are trying to be as human as possible when they’re out of TV interviews and everything so they try to seem as relaxed as possible.
“We can see behind the eyes what a tough job it is and that makes me even more kind of cheeky.
“I love playing up to that because all these people are really uncomfortable and everyone’s looking at them.
“Imagine being in an audience and everyone’s watching you rather than the people on stage.
You realise that everyone’s human in the end and I just love performing to any crowd really.”
Did you grow up in a very musical house? Did you always know it was music for you?
“Yeah, my mum was opera singer but wracked with stage fright, couldn’t get to grips with that so it was always a sort of love/ hate relationship with her.
“And opera, as you know, is years of training just to get your voice.
“It’s like being an Olympic bobsled champion.
“You’ve got to be so highly tuned.
“She was doing that, going to singing lessons and enjoying that but my dad (lyricist and entertainer Richard Stilgoe), who’s probably more well known to Irish audiences, was making up funny songs on TV but he didn’t really bring it home in a way that you might think.
“It wasn’t like the Von Trapps.
“Music was an important part of our lives but my parents encouraged us to do whatever we wanted really with our lives.
“I’m the youngest of five.
“Everyone else got proper jobs, I became a musician so inevitably, it became the only thing I wanted to do.
“I had dreams of doing sport and dreams of being a great philosopher but in the end, it was music and people reading this will know that when music chooses you, it’s the only thing you can do.”
What has been a highlight of your career that leaps out?
“One of the most special gigs I did was a run at the Old Vic in London, one of the most famous theatres in the world.
“I got asked to do a new production of High Society which is kind of a brilliant, full circle moment because I remember watching that (film) with my mum and dad.
“I was about 17 and as a 17 year old, you’re really not interested in watching old films with Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong but they said, ‘You’ll like this. It’s good’.
“And that was the moment when I thought, ‘Yeah, I want to do this’.
“It was so glamorous: The jazz of Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly.
“I thought, ‘If there’s a chance I can meet Grace Kelly, I’m in for this career’.
“So getting asked to remount that film on stage was amazing.
“But the people who came to that, it was almost overwhelming.
“You would get notes from people saying, ‘Ian McKellen’s in’ or Tom Cruise came one night.
“It becomes a bit of a mad sort of validation but a wonderful thing when you get these notes from people going, ‘I was there last night and it was great’.
“We don’t do it for that.
“We do it because we love music, we love performing but that also sort of got me noticed in various other parts of the business.”
Would you like to do more acting?
“Yeah, I got offered some things.
“I always found it hard when I realised that the acting world and the music world don’t really intertwine brilliantly because you’re being asked to do six months for something and I would already have gigs booked in.
“I did a couple of things.
“I did Guys and Dolls and I did a couple of films.
“I had a very smart acting agent for a bit who was the same agent as Keira Knightley and Judy Dench.
“But I remember the conversation a couple of years later when she said, ‘Joe, you’re never free for any of these auditions. You still think you should be an actor?’
“So I don’t know if I am an actor.
“There’s an element of our lives where we go, ‘I’ll go do that for a bit. That’s fun’.
“Never say never.
“I get offered things occasionally and if I can, great.”
Isn’t it true that you’re working on a new musical with Gary Barlow and Jason Manford.
“Yeah, Jason and I have worked on a few things together and he had this idea for a show about the origin story of Captain Hook, probably because he was doing a panto and he was sort of going, ‘Why am I the bad guy? Why is Hook the bad guy? Peter Pan’s a wrong un’.
“So Jason called Gary, ‘Sort of got this idea..’
“Gary said, ‘It’s great’.
“They worked on it for a bit and then Jason called and said, ‘I think we need to bring you in just for some ideas on some comic numbers and things’.
“So I kind of did an audition song, said, ‘Jason, just whatever you do, don’t send this to Gary because this is just for you and me. Just a rough demo’.
“Jason sent it straight to Gary, next day I get a call from Gary, ‘Hi Joe, it’s Gary. Oh my God. I bloody love this’ which kind of blew my mind because he’s an absolute God of songwriting. This is the guy.
“So we’ve been working for about a year now, been in his studio writing all the songs together and it’s happening next year in Sheffield and then, who knows?
“I would love it to come to Ireland.
“It feels like not enough shows go over to Ireland and do a proper run.
“That’s amazing and just to work with Gary, who’s the loveliest guy, I cannot say more.
“I cannot say enough wonderful things about him.
“He’s magnanimous, he’s generous, he’s funny, brilliant and it’s lovely working with people who don’t have anything to prove.”
Someone who has been complimentary about you is Harry Connick Jr which must mean a lot as he is an inspiration of yours..
“Oh yeah.
“I think without Harry Connick Jr doing it 30 years before, I would never (be doing what I’m doing).
“I mean he’s in a different league but I feel what we both do is take these old songs and try to bring them to a new audience.
“I loved his performance.
“Such a talent, so classy.
“He’s much funnier than people give him credit for, incredible musician as well.
“He studied with all the greats in New Orleans.
“The link with that guy is huge and through him, I’ve met people like Leroy Jones, Wynton Marsalis.
“It’s a bit of a dream world.
“It’s a funny business.
“When you get into music you think, ‘I can’t ever actually meet those people’.
“Then you realise you do meet them and then you’re working with them and you realise that we’re all kind of little children just sort of dreaming big in our bedroom.
“I still think he’s great.
“I’d love him to record more albums and dream to collaborate one day with him but here’s hoping.”
You have worked with a number of renowned people through your career..
“I’ve always been able to be a good collaborator, I think.
“I’ve done lots of interesting one off things with people like Rob Brydon, Damian Lewis, Cerys Matthews, Tim Minchin as well.
“I’ve worked with lots of comedians.
“I used to be in a thing called The Horne Section.
“We would work with everyone from Eddie Izzard, Tommy Tiernan, some Irish comics who we loved.
“Tommy Tiernan was amazing.
“Patrick Kielty, Sean Hughes before he died. He was delightful.
“We did the Kilkenny Comedy Festival years back.
“That was like a dream.
“Neil Hannon came up onstage with us as well. A big fan of his.”
Do you have Irish blood yourself?
“There must be a tiny bit.
“I’m quite Celtic.
“It’s sort of bits of Welsh, bits of Scottish, I’m sure there’s a tiny bit of Irish in there.
“My dad’s mum was an Irwin which is vaguely Irish.
“I always feel kinship with (the Irish).
“I think we’re all the same really whatever the differences.”
Have there been Irish influences on your music?
“Yeah, around the same, quite formative time, 16- 17 when I was really starting to look at music as a thing, people might laugh but we went to see Riverdance in London.
“I didn’t know what to expect.
“I knew it was Michael Flatley hopping around but the music completely grabbed me and I kind of obsessively bought the album, learned about Bill Whelan, Davy Spillane and really got into Irish folk music, Sharon Shannon.
“I love that instrument.
“There’s always been something that just grabbed me about that side of music.
“I find it very visceral.
“It’s almost like soul music for America.
“It kind of feels like the spirit.
“A guy got me some uilleann pipes which I could not in any way play.
“I was like, ‘How can I not get a note out of this thing?’
“I mean you won’t hear it really in the music I put out but I have written a few other musicals and often I try to infuse those scores with more of that folky side.
“We did a show in Scotland last year and I’ve got a brilliant Irish flautist and a fiddler to come in and just add some of that magic.
“I love all music.
“It all goes in there whether it’s jazz, funk, soul, folk.
“As Duke Ellington said, ‘There’s two types of music, good music and bad music’.
“That’s how I feel.”
way to look at it, yeah, yeah. So that’s it. That’s the Irish influences, yeah. So once again, you’ll just be looking forward to getting over to Ireland, because, as you say, you’re spending more time there and really enjoying it.
“Yeah and I’ve got my space at Hartigan’s over the road, pint of Guinness waiting for me.
“I’ve started to get to know Dublin and just loving the city.
“And then getting to Limerick for the first time, it’s going to be great.”
Joe Stilgoe plays National Concert Hall, Dublin on 12 March and University Concert Hall, Limerick on 14 March, both shows with the RTE Concert Orchestra.
For more information, go to joestilgoe.com.
