Last Ship Sets Sail on Broadway
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Broadway venue, the Neil Simon Theatre (formally known as the Alvin Theatre) will showcase singer, Sting’s musical, The Last Ship from the 30th September.
The musical is inspired by Sting’s childhood and is set in his home town Wallsend in Newcastle upon Tyne. The cast will include Auf Wiedersehen Pet’s Jimmy Nail, New York stage star Michael Esper and singer and actress Rachel Tucker.
Sting has previously said that North East’s legend Jimmy Nail gave him the courage to carry on with the project. Sting has already released an album The Good Ship with music material which will feature in the show. Joe Mantello, who has won two Tony Awards for Musical Assassins and stage play Take Me Out, will be directing the play on Broadway.
The musical centres on a man called Gideon Fletcher who leaves the ship building business to travel the world. He then returns 14 years later to discover that the town he grew up in is close to economic collapse.
It will be interesting to see just how the New Yorkers take to the Geordie tales in this play and if the accents will be downplayed to avoid the audience demanding subtitles which they often do when a Geordie accent comes on TV on that side of the Atlantic.