THE LAST SHIP is a new musical with an original score by 16-time Grammy Award winner Sting. This Broadway premiere features direction by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Wicked), a book by Tony Award winner John Logan (Red) and Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal), and choreography by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once).
THE LAST SHIP is set in the English seafaring town of Wallsend, a close-knit community where life has always revolved around the local shipyard and the hardworking men who construct magnificent vessels with tremendous pride. But Gideon Fletcher dreams of a different future. He sets out to travel the world, leaving his life and his love behind. When Gideon returns home 15 years later, he finds the shipyard's future in grave danger and his childhood sweetheart engaged to someone else. As the men of Wallsend take their future into their own hands and build a towering representation of the shared dream that defines their existence, Gideon realizes that he left behind more than he could have ever imagined.
THE LAST SHIP is a portrait of a community so bound together by passion, faith and tradition, they'll stop at nothing to preserve the only life they've ever known.
In other words, this is a grown-up musical the way Sting is a grown-up musician - offering literate, haunting ballads and well-crafted, pop-folky barnburners. It's also overly earnest and a wee bit grandiose. This duality is reflected in the show's two overlapping stories. One is very effective, the other not so much.
But along with its accomplishments, which include a host of vital performances from its ample cast under the direction of Joe Mantello, 'The Last Ship' also has its share of nagging flaws. The book, by John Logan ('Red') and Brian Yorkey ('Next to Normal'), and inspired in part by Sting's own upbringing in the northeast England town Wallsend, where the show is set, is unfocused and diffuse. It's hamstrung by a division between a David versus Goliath story - of the little folk fighting against the faceless forces of the global economy - and a romantic love triangle.
2014 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Steven Hoggett |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Sting |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Rob Mathes |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Brian Ronan |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | The Last Ship |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | The Last Ship |
2015 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Award | Collin Kelly-Sordelet |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Rob Mathes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Sting |
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