How a Wisconsin Tribute Duo Inspired a New Film About Love, Loss and Return to the Stage

Song Sung Blue, opening Dec. 25, dramatizes the life of a husband-and-wife duo who performed in a Neil Diamond tribute act. The film stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson and is directed by Craig Brewer.

The story is based on the real-life couple Mike and Claire Sardina of Wisconsin, who performed as Lightning and Thunder. Brewer’s feature draws from Greg Kohs’ documentary of the same name. Kohs, who co-wrote the feature, had filmed candid footage of the Sardinas for his documentary; some of those moments were reworked into scenes for Brewer’s dramatization after he discovered the original film at a festival.

The feature traces the couple’s early days as separate performers, the moment they paired up, their rise in the Milwaukee music scene, a life-altering accident, and their eventual comeback. In the film, Jackman and Hudson portray the onstage partnership that became a marriage and a local draw.

According to the film’s account and the documentary source material, Mike and Claire initially performed solo sets of pop classics around Milwaukee. The pairing began after a phone call in which Mike identified himself as “Lightning” and invited Claire to be his “Thunder.” Early setbacks were part of their trajectory: the pair were reportedly booed out of a biker bar, but later appearances at Summerfest and the Wisconsin State Fair helped them build a following.

A high-profile moment cited in the film and documentary came in 1995, when the duo sang “Forever in Blue Jeans” with Eddie Vedder while opening for Pearl Jam. That performance is described as a turning point that helped raise their profile in the region.

The film depicts the couple’s deepening relationship and their decision to marry at the Wisconsin State Fair. That aspect of the story reflects how their time onstage together grew into a personal partnership. In a passage from the documentary used by the filmmakers, Mike speaks directly about his commitment: “I love this woman with all my heart and soul. I’ll stand by her. I’ll be her arms, legs, ears, nose, mouth. I’ll do everything for her.”

The narrative takes a decisive turn with the accident that profoundly changed Claire’s life. On May 10, 1999, Claire was struck by a car while gardening in the couple’s front yard. Part of her left leg was amputated. The film dramatizes the physical and psychological aftermath, including a period when Claire’s character struggles with depression, medication effects, and loss of function.

Some scenes in the feature are dramatized for cinematic purposes; the filmmakers adapted both staged and candid material from Kohs’ documentary. Claire Sardina, who took part in interviews for the later project, said she responded to the film’s portrayal of those difficult months. She described one sequence—where the character slips into a psychiatric ward—as a moment that, while fictionalized, captured the sense of what she experienced. “I went back in time, and I relived it,” she said, praising the performance and its evocation of her state of mind at the time.

When she returned to performing, the film shows Claire initially using a wheelchair or sitting behind a keyboard and, at times, miming playing. The documentary and movie both document her transition to a prosthetic leg and gradual return to moving onstage. A line in the film, delivered in Hudson’s portrayal, sums up the theme Brewer emphasizes: “The accident took my leg, but I shouldn’t have let it take my singing away.”

Brewer, in explaining the film’s title, linked it to the mood of resilience. He said the title song is not simply a sad song but offers a kind of assurance that people can get through hard times. That spirit of recovery and return is central to the film’s message and to the Sardinas’ real-life arc.

Mike Sardina died in 2006. Claire Sardina continues to perform. She lives part of the year in a trailer in Wisconsin near her daughter and the remainder of the time in Apache Junction, near her son in Phoenix. At 64, she still sings regularly and appears in another duo, Thunder After Lightning, with a partner she calls Toney Luciano.

Sardina performs a range of covers, from disco to songs by Abba, Blondie and Patsy Cline, and she takes karaoke and guest spots with live bands. She said she still turns to Neil Diamond’s music when she needs comfort and that she sang “Sweet Caroline” herself. She also met Neil Diamond in 2008; the meeting came two years after Mike’s death.

Reflecting on the decades since the accident, Sardina described the change in practical terms: managing a prosthetic has become a routine, comparable to other ongoing health management needs. She expressed hope that audiences who have faced physical or mental challenges will take from the film a sense that recovery and a return to meaningful activity are possible.

The film credits Kohs’ documentary as foundational to its development and incorporates both archival and staged material to tell the Sardinas’ story. Song Sung Blue opens Dec. 25 and brings the couple’s experiences to a wider audience through a dramatized retelling that emphasizes endurance, partnership and music.

Key Topics

Song Sung Blue, Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Craig Brewer, Mike And Claire Sardina, Lightning And Thunder Tribute Act, Neil Diamond Tribute, Greg Kohs Documentary, Milwaukee Music Scene, Wisconsin State Fair And Summerfest, Claire Sardina Accident And Recovery, Pearl Jam 1995 Eddie Vedder Performance, Thunder After Lightning Duo, Themes Of Resilience And Comeback