Review Roundup: Sting Stars In THE LAST SHIP

Sting plays a leading role in The Last Ship, the acclaimed musical he first developed in 2011, initially inspired by his 1991 album The Soul Cages, which earned a TONY nomination for Best Original Score.

Rooted in his own childhood in the British shipbuilding town of Wallsend, The Last Ship tells the moving story of a community of shipbuilders in the North East of England, faced with the closure of their shipyard – the heart of their existence. Sting takes on the role of Jackie White, the shipyard's foreman whose health is failing just as his leadership is needed most. In this very personal show, the artist immerses the audience in the hometown he was desperate to escape, a world where love, loss, and hope intertwine.

What did the critics think?

The Last Ship at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 3 October

Photo Credit: Nienke de Groot

Gary Naylor, BroadwayWorld: Alas, too often the songs do not move the show on. Fine singers, acting with heart and soul, step into the spotlight, but we’re no wiser after the song about their motivations or their place in the unfolding, intersecting storylines, than we were before the soaring voices and sawing strings. That impacts on pacing (and adds to that bum-aching runtime), some second act numbers reiterating points made before the interval.

Alex Wood, WhatsOnStage: Sting gives a spirited performance as the illness-riddled foreman Jackie White, bringing his real-life experience living in Wallsend and landing the show some-much needed heart. Shaggy is also, often inexplicably, there. Some performances stand out – Frances McNamee provides grit and poise as Meg Dawson, the bartender with a fraught relationship with Fletcher, while Hannah Richardson brings the house down as Meg’s daughter Ellen – especially with act two number “All This Time.”

Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph: Yet, this ensemble endeavour never escapes the shadow of its creator. Tyneside has one of our richest working-class songbooks, but that’s left untouched; are these folk singing from deep within or simply because they’re in a Sting musical? His presence, and his fans, will keep The Last Ship afloat in this far from blue-collar venue. But if Sting’s ambition is to fashion a show that will last, it’s a case of: back to the drawing-board.

Theo Bosanquet, London Theatre: If it sounds rather convoluted and disjointed, that's because it is. Despite playwright Barney Norris being brought in to rework the book, which already has three other credits on it, it still feels misshapen, and the story never really finds the through-line or dramatic momentum it needs. Characters aren't adequately established, so it takes time to get emotionally invested, and in some cases the stereotyping is so crass it's hard to take them seriously (see Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong's blue-suited minister Baroness Tynedale).

Dominic Maxwell, The Times: The Last Ship was first seen in Britain, Stingless, in Newcastle in 2018. By the time of this run at the 2,000-seat Theatre Royal Drury Lane, at the end of a long world tour, its producers have come to realise that they need to repeat their ruse from the Broadway run of having the creator on stage. Otherwise this rueful if finally rousing tale of cruel capitalism, resilient communities and broken families can’t fill rooms this big.

Andrzej Lukowski, TimeOut: It’s a decent first half in general, charting the beginning of the end of the Wallsend shipyards – where Sting’s father Ernest worked – though the eyes of its workers and the local community, plus Gideon (Declan Bennett), who has returned to town after 17 years’ absence to come to terms with his late father’s death. Several characters from the previous versions have been dropped for Leo Warner’s production. But new for this version – which has a book by Brit playwright Barney Norris – is the Wallsend Ferryman.

Average Rating: 60.0%