The Last Ship, the acclaimed musical by internationally renowned musician Sting, is set to premiere in the UK in 2018, opening at Northern Stage in Newcastle on 12 Mar 2018.
The production, which will star Jimmy Nail, has a Tony-nominated original score and lyrics composed by Sting. It will play a 4-week season in Newcastle before embarking on a major UK & Ireland Tour.
Initially inspired by Sting’s 1991 album The Soul Cages and his own childhood experiences, the show tells the story of a community amid the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, with the closure of the town’s shipyard. When Gideon Fletcher returns home after seventeen years at sea, tensions between past and future flare in both his family and his town.
The show is directed by Lorne Campbell, the artistic director of Northern Stage, with set design by the Tony Award-winning 59 Productions. Edinburghborn Lorne Campbell had his first professional job as an assistant director at Northern Stage, before returning as artistic director in 2013. Productions for Northern Stage include Get Carter, Dr Frankenstein and A Song for Ella Grey.
This personal, political and passionate new musical from multiple Grammy Award winner Sting is set to be an epic account of family, community and defiance. The Last Ship also features a few of Sting’s best-loved songs including Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance.