Sting's New Musical THE LAST SHIP Gets UK Try-Out; Is Broadway, West End Next?

According to The Journal Live, Sting's new stage musical, THE LAST SHIP, had a try-out run this past weekend at Newcastle's Live Theatre. The singer tells the Journal that the show may be on track to come to Broadway before making the transfer to the UK's West End. 

According to the report, the singer, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, was present for two 'script-in-hand' performances at the Newcastle Theatre this past Friday and Saturday in order to gauge audience reaction to his project. The cast of the show includes local Newcastle actors Jimmy Nail and his sister, Val McLane. Also in attendance at the run-through was producer Jeffrey Seller (Rent, Avenue Q), director Joe Mantallo and writer Brian Yorkey. The performance was directed by Rob Mathes. 

Commenting on his play, Sting told the Journal, “It’s kind of nerve-wracking and a huge risk to come to Newcastle and present something very unfinished and raw, and hope people will understand the process and feel they can invest in it emotionally.”

The musical tells the story of a group of shipyard workers who are inspired by a local Priest to build their own ship once their own ship yard has been shut down. The workers then decide to set sail on a voyage around the world. The story was inspired by Sting's own childhood memories growing up in the Newcastle area before he rose to fame as the frontman of the band The Police. The script was also inspired by the singer's solo album 'The Soul Cages' which was released in 1990 following the death of his father. 

Explains Sting, “I was trying to honor that period of history here and these men. Although the conditions they worked in were appalling, with an inhospitable, toxic environment of asbestos, red lead and welding fumes, they were ferociously proud of the ships they built.”