The Last Ship is a passion project from Sting, Newcastle-born and bred in the shadow of the shipyards.
While he left his hometown to pursue superstardom as the frontman of The Police and as a solo artist, his heart obviously belongs in this world. Barney Norris’s book, Sting’s music and lyrics, and Leo Warner’s direction make the idea a reality.
Stopping off for a few performances at Drury Lane at the end of a brief tour, this musical is technically superb, with vast sets and projections by 59 Studio, clever lighting (Adam Bassett) and effects, and a real appreciation of the grit and grime of the industry that runs through the blood of those born into it.
Sting plays Jackie White, shipyard foreman. His initial appearance – received with the obligatory cheers from the audience – shows us the character of a man who carries great pride alongside the weariness that comes with age and a body starting to fail. His Jackie is an elder statesman, a leader, who commands respect but is also very real and frail.
His story sits alongside another personal drama as Gideon Fletcher (Declan Bennett, the character vaguely based on the real Sting as a young man) returns to bury his father and reconnect with the woman, Meg (Frances McNamee), he left behind.
Far greater than any single drama in the town is the decline and fall of shipbuilding. It’s the mid-1980s, and the government pursuit of ‘the markets’ has already seen off the industries of mining and steel.
Now, a government minister (clad in symbolic blue) comes to close operations here – but Jackie, union rep Billy (Joe Caffrey), and the people of the town are having none of it.
The Last Ship‘s songs – which include “Island of Souls” and “I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else” – range from huge ensemble pieces to small-scale solos (Jackie Morrison’s Peggy White and Hannah Richardson’s Ellen are particularly good) and duets.
Each moment is in the shadow of that half-finished ship, even when we see the streets or a church. Bridges and girders rise and fall. Huge scaffolding platforms dominate the sides of the stage. A wake becomes a shout of defiance.
In the person of the Wallsend Ferryman (played by Shaggy at our performance), a watchful mortality spreads across the production. He is the redeeming angel and commentator on a collapsing way of life. Drawing on this, a moment where all the women appear before the locked gates of the shipyard to challenge authority is a powerful testament to the close community of our shared industrial past.
There is an undeniable vein of sentimentality at some points, both for the industrial community and for the decline of its leader. Bennett’s Gideon, carrying a lifetime of resentment, finds his shoulders slumping when he realises what his uncommunicative dad really thought of him. Meg’s trajectory of years of love bursting into life chafes against the stereotype of the stoic Northern woman.
Would all this work without Sting at its heart? It’s an interesting question. He doesn’t dominate every scene, but his personality as creator and songwriter is stamped upon it. A vast and talented cast allows the story to assume a breadth and scope beyond him, but it is clearly his show.
As for Shaggy, ‘Mr Boomtastic’ lets a little of that personality through but also shows an affinity with the material you might not expect. Much of this role is silent and on the sidelines, but adds poignancy and potency.
Politically, The Last Ship is clear that comradeship is good and capitalism is bad. It finishes on a sweeping, almost celebratory note despite each person knowing the world as they recognised it was over. At nearly three hours, it is perhaps a little long, but it is full of heart and conviction.
I’m giving this 4 stars. Look around for offers on tickets as it is only in London for a few more performances – without Shaggy, who only appeared for the first two.
The Last Ship – The Musical by Sting continues at Theatre Royal Drury Lane to 3 Oct.
Photos supplied by PR.