THE LAST SHIP
STING’S DEBUT MUSICAL TO PLAY HUGE
ONE-OFF OUTDOOR FESTIVAL SHOW
AT SPILLERS WHARF, NEWCASTLE ON MONDAY 28 MAY 2018
IT FOLLOWS SELL-OUT, CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED RUN AT NORTHERN STAGE
15,000 TICKETS TO GO ON SALE 10AM TUESDAY 3RD APRIL
The Last Ship, Sting’s critically-acclaimed debut musical, is to play a massive one-off outdoor show in Newcastle this summer, alongside the very river that helped inspire and shape the show, it is announced today.
The musical, with music and lyrics by Sting, will play at Spillers Wharf, Newcastle Quayside on the banks of the Tyne on Monday 28 May 2018.
The full cast will perform with Sting also expected to attend.
It follows a sell-out, critically-acclaimed UK premiere run at Northern Stage in Newcastle.
When a sailor named Gideon Fletcher returns home after seventeen years at sea, tensions between past and future flare in both his family and his town. The local shipyard, around which the community has always revolved, is closing and no-one knows what will come next, only that a half-built ship towers over the terraces. With the engine fired and pistons in motion, picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White and his wife Peggy fight to hold their community together in the face of the gathering storm.
The Last Ship features an original score with music and lyrics by Sting as well as a few of his best-loved songs; Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance.
This personal musical inspired by Sting’s own childhood experiences, shows the collective defiance of a community facing the demise of the shipbuilding industry alongside a poignant and moving romantic tale of childhood sweethearts and the adults they grew up to become.
The show is directed by Lorne Campbell, the artistic director of Northern Stage and has set design by the Tony Award-winning 59 Productions – team behind the video design for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The Last Ship has a new book by Lorne Campbell, original book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey, orchestrations by Rob Mathes, musical direction by Richard John, costume design by Molly Einchcomb, movement direction by Lucy Hind, lighting design by Matt Daw and sound design by Seb Frost. Other members of the creative team are dramaturg Selma Dimitrijevic, associate director Jake Smith, casting director Jenkins McShane Casting and associate musical director Sam Sommerfeld.
The Last Ship is produced by Karl Sydow and Kathryn Schenker with Northern Stage.
